OCD and Attention Deficit Disorder Very Different
Tel Aviv University researcher warns of consequences if mistaken for each other
On the surface, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear very similar, with impaired attention, memory, or behavioural control. But, according to Prof. Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences, these two neuropsychological disorders actually have very different roots — and there are enormous consequences if they are mistaken for each other.
For example, by treating OCD patients with ritalin, a psycho stimulant commonly prescribed to ADHD patients, their symptoms would become worse.
Prof. Dar, along with fellow researcher Dr. Amitai Abramovitch, have determined that despite their similar appearances, OCD and ACHD are far more different than alike. While groups of both OCD and ADHD patients were found to have difficulty controlling their abnormal impulses in a laboratory setting, only the ADHD group had significant problems with these impulses in the real world.
According to Prof. Dar, this shows that while OCD and ADHD may appear similar on a behavioural level, the mechanism behind the two disorders differs greatly. People with ADHD are impulsive risk-takers, rarely reflecting on the consequences of their actions. In contrast, people with OCD are all too concerned with consequences, causing hesitancy, difficulty in decision-making, and the tendency to over-control and over-plan.
To determine the relationship between OCD and ADHD, the researchers studied three groups of subjects: 30 diagnosed with OCD, 30 diagnosed with ADHD, and 30 with no psychiatric diagnosis. All subjects were male with a mean age of 30. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests and questionnaires were used to study cognitive functions that control memory, attention, and problem-solving, as well as those that inhibit the arbitrary impulses that OCD and ADHD patients seem to have difficulty controlling.
According to Prof. Dar, It's easy to see why OCD symptoms can be mistaken for ADHD. For example, a student in a classroom could be inattentive and restless, and assumed to have ADHD. In reality, the student could be distracted by obsessive thoughts or acting out compulsive behaviours that look like fidgeting.
"It's more likely that a young student will be diagnosed with ADHD instead of OCD because teachers see so many people with attention problems and not many with OCD. If you don't look carefully enough, you could make a mistake," cautions Prof. Dar.
Currently, 5.2 million children in the US between the ages of 3 and 17 are diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, making it one of the most commonly diagnosed neuro-developmental disorders in children.
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