Untreated ADHD triples addiction risk in adults

The Spanish Society of Dual Pathology (SEPD) warned yesterday that improper treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) triples the risk of developing addiction in adulthood, at an age when more than half of cases go undiagnosed.

ADHD is estimated to affect between 2.5% and 4.5% of the general population, but only 1% to 2% of adults are diagnosed, SEPD reminded on the occasion of International ADHD Day, which is marked today.

This is “particularly problematic” because eight out of 10 people with ADHD have another mental disorder, a condition known as dual pathology; early diagnosis and treatment could mitigate this risk or make it much less severe, SEPD Executive Committee member José Martínez-Raga said in a note.

These mental disorders differ in the incidence of addictions because certain features of ADHD, such as impulsivity, stimulation seeking, poor self-regulation, and problems with attention and motivation, increase the risk of these people developing addictive behaviors.

Lack of diagnosis can lead to earlier onset and more severe course of substance use and addictions, including pathological gambling, with higher relapse rates and more serious consequences; at the same time, addictions “form a vicious cycle that exacerbates ADHD characteristics by sharing common brain foundations,” the doctor added.

According to various studies collected by SEPD, ADHD triples the risk of developing addiction, both behavioral and substance abuse; About 20% of patients treated for addictive disorder also have this disorder.

Although it is usually associated with childhood and adolescence, symptoms can persist throughout adulthood if left untreated. Therefore, “detection, early diagnosis and initiation of treatment as early as possible and according to each patient’s condition are important to improve the prognosis” of these patients, he concluded.

In addition, the lack of diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) results in socioeconomic costs of 13.3 million euros annually in Spain (periodic costs) and 4.1 million euros (punctual costs, i.e. related to the diagnosis and in the following year), as shown by the study “Socioeconomic burden of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults in Spain”, conducted by Takeda and published in the journal “Global and Regional Health Technology Assessment”.

This study also shows that the cost of ADHD is three million euros (recurring costs) and 1.5 million euros (one-off costs) for people diagnosed with ADHD, and highlights that the total annual cost per patient with ADHD could be 15,652 euros. Of this figure, 49.8% are economic costs, 28.4% are social costs, 21.7% are health costs and 0.1% are legal costs. It seems clear that delays in diagnosis and treatment contribute to the increasing socioeconomic burden of this disorder.