Abstract

Our study 2investigates the medical and mental health of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to their non-ADHD sibling. A cross sectional community study of 130 children who met the Diagnostic Statistic Manual IV for ADHD, on stimulant medication for at least a year and their siblings closest in age without the diagnosis of ADHD was completed. The ADHD child was significantly more likely to be diagnosed with psychiatric/developmental and medical disorders in comparison to their non-ADHD siblings. We report significant differences for most psychiatric diagnosis evaluated; medical conditions such as sleep problems and feeding difficulties in infancy and migraine had OR of (OR 4.29; CI 1.85-9.95); (OR 2.68; CI 1.26-5.66) and (OR 2.18; CI 0.62-7.64) respectively. Our findings suggest ADHD children experience considerably higher comorbidities from an early age than their non-ADHD siblings despite their shared genetic and environmental factors; hence requiring significantly more services.