Codependent Frenemies: The Relationship between ADHD and OCD

ADHD and OCD may seem like unlikely companions, given the stereotypes associated with each disorder. However, research suggests that approximately 30% of individuals with ADHD also have OCD.

As someone who lives with both disorders, I have come to understand how they can be codependent frenemies. While my OCD diagnosis came first, it never fully explained my distractibility and impulsivity. When my psychiatrist added ADHD to the mix, everything began to make sense.

ADHD and OCD have different ways of manifesting themselves, but they both believe they are helpful. ADHD craves dopamine, but it cannot distinguish between healthy and unhealthy sources, while OCD wants to relieve anxiety, which it often does in maladaptive ways.

While ADHD is known for hyperfocus, which can complement OCD's obsessive tendencies, the two disorders can also exacerbate each other. For instance, an obsessive thought can trigger anxiety, leading to a compulsive action or thought that temporarily relieves the anxiety and produces dopamine. In contrast, attempting to avoid a compulsion can cause a surge of adrenaline while dopamine and serotonin create a dance in the brain.

ADHD's poor impulse control makes it easier for OCD to exploit it, particularly when the individual is seeking quick relief. As a child, my ADHD contributed to feelings of shame and failure, which OCD feeds on with its what-ifs, leading me deeper into a spiral.

While I have both disorders, OCD does not dominate everything I think or do. I struggle with different aspects of OCD than the stereotype suggests, and ADHD's distractibility can sometimes take the edge off OCD's roughness.

ADHD produces a lot of uncertainty, which fuels OCD, but it can also make OCD therapy more effective. Achieving a breakthrough can provide a rush of dopamine that my brain craves.

Neurodivergence and mental health symptoms do not fit neatly into individual categories. Even though OCD and ADHD are opposites in many ways, they are too intertwined to separate.

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