QUESTION:

Dear Dr. Heller,

I am now getting desperate to find more information and so far no other organization has bothered to answer me. I have only found one piece of evidence to substantiate this and need more .

Thank you.

ANSWER:

Yes, and it’s a very, very strong link. There’s not a lot of literature on it but it’s absolutely true. I treat an enormous amount of ADD in adults, and I’ve seen about a 50/50 link. Dr. Cowdry at NIMH wrote about this link 10 years ago, but I don’t remember the references. It’s likely part of the genetic link with the BPD. I wrote about this link in my new book "Biological Unhappiness." Symptoms that used to be ascribed to the BPD - inability to get things done and poor organizational skills - are in my opinion present when both diagnoses are present. There is a great deal of information about ADD - including criteria and literature reports in my Biological Unhappiness Disorders and Criteria section. It’s critically important that both diagnoses be treated if one has both.