Young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are much more likely to use recreational drugs ands smoke cigarettes, according to a new study that involved the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The researchers said the study involved about 600 children and is the first to look at the connection between substance abuse and ADHD in such a large sample involving multiple research sites.
The study findings include:
35 percent of the young people in the study had used an illegal substance by about age 15, compared to 20 percent of teens who don't have ADHD.
10 percent of the ADHD group met the criteria for substance abuse or dependence, compared to three percent of non-ADHD adolescents.
By the time the ADHD group was about 17, 13 percent had abused marijuana, compared to seven percent of non-ADHD peers.
17 percent of the ADHD teens smoked cigarettes daily, compared to eight percent of non-ADHD teens.
They study also found that alcohol use was similar among ADHD and non-ADHD adolescents, and substance abuse rates were similar among young people still taking ADHD medication and those who had stopped.
The authors said the study suggests the need for alternative approaches to preventing substance abuse in young people with ADHD.
“Some of this is biologically driven because we know that ADHD runs in families. However, similar to managing high blood pressure or obesity, there are non-medical things we can do to decrease the risk of a bad outcome. As researchers and practitioners, we need to do a better job of helping parents and schools address these risk factors that are so common for children with ADHD," said Brooke Molina of UPMC, the lead author of the report.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.