Is ADHD linked to substance abuse? There’s strong connection between them, study finds
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be linked to substance abuse, a new study found.
The study, set to be published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, found that even when accounting for age, race, income, education, childhood adversities and mental illnesses aside from ADHD, people aged 20 to 39 and diagnosed with ADHD were 69% more likely to have a substance use disorder than those without ADHD.
Around half of people with ADHD will have a substance abuse disorder, the study found, compared to only about 23.6% of adults without ADHD.
Researchers collected data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health and analyzed findings from 270 people between the ages of 20 to 39 with ADHD and 6,602 people without the disorder.
About 36% of adults with ADHD reported abusing alcohol, followed by cannabis — with about 23% of adults with ADHD abusing the substance. Those with ADHD “were also three times more likely to experience an illicit drug disorder” — not counting marijuana — compared to those without the disorder.
“One potential explanation for the extremely high rate of illicit drug use among those with ADHD is the accelerated gateway hypothesis,” co-author Senyo Agbeyaka, a recent University of Toronto MSW graduate and a social worker at University Health Network, said in a news release. “This theory posits that people with ADHD tend to initiate substance use at a younger age, resulting in riskier use and greater problem severity in adulthood.”
Some of the other findings include:
More than 27% of people with ADHD suffered from depression compared to 11% of adults who weren’t diagnosed with ADHD.
Nearly 35% with the disorder reported having been physically abused and 11% were victims of sexual abuse before they turned 16 years old.
“These results emphasize the importance of addressing depression and anxiety when providing care to those with co-occurring ADHD and SUD,” lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a professor at University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging, said in a news release. “Individuals with untreated depression and anxiety may self-medicate to manage the symptoms of an untreated psychiatric disorder, which can result in greater substance use.”
Previous studies have also found a direct link between substance use disorders and childhood adversities, researchers said.
“Childhood maltreatment may disrupt emotional regulation and the neuro-development of children, which may predispose them to later developing substance dependence,” co-author Danielle Lewis, a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Masters of Social Work Program, said in a news release.
Now researchers are hoping their findings can shed light on creating more programs to treat substance use disorders.
“There is a clear need to develop prevention and treatment programs to address substance use issues among those with ADHD, while also promoting mental health and addressing childhood adversities,”Fuller-Thomson said.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Is ADHD linked to substance abuse? There’s strong connection between them, study finds."
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