Can ADHD Shorten Life Expectancy?
That sounds like a rather drastic question, but a recent study by Dr. Russell Barkley found that ADHD can indeed impact how long you live. Before you panic, let me tell you a little about the study and it’s implications.
What do we know about ADHD?
Over 50,000 studies have illuminated the wide ranging effects that ADHD has on an individual’s quality of life. What those studies found is that ADHD is associated with a number of other conditions such as Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorders, to name a few. ADHD is also linked to poor academic achievement, addiction, high risk behaviors, and relationship, financial and occupational issues. With all of these challenges (and more), Dr Barkley and his associates wondered if ADHD had a measurable effect on life expectancy.
The Milwaukee Study
Researchers have long known the detrimental effects of ADHD on academics, occupation, family and social functioning. More recently, the focus has been on its impact on health and wellness. Dr. Barkley and associates decided to look back at the data they collected during a longitudinal study of children diagnosed with ADHD, predominantly hyperactive- impulsive type. This study tracked 158 children with ADHD, predominantly hyperactive type and 81 children in a control group (no ADHD) over an average of approximately 21 years. Information was collected through physical exams, rating scales, questionnaires and interviews. They then used an actuarial calculator to derive life expectancy based on 14 variables, such as age, gender, income, nutrition, driving records, education level and alcohol use.
Why do people with ADHD tend to have a shorter life expectancy?
What they found is that for the children in the study, childhood ADHD shortened their lifespan by as many as 10 years or up to 13 years if it persisted into young adulthood, compared to the control group. I should add that they limited their findings to those adults who still presented as ADHD, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type. Of the adults in the study, 95% were not treating their ADHD. So, the question is “Why the shortened life expectancy?”. Simply put, many of the variables correlated to longevity are influenced by a person’s ability to inhibit their behavior. Of course, impulsivity, or an impaired ability to think ahead to the consequences of one’s actions, is the hallmark of ADHD, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type. It makes sense then that people who act impulsively, tend to make poorer decisions about what they eat, drink, and/or smoke. Dr. Barkley et al. list 9 “malleable” factors that relate to life expectancy:
Years of education (also relates to income)
Weight
Nutrition
Sleep duration
Exercise
Risky driving
Alcohol use
Smoking
Current health
9 factors that can be changed or improved. And therein lies the great news.
The Good News
ADHD, in Dr. Barkley’s opinion, is a significant public health problem and should be addressed as such. His call to action? Treat ADHD across the lifespan as a first step in the treatment of those 9 factors listed above. Furthermore, he urges anyone who works with individuals with ADHD, including physicians, therapists, psychologists, and coaches to broaden their efforts to address overall health and wellness with their clients. He also suggests that clinicians look behind the failures of their patients with chronic preventable conditions to see if ADHD is playing a role.
So, it’s a bit of bad news and good news packed together. Yes, ADHD predisposes people to various risk factors related to lower life expectancy. However, many of the risks can be modified and improved through the proper intervention. So, take heart-there’s hope! Make sure that you or your loved one with ADHD get that multidisciplinary treatment they need to get the most out of their life.
Suzanne Leon is a Certified Professional Coach who works with people affected by ADHD/ADD. Visit her website to learn more about the services she provides.
Visit Suzanne on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Suzanne-Leon-Coach-ADHD-and-Executive-Function-1486347834787953/
You can read the study at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1087054718816164?journalCode=jada
*As a footnote, there is much more information from the study than can be presented here, so please forgive any simplifications on my part. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at suzanne@apositiveadditude.com
- impulsive type