People With ADHD Are Living Shorter Lives, Study Finds

As if attention deficit hyperactivity disorder wasn’t bad enough: New research out this week suggests that people with ADHD are living shorter lives than expected.

Scientists at University College London in the UK conducted the study, which compared the health records of similar people with and without ADHD. They found that those who had ADHD were sicker and died sooner than their counterparts. The findings indicate that people with the condition are often not getting the support they need, the researchers say.

ADHD A complex disorder characterized by symptoms such as restlessness, impulsivity, and difficulty focusing, especially on daily tasks. The condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to lead or other toxins early in life. ADHD first appears in childhood, but many people are only diagnosed as adults or not diagnosed at all. Although the condition does not usually go away with age, symptoms may change as a person ages.

People with ADHD are known to have a higher risk of developing other health problems such as dementia good enough sleep And substance use Problems They are also more likely to experience stressful life events such as prolonged unemployment. There is some research Also recommended Those with ADHD are more likely to die sooner than the general population. However, the scientists behind the new study argue that not enough previous work has been done to measure the impact of ADHD on human life expectancy.

Hence the new research. Researchers analyzed primary care data from nearly 30,000 adults in the UK with a diagnosis of ADHD. These people were compared to a larger group of residents without ADHD but who were similar in age, gender, and the doctors they visited.

Researchers found that people with ADHD were more likely to have a variety of other common physical and mental health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression. They also had higher mortality rates in different age groups, which were seen in both males and females. Overall, the researchers estimated that diagnosed ADHD was associated with a loss of life expectancy of 6.78 years for men and 8.64 years for women.

“Evidence that people diagnosed with ADHD are living shorter lives than they should is extremely worrying, and highlights unmet support needs that require immediate attention,” the scientists wrote in their paper. published Thursday in The British Journal of Psychiatry.

The researchers note that they were only able to study people diagnosed with ADHD, which is likely an undercount. About 0.32% of people in their sample were diagnosed with ADHD, whereas other studies have found about 3% of the population to have the condition. Researchers say people diagnosed with ADHD may be more likely to develop other health problems than undiagnosed cases. This gap may mean that they are overestimating the toll that ADHD in general has on people’s lifespans. The researchers also lacked data on specific causes of death in people, so this study can’t tell us exactly how ADHD increases people’s risk of early death.

That said, it’s clear that people with ADHD face unique health and social challenges, and not enough is being done to diagnose and help people with ADHD as early as possible, the authors say.

“It is crucial that we find out the reasons behind premature deaths so that we can develop strategies to prevent them in the future,” said lead researcher Liz O’Neons. statement from UCL.