ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

I've always struggled to maintain a daily routine. There are definitely routines to my life but they often do not follow a day-to-day pattern. Instead it's more hit and miss. This has been frustrating at times as the routines support my goals but in order for them to work they have to be followed in a non-linear fashion.

As I've come to grips with the idea that there might be biological reasons behind this, I've been in the habit of associating this with ADHD symptoms. It seems, however, that ADHD and bipolar disorder have a lot of similarities and a similar root. That is "Twin and family studies of ADHD show a substantial genetic heritability with little or no family environmental effect. Linkage and association studies have conclusively implicated the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1). DAT1 has also been confirmed as being associated with bipolar disorder." (Source: PubMed.gov article)

In layperson's terms I believe this is saying that in studies of twins and families excluding factors of nurture rather than nature the neurotransmitter dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) is implicated in both ADHD and bipolar disorder.

In a not as scientific article, ADHDNews.com outlines the similarities and differences between ADHD and bipolar disorder.

The similarities include:
• impulsivity
• inattention
• hyperactivity
• physical energy
• behavioral and emotional lability (behavior and emotions change frequently)
• frequent coexistence of conduct disorder and oppositional-defiant disorder
• and learning problems

For more information on determining the difference between ADHD and bipolar disorder, see this short article by Dr. William Dodson in ADDitude magazine.