Essential
- Research shows that adults diagnosed with ADHD live less than others.
- The reduction in life expectancy in men diagnosed with ADHD is between 4.5 and 9 years, and between 6.5 and 11 years in women.
- However, researchers recognize that this reduction in life expectancy could be overestimated, because ADHD is often not diagnosed.
“People with ADHD have many advantages and can flourish with appropriate support and treatment, notes Professor Josh Stott by University College London. However, they often lack support and are more likely to live stressful events And to be excluded socially. And that could well have an effect on their life expectancy, according to the latest research by the British scientist.
These works, published in the journal British Journal of Psychiatry, Show that adults who have received a diagnosis of disorder deficit in attention with or without hyperactivity (ADHD), have a risk of living less than they should.
ADHD: a lower life expectancy in adults
To see the impact of a diagnosis of ADHD on adult health, the researchers analyzed the files of 30,029 patients affected by this disorder. They then compared them to the data collected from 300,390 participants without ADHD.
These analyzes have revealed an apparent reduction in the life expectancy of people with disorder. On average, men with diagnosed ADHD lived between 4.5 and 9 years under the others. For women, their longevity was reduced from 6.5 to 11 years.
-“It is deeply worrying that some adults diagnosed with ADHD live less than they should“says Professor Josh Stott in a press release.
ADHD and life expectancy: watch out for the limits of the study
“Although many people with ADHD live for a long time and in good health, our observation that they live on average for less than long than they should be indicated that support needs are not met. It is essential that we discover the reasons for premature deaths in order to be able to develop strategies to prevent them in the future “notes the main author, Dr Liz O’nions.
However, the scientist and his colleagues call to take their results with caution. “As ADHD is often not diagnosed – especially in adults – new research could overestimate the reduction in life expectancy suffered on average by people with ADHD.”
“Only a small percentage of adults with ADHD have been diagnosed, which means that this study only covers a segment of the whole community”explains the researcher. “Diagnosed people may have more health problems than the standard person with ADHD. Consequently, our research may overestimate the gap of life expectancy of people with ADHDs in general, even if further research within the community is necessary to check if this is the case“
