Compared to other killers from a public health standpoint, ADHD is bad. Smoking, for example, reduces life expectancy by 2.4 years, and if you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day you’re down about 6.5 years. For diabetes and obesity it’s a couple of years. For elevated blood cholesterol, it’s 9 months. ADHD is worse than the top 5 killers in the U.S. combined.

Having ADHD costs a person nearly thirteen years of life, on average. Barkley adds, And that’s on top of all the findings of a greater risk for accidental injury and suicide…About two-thirds of people with ADHD have a life expectancy reduced by up to 21 years.

This is from Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey in their book ADHD 2.0

Here is some more background on the research

  • Kasumi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    52·
    9 months ago

    Okay so lol.

    The study effectively says, in an extreme TLDR;

    A group of boys with ADHD - now men - were followed into adulthood and this data was then calculated.

    If you remove the likelihood of accidental death via extreme risk taking (poor safety adherence in sports, etc) and substance abuse, you’re accounting for a five year difference.

    This article wasn’t interesting at all because a basic logical conclusion would tell anyone that if you’re amongst a group with more risk taking, you’ll have a higher than average mortality rate.

    The more interesting bit, is why is there a 5 year difference if you account for all those variables? Is that even an appropriate statistic to then use? Shrug, I find these types of articles are…almost hilariously self-defeating. Just pure doomerism for folks with ADHD that hate themselves for it.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      19·
      9 months ago

      wuhey my immediate assumption was indeed correct, ADHD is once again simply the “impulsive boys and men” disease.

      like what’s even the point of writing articles about stuff like this? “congratulations, as if you weren’t already suffering enough from this we’re now also going to tell you you’ll die early! aren’t you glad?”

      • Clegko@lemmy.worldEnglish
        82·
        9 months ago

        “congratulations, as if you weren’t already suffering enough from this we’re now also going to tell you you’ll die early! aren’t you glad?”

        Are we speaking honestly here?

    • angrystego@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      9 months ago

      So it’s proven just for men. Wonder what it would be like if they studied women too. Thanks for tldr!

  • OurTragicUniverse@kbin.social
    32·
    9 months ago

    If you have autism too, your life expectancy is hugely lowered, under 50 i think. Heart disease and suicide are the main ways we die.

    (I’d look it up to link but i feel really sick today and it’s effort i dont have in me(

  • cyberfae@lemmy.worldEnglish
    22·
    9 months ago

      Something I haven’t seen mentioned here is stress. Stress is highly unlikely to kill you directly, but it exacerbates ADHD traits in a negative way. It also exacerbates just about every other mental and physical condition. Living in a world not built for us is extremely stressful, it’s even worse in those of us who aren’t diagnosed or have to live with inadequate accommodations.

      In addition to stress, there is a link between ADHD and higher suicide rates. We often have comorbid conditions like depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, bipolar, and PMDD. That and, again, living in a world not built for us is extremely hard, some of us just can’t handle it.

    Sources:

  • BilboBargains@lemmy.worldEnglish
    18·
    9 months ago

    People with ADHD are more likely to develop substance use problems, be victims of the criminal justice system, have poorer education and be unemployed. Most of these outcomes can be avoided or mitigated by treatment. This is also the case for many other mental disorders and prisons are full of people with undiagnosed disorders. There are a great many opportunities to improve our society by tackling these problems

  • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
    122·
    9 months ago

    Weird to cite a book that’s citing the researcher. Dr Russell Barkley has videos and books of his own and is, by all accounts, the world foremost expert on ADHD.

  • Paul@feddit.deEnglish
    81·
    9 months ago

    i have been undiagnosed for 27 years and have struggled sith suicidal thoughts since puberty because my parents always told me that i am intelligent and that im just behaving that way because i am an asshole, it can be fucking hard not to off yourself.

    but it will get better as you approach your 30s. dont do shit that will get you addicted folks, everything can change, and addiction on adhd is extremely hard to beat, so please, dont do addictive drugs unless ypu really want to fuck your mind and body up.

    but always remember: it will get easier from year to year, and this isnt just a phrase, it can and will happen the more you learn about yourself and the difference to others.

  • N3Cr0@lemmy.worldEnglish
    135·
    9 months ago

    And on top of that, you probably get amphetamine proscribed.

    It’s not impossible though, to find healthier ways of getting life managed.

    • MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      241·
      9 months ago

      This is an unpopular opinion, but I can understand why you would develop such a viewpoint. You just have to realize that some people cannot function effectively in life and a strong stimulant can be a powerful tool to regain control over a doomed situation. If there were better, safer alternatives, they would be used. But there are not, so we have this situation. It’s not like these meds are prescribed by your local drug dealer. There has been a lot of research done by intelligent people.

    • maaj@lemmy.caEnglish
      151·
      9 months ago

      Imma do a lil dance when the mods boom you for party pooping.