Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) May Be Living Shorter Lives Than Expected
A recent study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) has found that adults with diagnosed ADHD may be living shorter lives than they should. The study, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, analyzed anonymized primary care data from 30,029 adults across the UK with diagnosed ADHD and compared them to 300,390 participants without ADHD.
The researchers found that men with diagnosed ADHD had a reduction in life expectancy of between 4.5 and 9 years, while women with diagnosed ADHD had a reduction of between 6.5 and 11 years. The study also found that fewer than one in nine adults with ADHD had been diagnosed, meaning that only a fraction of the total population of adults with ADHD could be studied.
The researchers noted that ADHD often goes undiagnosed, especially in adults, which may lead to an overestimation of the reduction in life expectancy experienced by people with ADHD on average. They also highlighted the lack of specialist services to support adults with ADHD in the UK, which may contribute to the unmet support needs of this population.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Liz O’Nions, emphasized the importance of developing strategies to prevent premature deaths among adults with ADHD. “Although many people with ADHD live long and healthy lives, our finding that on average they are living shorter lives than they should indicates unmet support needs,” she said.
The study’s findings suggest that treatment and support for ADHD is associated with better outcomes, such as reduced mental health problems and substance use. However, the lack of specialist services for adult ADHD assessment in the UK means that diagnosed adults may overrepresent those who have co-occurring mental health and/or neurodevelopmental conditions, which could confound the results and lead to an overestimation of years-of-life-lost.
Overall, the study highlights the need for more research into the life expectancy of adults with ADHD and the development of specialist services to support this population.
