New Research Links ADHD to Significantly Shorter Life Expectancy 

Curtusy: By University College London        

A study has found that adults with ADHD have reduced life expectancy due to lack of diagnosis and support.

Many struggle with managing their condition, facing social and health challenges that could be mitigated with better services. Researchers call for improved healthcare interventions to address this issue.

ADHD and Life Expectancy: A Troubling Discovery

A groundbreaking study led by researchers at UCL (University College London) suggests that adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have shorter life expectancies than expected.

Published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, the study examined anonymized primary care records from 30,029 adults in the UK diagnosed with ADHD. These individuals were compared to a control group of 300,390 adults without ADHD, matched by age, sex, and primary care provider.

The findings indicate that men with ADHD may live between 4.5 to 9 years less than their peers, while women with ADHD could experience a reduction in life expectancy of 6.5 to 11 years.

Senior author, Professor Josh Stott (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences), said: “It is deeply concerning that some adults with diagnosed ADHD are living shorter lives than they should.

Challenges Faced by Adults with ADHD

“People with ADHD have many strengths and can thrive with the right support and treatment. However, they often lack support and are more likely to experience stressful life events and social exclusion, negatively impacting their health and self-esteem.”

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.

Professor Stott added: “We know from studies of traits in the community and from studies of childhood diagnosis that the rate of ADHD in our sample is just a fraction of what it should be.”

Understanding ADHD and Its Effects

People with ADHD experience differences in the way they focus their attention. They often have high energy and an ability to focus intensely on what interests them. However, they may find it difficult to focus on mundane tasks.

This can lead to more impulsiveness, restlessness, and differences in planning and time management, which may make it harder to succeed at school and work, leading to longer-term challenges. ADHD is present from childhood and is increasingly recognized to persist in adults.

ADHD is under-treated in adults in the UK compared to in other high-income countries, and support is under-resourced.

This is the first time that researchers have estimated the life expectancy of UK adults diagnosed with ADHD.

Potential Overestimations in the Study

However, they note that because ADHD often goes undiagnosed – especially in adults – the new research may overestimate the reduction in life expectancy experienced by people with ADHD on average.

Lead author, Dr. Liz O’Nions (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences and Bradford Institute for Health Research), said: “Only a small percentage of adults with ADHD have been diagnosed, meaning this study covers just a segment of the entire community.

“More of those who are diagnosed may have additional health problems compared to the average person with ADHD. Therefore, our research may overestimate the life expectancy gap for people with ADHD overall, though more community-based research is needed to test whether this is the case.”

The Urgent Need for Better Support

At present, there is a lack of specialist services to support adults with ADHD in the UK.

For example, a previous national survey of adults aged 16-64 found that a third of those with ADHD traits were in receipt of medication or counseling for a mental health problem, compared to 11% of people without ADHD.

Nearly 8% of people who screened positive for ADHD reported that they had requested a particular mental health treatment in the past 12 months but had not received it, compared to only 1% of those who did not screen positive.

Implications for ADHD Treatment and Policy

This suggests that adults with ADHD are presenting to services, but services are not equipped to support them, even though the impact of ADHD and need to identify and treat it is recognized in NHS guidelines.

This is a leading concern, as treatment and support for ADHD is associated with better outcomes, such as reduced mental health problems and substance use.

Dr. O’Nions said: “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. It is crucial that we find out the reasons behind premature deaths so we can develop strategies to prevent these in future.”

Study Limitations and Future Directions

The study data meant that the researchers did not have information regarding cause of death, so it was not possible to attribute years of lost life to different causes.

A lack of specialist services for adult ADHD assessment in the UK also 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.

The present findings may not generalize to other countries, time periods, or settings.

Reference: “Life expectancy and years of life lost for adults with diagnosed ADHD in the UK: matched cohort study” by Elizabeth O’Nions, Céline El Baou, Amber John, Dan Lewer, Will Mandy, Douglas G.J. McKechnie, Irene Petersen and Josh Stott, 23 January 2025, The British Journal of Psychiatry.

Discloser: Some of the links here are Affiliate links. This means that I may earn a Commission at No Additional Cost if You Click through and make a Purchase. This Commission helps me to Create Free Valuable sites like these. IMPORTANT NOTE: SOMETIMES ALL THE IMAGES/PICTURES SHOWN IN THE VIDEO BELONG TO THE RESPECTED OWNERS AND NOT ME.. I AM NOT THE OWNER OF ANY PICTURES SHOWN IN THE VIDEO __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.