Adults with ADHD have shorter life expectancy - study
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Adults with ADHD have a shorter life expectancy than those without, a new study has found. The research, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found men with ADHD lost an average of 6.78 years of life and women an average of 8.64 years, compared to people who did not have the disorder.
ADHD affects nearly 3% of adults, although most are undiagnosed, the report said. Data was collected from 792 GPs, covering 9.56m people. Researchers identified 30,039 adults diagnosed with ADHD (0.32% of the sample size), who were then matched against 300,390 individuals without the disorder.
It is the first study of its kind to look at life expectancy and ADHD within the UK population. Researchers believe the difference in life expectancy is because people with ADHD don't get enough treatment, both for the disorder itself and other health issues.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. However, the study did not account for all possible factors, like ethnicity or deprivation, which might also affect life expectancy. It lacked information on the cause of death and there was a potential for an overrepresentation of individuals with higher support needs.
Because ADHD often goes undiagnosed - especially in adults - the new research may overestimate the reduction in life expectancy experienced by people with ADHD. Read more: 'Not ill at all' young people getting diagnosed with 'fashionable' ADHD, peer claims.
