Volume 29, Issue 164, October 2025

Comprehensive management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with comorbidity in children and adolescents: pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies

Paweł Czyż^1♦, Marta Górska², Jakub Górski³, Maciej Janowski², Antonina Strzałkowska²

¹Municipal Hospital of St.Vincent de Paul in Gdynia, ul. Wójta Radtkego 18, 81-348 Gdynia, Poland
²Central Teaching Hospital of Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
³Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Paweł Czyż, Municipal Hospital of St. Vincent de Paul in Gdynia, Gdynia, Poland

ABSTRACT

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a reasonably common developmental disorder that affects neurodevelopment. It often occurs alongside other psychiatric and transitional conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and oppositional disorder. This mix of conditions makes it harder to diagnose ADHD correctly and manage it effectively. Coexisting issues can hide the main symptoms of ADHD and require complicated treatment plans. This integrated review combines current pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies. Pharmacological medications, including efficacy and safety profiles, such as stimulants and non-stimulants, offer crucial symptomatic relief. Their efficacy and safety profiles are often discussed, as well as their subtle use in different comorbid situations. The primary non-pharmacological strategies are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, primarily for learning emotional regulation and healthy coping mechanisms, and Parent Management Training, which teaches how to strengthen and manage various problem behaviors. Effective management should be implemented using multidisciplinary models that involve various professionals, with psychiatrists as the primary caregivers. It will also investigate how to use artificial intelligence and big data for better care. Finally, a combined treatment supported by research has great potential to improve the quality of life for children and adolescents with ADHD and other conditions, as well as their overall academic and work performance. Although some progress has been made, challenges in diagnosis and therapy still exist. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of this approach.

Keywords: ADHD, comorbidity, child and adolescent psychiatry, medication, therapy

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e204ms3696

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Published: 11 October 2025