{
  "id": 5078796,
  "title": "Irritability, anxiety and negative thought patterns in ADHD associated with increased depression risk",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/irritability-anxiety-and-negative-thought-patterns-in-adhd-associated",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-02T12:00:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-anxiety-negative-thought-patterns-adhd.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study by Cardiff University's Wolfson Center has found that irritability, anxiety and negative thought patterns in children and young people with ADHD are linked to a higher risk of depression. The research team analyzed data from two long-term studies, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Twins Early Development Study, which followed participants from pregnancy into young adulthood. Both studies included information on ADHD symptoms, depression symptoms, and the investigated clinical factors.\n\nThe study revealed that children and adolescents with higher ADHD symptoms had greater levels of depressive symptoms. This association was stronger in girls than boys. In adolescence, negative thought patterns and a belief in viewing life outcomes as related to luck, fate or others emerged as the strongest factors explaining the association between ADHD and depression. Dr. Eglė Padaigaitė-Gulbinienė, who was involved in the study, noted that these sex differences might be due to lower recognition and later diagnosis of ADHD in girls and women, leading to delayed support and increased depression risk.\n\nThe researchers suggest that early screening for irritability and anxiety in children and youth with ADHD may help identify those at higher risk for developing depression. However, further studies are needed to determine whether these factors actually cause depression in children and young people with ADHD or if similar mechanisms apply to other conditions, such as ADHD co-occurring with autism.",
  "summary": "A new study by the Wolfson Center at Cardiff University investigating links between ADHD and depression has shown that underlying factors such as anxiety and negative thought patterns in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood indicate depression risk. The research team suggests that identifying these emotions, behaviors and beliefs in children and young people with ADHD could be a promising…",
  "key_points": [
    "Irritability, anxiety, negative thoughts in ADHD linked to higher depression risk",
    "Girls show stronger association between ADHD symptoms and depression",
    "Early screening for irritability and anxiety may identify depression risk"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}