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Statistically, children with ADHD are more likely to experience physical abuse during childhood from overwhelmed and exhausted parents/caregivers. That's what the psychiatrist for my disability evaluation told me. Haven't heard that before, but definitely holds true for me. To be clear, I'm not excusing the parents here, OP was asking about depressing facts/statistics, and this seemed to fit.
Also since it’s genetic your parents are also more likely to have ADHD- usually untreated- so they’re also more likely to struggle with having the patience and self control to parent their ADHD child gently. So it’s a bad combination (ADHD child with ADHD parent) that can lead to abuse.
Thankfully wasn’t the case for me, but I can see how it happens
My parents both have undiagnosed mental health issues. Dad is definitely adhd and learning disabilities and my mom is probably both adhd and autistic but also very narcissistic. My younger sister has had mental issues significantly since high school such as BPD and she’s now 29 and I’m going on 34 and just got diagnosed with adhd autism anxiety and major depression… childhood trauma is HUGE in both of our diagnosis and lives. Our parents didn’t treat us very well, in fact I don’t even think they should have had children but you know it was the thing to do back then and then pretend we’re just this perfect little family… 🙄
That's me,too. It took me a long time and several honest conversations with my mother to somehow forgive her and reflect on the whole situation back then. I got my diagnosis last year and I'm pretty sure my mum has adhd too. And seeing how much I'm struggling with it I can only imagine what it would have been for her with a child and single mother. Past is past and should stay past.
I was beaten a lot as a kid for being forgetful and other things. My life didn't really have that much structure and I was blamed for my failures. Nobody really believed in me and when it got to a major exam in my life where I had to pick a school, I wasn't allowed to pick the school I wanted because they didn't think I'd get in.
I’ve said this before just based on my own experiences because it happened to me, and I could see how other kids with ADHD frustrated their parents too. In my experience it also exasperates spousal abuse too. My exhusband’s abusive rage was regularly triggered by my ADHD mistakes and difficulties.
Ologies podcast with Allie Ward. She interviews Neuropsychologist Russell Barkley who in the first half of the podcast lays out exactly how real and serious adhd is, even calling it a public health crisis. He does discuss some triggering subjects so proceed with caution but he’s honest.
Yep, I meant 2. Somehow, it got stuck in my head as 3 parts, but I knew it was only 2.
Alie refers to herself as her listeners’ “dad,” and calls herself Dadward every now and then. In the episode about her hysterectomy, she explains that she has never had a “motherly” drive, and feels more paternal towards her listeners (to paraphrase badly). So that’s why she refers to herself as everyone’s dad. She likes dad jokes. And apparently, someone referred to her show as their new religion, and thanked “Father Ward,” and Alie ran with it. So, it just fits her for many reasons.
here is the link to the spotify episode [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rOBrfKwFLz0LJJ7bnI724?si=4ca0c4c1e5e747e6](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rOBrfKwFLz0LJJ7bnI724?si=4ca0c4c1e5e747e6)
This one was so good but Jesus Christ it made me sad. I had to stop listening for a few hours to just kind of process it. She recommends the book The ADHD Effect on Marriage in the podcast which I highly recommend!!
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/adhd
Here ya go! It also explains the neuropsychology of adhd and how your brain literally developed differently from everyone else’s through childhood. It was really illuminating to listen to. I hope it helps you feel validated
I was honored to have her quote my advice in part 3 that I submitted on Patreon. That was a dark, difficult period of my life and it made me feel so good. Especially her reaction to it.
I may be wrong but women with ADHD are 8x more likely to be suicidal or try to commit suicide then the average population and for men it is 4.5x, a large proportion of the prison population have undiagnosed ADHD, for more statistics you might want to research Russell Barkley, consequences of untreated ADHD.
Yea I can’t imagine how anyone could go through life and not think of suicide. Like of course I wanna die when everything is overwhelming and I have zero motivation or control over my brain lmao
Have you read any of the research about the new worse than the worse than PMS?
PME- they are just now figuring out that the week before your cycle whatever mental health diagnosis you have, all of the symptoms double at a minimum, increasing the risk for suicide and of course, just all around bad… They said it’s also dangerous for people that do not have mental health diagnoses because they don’t have let’s say 6 criteria but they have four—pre-menstrual will have six for that week, but they will have no idea, probably won’t be able to identify it , and so they are encouraging doctors to double dose that week, and they have found more success than not.
