Women with ADHD have shorter life expectancies by 9 years, finds study
Our understanding of ADHD, particularly as it shows up in women, is in its infancy. Despite a spike in people seeking support for their disorder, most cases of ADHD in adults remain undiagnosed, which means we're still learning a lot about how it impacts the life and health of people with the condition.
Now, a new study looking at exactly that has found ADHD has a shocking effect on lifespan. Published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, it found the lifespan of women with ADHD is reduced by nine years, while men's is reduced by seven years.
Why does ADHD impact lifespan?
The study looked at data from 30,039 adults with diagnosed ADHD and compared their lifespan to a group of 300,390 participants without the condition.
Women with ADHD had an average life expectancy of 75.15 years, compared with 83.79 years in those without the disorder.
However, researchers say this is not down to the impact of the condition itself, but because of modifiable factors associated with the condition.
ADHD is characterised by inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that has a direct negative impact on academic, occupational or social functioning. These factors don't have a direct impact on lifespan, however, they do impact how people with the disorder look after their health and are treated.
To start, most people with ADHD are undiagnosed – particularly women – and don't receive support or intervention. That impacts health outcomes because they are unaware of how best to support their cognition and mental health.
People with ADHD are also disproportionately likely to experience inequality and adversity, including educational under-attainment, unemployment, financial problems, discrimination, contact with the criminal justice system and homelessness, say the researchers. These are all linked with a greater risk of health issues.
They are also more likely to experience reduced sleep, drink and smoke more and use substances.
All of that means that, on average, people with diagnosed ADHD experience more physical and mental health problems, including cardiovascular disease. They are also at a higher risk of suicide than people not diagnosed with ADHD.
What support is needed?
'We believe this [reduction in lifespan is] unlikely to be because of ADHD itself and likely caused by modifiable factors such as smoking, and unmet mental and physical health support and unmet treatment needs. The findings illustrate an important inequity that demands urgent attention,' say the researchers.
It added that there's a dearth of specialist services to support adults with ADHD. Studies show that people with ADHD characteristics were more likely to access support or to have requested a particular treatment that they did not subsequently receive. 'This suggests that they are presenting to services, but services are not equipped to offer support.
'As well as ADHD-specific support, this may include approaches to improve awareness of physical and mental health conditions that are more common in people with ADHD and promotion of timely access to mental health support and smoking cessation services.'
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