ADHD and SUD's

              In a recent study, researchers found a correlation between childhood ADHD and a substance abuse disorder as an adult. This study took a sample from Rochester, Minnesota of people born between January 1, 1976 and December 31, 1982. Searching through medical records, school records and social service records, researchers found 232 documented cases of childhood ADHD. They also had a control group of 335 cases of people born between the same time and same geographic area that did not have ADHD. Through various criteria, they were able to determine who had SUD or alcohol dependence. The primary results were that people, who had ADHD as a child, were more likely to develop a new drug dependence than their peers without ADHD. The rate of drug exposure was higher in the group that had childhood ADHD as well. The study suggests that this is due to impulsivity and poor decision-making, even into adulthood. 

            This study has some very interesting results with implications that the medical community may need to take a serious look at how they are treating ADHD in children. If this study’s results are accurate, then treating ADHD with the same chemical components that are in meth, such as methylphenidate, then this may be causing more harm than good, long-term. If children with ADHD are at more of a risk for developing a SUD later in life, then conditioning them to take stimulating prescription medication might not be the best form of therapy in some cases.

            Some limitations of this experiment were that the sample was taken from one region of the US, and from a very specific age range. Most likely, children with ADHD are treated therapeutically different than they were twenty years ago.  Also, 76% of the study’s participants were male. More research would need to be conducted in order to make a definitive correlation that people with childhood ADHD are more likely to develop a SUD later in life.

Levy S, Katusic SK, Colligan RC, Weaver AL, Killian JM, et al. (2014) Childhood ADHD and Risk for Substance Dependence in Adulthood: A Longitudinal, Population-Based Study. PLoS ONE 9(8): e105640. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105640

Abstract