According to a study carried out on 30,000 Britons and published in the British Journal of Psychiatrymen lose seven years of life expectancy and women nine years compared to their unaffected counterparts.
Shocking results. A study of more than 30,000 British adults diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) found that, on average, they died earlier than their unaffected counterparts. Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on January 23, it indicates that men with ADHD die about seven years earlier, and women nine years. This study would be the first to combine all causes of mortality to estimate the life expectancy of people with ADHD.
It involved 9,561,450 patients registered in primary care practices (general medicine, dental, pharmaceutical and optometry services) of the National Health Service (NHS, British health system), among whom 30,039 had been diagnosed with ADHD . Each person in the ADHD group was matched with 10 people without the disorder based on their age, gender and health status for comparison. Among those with ADHD, 193 male and 148 female patients died during the follow-up period, which extended from 2000 to 2019.
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“More risky behaviors”
The results are striking: the life expectancy of people with ADHD is considerably reduced compared to those who do not have the disorder. Men lose on average seven years of longevity, women nine. As an adult, “people with ADHD have more difficulty managing their impulses and engage in riskier behavior”indicates to New York Times Dr Joshua Stott, professor of ‘aging and clinical psychology’ at University College London and author of the study. He is alarmed by numbers “important and worrying”which he associates more “to health inequalities than to anything else”.
“Nearly 3% of adults suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But at United Kingdom most of them are undiagnosed”reports the introductory remarks of the report’s report. An observation also shared by many experts on the subject in France, where the diagnosis time is estimated at between four and six years. Faced with these difficulties, the High Authority for Health (HAS) had also published a vast guide for health and educational professionals, to specify the examinations essential for a correct diagnosis, and to improve patient care.
In the UK, Dr Sott says adults with ADHD have on average “poorer education and employment outcomes, poorer physical and mental health and are more likely to die prematurely”a series of risks already highlighted in previous studies.
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Indeed, people suffering from ADHD may be more likely to be confronted with “inequality and adversity”, “unemployment, financial problems and discrimination”. Prevalence studies show that they are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle habits (sleep deficiency, excessive consumption of substances and alcohol, smoking), to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and more risk of suicide attempts. or suicide. However, the study did not clearly define and quantify the causes of early death in people with ADHD.
In France, in its guide, the HAS also highlighted “a higher rate of substance use disorder” in adolescents and adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. She also mentioned the “suicide mortality” higher among people with this disorder, “as well as suicide attempts and suicidal ideation, which are twice as high as in the general population.” Finally, noted the health authority, “ADHD is associated with an increase in domestic accidents and road accidents”.
“Unmet support and treatment needs”
For the study authors, however, if adults with ADHD live shorter lives than they should, it is probably due to “modifiable risk factors and unmet support and treatment needs (in terms of ADHD, Editor’s note), as well as concomitant mental and physical disorders”.
They recall that this study focused on data concerning adults who had already been diagnosed with ADHD. So, “the results may not apply to the entire population of adults with ADHD, since the vast majority of them have not been diagnosed”. The researchers also noted that the people in their study, most of whom were diagnosed as adults, may be among the most seriously affected by the disorder.
