Teen ADHD May Increase Risk for Adult Problems

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WebMD Health News Reviewed byHansa D. Bhargava, MD

Dec. 10 2012 -- Teens diagnosed with ADHD are likely to have an array of issues as adults, including problems with physical and mental health, work, and finances, according to new research.

''ADHD in adolescence has long-lasting effects on adjusting to the vicissitudes of life and is associated with difficulties in being a wage earner, worker, parent, and so forth," says researcher David W. Brook, MD, professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine.

Brook and his colleagues looked at data that assessed teens at ages 14 and 16, and later as adults at 37. The original study began in 1975.

The analysis, published in Pediatrics, reports on the 551 men and women who completed the evaluation at several time points, ending in either 2005 or 2006.

Brook believes it may be the longest study to date that followed teens with ADHD to look at its later impact.

ADHD affects up to 7% or more of school-age children. They have trouble paying attention, often act impulsively, and can be very physically active.

ADHD in Children

Teens With ADHD: Tracking Future Risks

The researchers assessed how well the teens did as they moved through adolescence and into early adulthood. They evaluated physical and mental health, work performance, worries about finances, and other areas.

"We wanted to look at the long-term effects of ADHD in adolescence on later functioning," Brook says.

Compared to teens and young adults without ADHD, those with ADHD had:

Nearly twice the odds of having physical health problems More than twice the odds of having mental health issues More than five times the odds of having antisocial personality disorder More than twice the odds of having impaired work performance More than three the odds of having financial stress

About 40% of children with ADHD continue to have symptoms into adulthood, according to research from the group Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD).

 

Why ADHD Issues May Persist

The study didn't go into why the problems of ADHD persist. However, Brook has a speculation.

"We think it has to do with impaired difficulty in the parent-child relationship when they are teens," he says.

Parents whose kids are diagnosed with ADHD may have difficulty forming a close, mutual parent-child relationship, says Brook. He is citing previous research by Judith S. Brook, EdD, also of NYU and a researcher on the new study.

A close parent-child relationship may help protect the person from later problems, he says.

The study did not look at treatments given and if that affected adult issues. However, the findings strongly suggest that doctors should focus on early diagnosis and treatment of teen ADHD, Brook says, to reduce the fallout as adults.

Outlook for Teens With ADHD: Perspective

"It's not surprising at all," says Ruth Hughes, PhD, the CEO of CHADD. Other studies have also found a link between teen ADHD and adult functioning.

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