According to a new U.K. study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have shorter life spans than those without. In this first-of-its-kind study, the authors determined that both men and women saw a drop in life expectancy, and this may be due to limited access to treatments and an overall misdiagnosis of ADHD.
A Shortened Life Expectancy
Researchers from the University College London (UCL) analyzed data from 30,029 adults in the U.K. with an ADHD diagnosis. They then compared that data against data collected from 300,390 study participants without an ADHD diagnosis, pairing them by age, gender, and type of medical care.
The findings show that men with ADHD have about a 7-year life span reduction while women with ADHD have about 9.
