ADHD could ‘take years off life’ study reveals – the 9 signs you could have it
The life expectancy of people with ADHD was different for men and women, researchers found
HAVING ADHD could reduce your life expectancy, scientists say – cutting your life short by up to 11 years.
It’s estimated that up to 2.6 million children and adults in the UK have been diagnosed with the condition, short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
UCL researchers said people with ADHD may be living shorter lives than those without the condition.
They found that men with ADHD tended to live 4.5 to nine years less.
As for women, their lives were cut short by 6.5 to 11 years.
Senior author Professor Josh Stott said: “It is deeply concerning that some adults with diagnosed ADHD are living shorter lives than they should.
“People with ADHD have many strengths and can thrive with the right support and treatment.
“However, they often lack support and are more likely to experience stressful life events and social exclusion, negatively impacting their health and self-esteem.”
ADHD is a condition that affects people’s behaviour and concentration.
It’s usually spotted in children under the age of 12 but it can also be diagnosed later – with increasing numbers of cases being picked up in adulthood.
Research by University College London found there was a 20-fold increase among UK adults between 2000 and 2018, and an almost 5,000 per cent rise in ADHD prescriptions for men aged 18 to 29.
The charity ADHD UK said this is due to a combination of increased awareness, decreased stigma and improved access to healthcare.
People with ADHD often have high energy and can focus intensely on what interests them, but they may find it difficult to focus on mundane tasks.
This can lead to more impulsiveness, restlessness, and struggles in planning and time management – which may make it harder to succeed at school and work and lead to longer-term challenges.
The UCL research, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, analysed data from 30,029 adults across the UK who’d been diagnosed with ADHD and compared it to 300,390 participants without ADHD.
The team found that fewer than one in nine adults with ADHD had been diagnosed – meaning that only a fraction of the total population of adults with ADHD could be studied.
The 9 'hidden' signs of ADHD in adults
ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class.
And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children.
However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing.
Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: “If it isn’t debilitating, it isn’t ADHD.”
In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD.
You might be thinking, ‘I’m always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work — I must have ADHD’. But it’s not as simple as that.
Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: “The key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a person’s daily life.
“Genuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life – work, relationships and emotional wellbeing – whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.”
ADHD UK’s Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: “Having ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.”
So how can ADHD manifest in someone’s life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs:
- Time blindness – losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early
- Lack of organisation – a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines
- Hyperfocus – becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours
- Procrastination – feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks
- Heightened emotions – emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once
- Being a ‘yes man’ – agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when you’re already busy (a desire to please)
- Impatience – interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly-chatty
- Restlessness – tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside
- Easily distracted – by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts
Professor Stott added: “We know from studies of traits in the community and from studies of childhood diagnosis that the rate of ADHD in our sample is just a fraction of what it should be.”
This is the first time that researchers have estimated the life expectancy of UK adults diagnosed with ADHD.
But they noted that because ADHD often goes undiagnosed – especially in adults – the new research may over-estimate the average reduction in life expectancy experienced by people with ADHD.
Study author Dr Liz O’Nions said: “Only a small percentage of adults with ADHD have been diagnosed, meaning this study covers just a segment of the entire community.
“More of those who are diagnosed may have additional health problems compared to the average person with ADHD.
“Therefore, our research may over-estimate the life expectancy gap for people with ADHD overall, though more community-based research is needed to test whether this is the case.”
At present, there aren’t enough specialist services to support adults with ADHD in the UK.
Waits for specialist assessments in order to get a formal diagnosis stretch into the thousands.
Meanwhile, conducted by the NHS in 2014 found that a third of adults with ADHD traits were using medication or counselling for their mental health, compared to 11 per cent of people without ADHD.
Nearly 8 per cent of ADHD sufferers reported that they’d requested a mental health treatment in the past 12 months but hadn’t received it.
This suggests that adults with ADHD seeking help for their mental health but services aren’t equipped to support them, UCL researchers said.
Treatment and support for ADHD is linked with fewer mental health problems and reduced substance use, they noted.
Dr O’Nions said: “Although many people with ADHD live long and healthy lives, our finding that on average they are living shorter lives than they should indicates unmet support needs.
“It is crucial that we find out the reasons behind premature deaths so we can develop strategies to prevent these in future.”
Prof Philip Asherson, of King’s College London, who wasn’t involved in the research, responded to its results by saying: “This is an excellent and well conducted study that highlights the impact of higher mortality rates in ADHD on shorter life expectancy.
“The precise causes of early death are not yet confirmed, but we know that ADHD is associated with higher rates of smoking, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer among other health problems.
“Adults with ADHD are more likely to engage in unhealthy habits such as binge eating or smoking, and risk-taking behavior.
“There may also be biological links with autoimmune and other physical health disorders.”
He also flagged how people with ADHD have difficulty getting a diagnosis and accessing support: “Until this is addressed the shorter life expectancy demonstrated in this study is likely to continue.”
Meanwhile, Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said the study “leaves many important questions unanswered”, especially around the “web of potentially interacting factors” that could reduce the life expectancy of people with ADHD.
How to get help for ADHD
Unfortunately, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD but they can refer you for a specialist assessment.
Be warned, the wait can be long. Data suggests there are at least 196,000 adults on waiting lists across the UK.
And a BBC investigation found in many areas it would take at least eight years to clear the backlog.
For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, the NHS says their symptoms should have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as underachieving at work or having difficulties in relationships, and the person has been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months.
There must also be evidence symptoms have been present since childhood – it’s thought that the condition cannot develop for the first time in adults.
After a diagnosis, treatment can include psychological therapies, psychotherapy, social skills training and medication.
For many, a diagnosis can be a relief, but also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of ‘being different’.
has information on considering diagnostic pathways and can offer support