On-Demand Treatment Webinars

“Understand How ADHD and Schizophrenia Overlap” [Video Replay & Podcast #533]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#533), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

ADHD Expert: Napoleon B. Higgins, Jr., MD Updated on March 20, 2025
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Episode Description

Can someone have both ADHD and schizophrenia? At first glance, the two conditions might seem distinct and unrelated. But they do share some similarities and risk factors, and symptoms of each can dramatically affect a person’s life.

Many adults diagnosed with schizophrenia were previously diagnosed with ADHD or another behavioral disorder in childhood. Some researchers have suggested that, in rare cases, treating childhood ADHD with stimulants — especially amphetamines — may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia later in life.1

In this discussion, we’ll explore how early cognitive issues in children with ADHD might sometimes lead to misdiagnosis, as these issues can look similar to symptoms of other conditions. We’ll also discuss how the effects of ADHD — along with environmental factors, developmental challenges, and trauma — can sometimes lead a treatable childhood condition to give way to a severe mental illness later in life.

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • About the similarities and differences between ADHD and schizophrenia
  • How developmental issues can begin with ADHD and lead to schizophrenia
  • About the environmental factors that could lead a child to develop schizophrenia
  • About the interventions to treat the diagnosis of ADHD and schizophrenia

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO

ADHD & Mental Health Conditions: More Resources

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on December 11, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Napoleon Higgins, M.D., is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in Houston, Texas. He is the owner of Bay Pointe Behavioral Health Services and Kaleidoscope Clinical Research.

Dr. Higgins is the Executive Director of the Black Psychiatrists of America, CEO of Global Health Psychiatry, President of the Black Psychiatrists of Greater Houston, Psychiatry Section Chair of the National Medical Association, and Past President of the Caucus of Black Psychiatrists of the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Higgins is co-author of Bree’s Journey to Joy: A Story about Childhood Grief and Depression, How Amari Learned to Love School Again: A Story about ADHD, Mind Matters: A Resource Guide to Psychiatry for Black Communities and author of Transition 2 Practice: 21 Things Every Doctor Must Know In Contract Negotiations and the Job Search. (#CommissionsEarned)

Dr. Higgins has worked with and founded programs that help to direct inner-city young men and women to aspire to go to college and finish their educational goals. He has worked with countless community mentoring programs and has special interest in trauma, racism, and inner-city issues and how they affect minority and disadvantaged children and communities.

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