Methamphetamine use disorder and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder comorbidity and clinical implications

The aim of our study is to investigate the comorbidity of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder and its potential clinical implications. This research is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Akdeniz University Alcohol and Substance Addiction Research and Treatment Center (AMBAUM). The study included 78 patients with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) and 78 patients with Methamphetamine Use Disorder without comorbidities (MDMWC) who met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Substance Use Disorder, had no psychotic or manic symptoms, no additional neurological disorders, were literate, aged between 18 and 65 years, and volunteered to participate in the study. Seventy-eight healthy volunteers without a psychiatric or neurological disorder diagnosis according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were included in the study. All participants were administered a sociodemographic form developed by the researcher in a face-to-face question-and-answer format, as well as the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale (SF-36), the Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale (ASRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 Short Form (BIS-11), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders-5 Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV). In our study, when examining the predictive factors for methamphetamine use, the presence of an ADHD diagnosis was identified. Furthermore, when evaluating the predictive factors for an ADHD diagnosis, a significant association with methamphetamine use disorder was found. An important finding in our study was that, while no significant difference in ADHD was found between the MUD and MUDWC groups, a significant difference in BIS-11 scores was observed, with the MUD group showing higher scores. The overlap of symptoms assessed by this scale with ADHD symptoms suggests that individuals with MUD should be carefully monitored for ADHD symptoms and their clinical implications.