ADHD medication has wider benefits for adults, global study finds

A landmark international study has found common ADHD medication has unexpected benefits for adults. See what the life-changing side-effects are.

A landmark international study has found newly prescribed ADHD medication has multiple wider benefits, with users less likely to be suicidal, have accidents, abuse substances and commit crimes.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved almost 150,000 people aged six to 64 who had been diagnosed within the past two years.

Researchers found taking medication was associated with a 17 per cent reduction in first occurrences of suicidal behaviour, 15 per cent drop for substance misuse, 12 per cent drop in transport accidents, and 13 per cent less criminality.

There was also a reduction in recurrent events, including 25 per cent for criminality.

The average age of participants, who all came from Sweden, was 17 years, with most taking methylphenidate, sold under brand names including Ritalin and Concerta.

It comes as other researchers from Deakin University reported that medication was associated with a lower standard of health-related quality of life for Australian children aged four to 17.

The Swedish study is the first to measure beneficial effects of ADHD drug treatment on broader clinical outcomes in the entire ADHD population. It has been well received by Australian researchers, although some expressed reservations about its findings.

Professor Adam Guastella from the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney welcomes the study’s findings.

These include Professor Adam Guastella from the Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School and the University of Sydney.

Professor Guastella said “the large sample size, use of a national registry, and more sophisticated analysis give greater confidence in these results that the findings aren’t explained by something other than medication use”.

“People should know that if ADHD medications work for them and their child, that there will likely be many other positive impacts on life from treatment. Such effects will not work for everyone and there is still a need to understand why many individuals benefit from ADHD medication and some do not,” he said.

Professor Stuart Kinner from Curtin University and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, said the findings confirm that “failure to diagnose and treat ADHD can lead to self-medication with alcohol or other drugs, poor mental health, injury, and incarceration”.

“Too many people with undiagnosed ADHD end up in the criminal justice system, where their condition may remain undiagnosed and untreated. It is estimated that around one in four people in prisons and youth detention centres have ADHD, although this is frequently undiagnosed,” he said.

Professor Jon Jureidini from the University of Adelaide said the findings were “encouraging” but he was concerned the authors did not take into account the longer health status of participants.

“We need to always be wary of pro-medication findings where authors who are heavily linked to pharma.”

A number of the authors disclosed competing interests, and have received funding, speaker fees, travel or accommodation payments or sponsorship from pharmaceutical companies who produce ADHD drugs.

Psychiatrist Jon Jureidini said the findings were encouraging but warned about the competing interests of the researchers.

Dr Stephen Bright from Edith Cowan University said the research “provides further evidence that stimulant medication treatments for ADHD can be life-changing, reducing the risk of individuals experiencing a motor vehicle accident and drug-related harms, in addition to reducing the likelihood that they will engage in criminal behaviour and suicide”.

“While there are concerns about the overprescribing of stimulant medications in Australia and the potential diversion of stimulant medications for non-medical use, it is important that we find the right balance between protecting the community from diverted medications and the right of people with ADHD to access a gold standard treatment so that they are able to thrive and be productive members of society,” he said.

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Originally published as ADHD medication has wider benefits for adults, global study finds