The following is an extract from the YouTube video titled “This Is Why You Can’t Get ADHD Treatment”, by Ben Jordan. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eRPeU1DYOWA. We extracted from 4:24 to 5:52, where he did a really good job of explaining the other side of the ADHD medication question - that of the choice not to leverage it. So we’ve added this clip and it’s transcript as is, and then added the appropriate citations. (Please view the original full video to support Ben Jordan’s online presence.)

The Risks of Untreated ADHD

Summary

Video

Transcript

How incredibly dangerous not being treated is.

Let’s start with the most direct and horrifying statistic that you’re going to hear in this video. In a study published earlier this year it was found that people receiving treatment for ADHD in the form of medication had a 19% lower risk of death 1 than those who are not being treated, and this is a really legit study tracking hundreds of thousands of people in each group over a period of 2 years.

 

Here’s some more not at all fun facts.

  • Adults with ADHD who are not treated as children suffer from anxiety, depression and physical ailments 30% more than adults without ADHD 2.
  • Adolescents with ADHD who are left untreated are twice as likely to abuse alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and unprescribed drugs such as stimulants than adolescents who are adequately treated and prescribe those stimulants 3.
  • Young adults with ADHD who are not receiving medication as treatment are nine times more likely to have or cause an unwanted pregnancy 4.
  • Young drivers with untreated ADHD have three times more motor vehicle crashes than average and are statistically at a higher risk of destroying their vehicle than an adult who is legally drunk 5.

Then when you mix in a dozen or so studies strongly suggesting higher suicide and homicide risk 6 7 8 it gets pretty easy to say that having untreated ADHD is incredibly dangerous. And that’s on top of studies showing that untreated ADHD results in poor job performance 9 10 11, poor school performance 12, higher divorce rates 13 14 and so on.

References

  1. Vasiliadis, H. M., Lunghi, C., Rahme, E., Rochette, L., Gignac, M., Massamba, V., … & Lesage, A. (2024). ADHD medications use and risk of mortality and unintentional injuries: a population-based cohort study. Translational Psychiatry, 14(1), 128. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-02825-y ↩

  2. Caye, A., et al. (2024). The impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1343314 ↩

  3. Srichawla, B., Telles, C., Schweitzer, M., Darwish, B. (2022). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder: A Narrative Review. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.24068 ↩

  4. Skoglund, C. et al. (2019). Association of ADHD with teenage birth among women and girls. JAMA Network Open, 2(4), e 197450. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.12463 ↩

  5. Chang, Z., et al. (2014). Serious transport accidents in adults with ADHD, and the effect of medication: a population-based study. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.4174 ↩

  6. Chang, Z., Quinn, P. D., O’Reilly, L., Sjölander, A., Hur, K., Gibbons, R., Larsson, H., & D’Onofrio, B. M. (2020). Medication for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk for Suicide Attempts. Biological psychiatry, 88(6), 452–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.12.003 ↩

  7. Chen, V. C., Chan, H. L., Wu, S. I., Lee, M., Lu, M. L., Liang, H. Y., Dewey, M. E., Stewart, R., & Lee, C. T. (2019). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Mortality Risk in Taiwan. JAMA network open, 2(8), e198714. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.8714 ↩

  8. Dalsgaard, S., Østergaard, S. D., Leckman, J. F., Mortensen, P. B., & Pedersen, M. G. (2015). Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide cohort study. Lancet (London, England), 385(9983), 2190–2196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61684-6 ↩

  9. de Graaf, R., Kessler, R. C., Fayyad, J., ten Have, M., Alonso, J., Angermeyer, M., Borges, G., Demyttenaere, K., Gasquet, I., de Girolamo, G., Haro, J. M., Jin, R., Karam, E. G., Ormel, J., & Posada-Villa, J. (2008). The prevalence and effects of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the performance of workers: results from the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Occupational and environmental medicine, 65(12), 835–842. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2007.038448 ↩

  10. Kessler, R. C., Lane, M., Stang, P. E., & Van Brunt, D. L. (2009). The prevalence and workplace costs of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a large manufacturing firm. Psychological Medicine, 39(1), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291708003309 ↩

  11. Kosheleff, A. R., Mason, O., Jain, R., Koch, J., & Rubin, J. (2023). Functional Impairments Associated With ADHD in Adulthood and the Impact of Pharmacological Treatment. Journal of attention disorders, 27(7), 669–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231158572 ↩

  12. Jangmo, A., Stålhandske, A., Chang, Z., Chen, Q., Almqvist, C., Feldman, I., Bulik, C. M., Lichtenstein, P., D’Onofrio, B., Kuja-Halkola, R., & Larsson, H. (2019). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, School Performance, and Effect of Medication. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(4), 423–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.11.014 ↩

  13. Kosheleff, A. R., Mason, O., Jain, R., Koch, J., & Rubin, J. (2023). Functional Impairments Associated With ADHD in Adulthood and the Impact of Pharmacological Treatment. Journal of attention disorders, 27(7), 669–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231158572 ↩

  14. Fischer, S., & Nilsen, C. (2024). ADHD in older adults – a scoping review. Aging & Mental Health, 28(9), 1189–1196. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2024.2339994 ↩