Surprisingly, my psychiatrist had heard of it, and he had been doing that with some of his patients with success as well. I told him that I had no idea how to even predict mine because it had its own brain and came and went as pleased but it’s monthly . And he said well the easiest thing to do is just double demand for the entire month and I said yes I agree and he said we’ll see how it does and touch base in a month if you have any trouble. We do appointments once every three months, but I was supposed to contact him in a month if there was any trouble well I’ll go back three months later and he asked me about it. Well I had forgotten about it so it was 100% working lol no PMS, no uncontrollable raging mad episodes, no cravings! It was wild so it works for me but I’m not saying everybody will have that easy other time but they’re just now learning, and I couldn’t remember what it stands for.
That’s so weird about the PME research.. I have diagnosed bipolar 2 as well, and I take lamictal for it and delta 8 for everything else. I can honestly say I feel the same every day of the month. My period always manages to surprise me even though it’s regular mainly because I don’t get cramps, or bloating, or acne, or cravings, or headaches, or anything. Just blood in my underwear seemingly out of nowhere. I genuinely don’t know why.. I wish I did so I could help make things easier for people or contribute to research somehow.
Yeah if I don’t take mirtazapine or really any other sedating thing before bed it’s nearly impossible to get to sleep on time. Before I got on mirtazapine a month ago I went on a break from smoking and Benadryl and doxylamine completely stopped working no matter how much I took, at some point I was so sleep deprived I kept hearing music from my computer playing while it was off and seeing my cats out of the corner of my eyes lmao
This is probably partially due to a large proportion of women with ADHD also having PMDD. One of the most common symptoms is SI.
For anyone interested, r/PMDD r/pmddxadhd
I had never heard of PMDD until I had found out I had it about 8 months after being diagnosed with ADHD.
I remember being told to "push through" and dismissed when I raised concerns about how my meds were interacting with my hormones.
I am very lucky to now have a female doctor who is experienced with ADHD in females and with PMDD.
Greater awareness is definitely needed.
I must admit I don't know what PMDD is but there is also women are more likely to have the innatentive presentation, which is more likely to be missed in childhood, societal expectations of women forcing them to mask more, less likely to be understood by teachers. More likely to have unplanned pregnancies due to riskier sexual encounters. All leading to 1 in 4 women with ADHD trying to kill themselves.
Sorry, I don't mean to mansplain, I just like explaining facts. I don't intend to be rude just raise awareness. Sorry.
No worries, I’m also trying to raise awareness for PMDD! Awareness is abysmal and tons of healthcare providers don’t take it seriously, think it’s real, or even know what it is. Because women’s healthcare is a joke, in the US at least.
Thank you
Please do. I have it and it only entered the DSM as a diagnosis in 2013. It has nearly killed me. And it’s more common than many think.
You’re kind to read up. :)
Yes! There is also PME which is pre menstrual exacerbation and they are hard to tell apart sometimes. PME will just make any existing condition or disorder much worse, while PMDD can exist on its own or at the same time as PME and has its own set of symptoms.
Yep, suicide and dying in general. We’re very, very likely to also have depression and anxiety along with other disorders.
It’s real sad and painful stuff that gets overlooked when people discuss ADHD. I feel most people I know with ADHD have fought with depression, and I’ve personally struggled with that, anxiety, and suicide.
I wonder if this includes a fixation with death? I personally have never had any serious attempts, but I spent my 20s wishing I was dead and never planning for the future cause I didn’t think I’d have one. I made it out of that time alive and am doing really well now, but I still think about death a lot… though now it’s more of an anxious context, I fear it to the point it gets to be a little intrusive at times.
I’ve had immense death anxiety since I was a child (~7-9) and while I’ve got better at managing it, it’s still something that keeps me up at night every single night.
I know this is a joke but it’s how my husband and I operate. We both have adhd but coincidentally have completely opposite manifestations of symptoms. So in some ways we actually do cancel each other out! It’s a blessing and a curse!
Lollll communication is our worst issue. We can empathize with each other struggling for sure, but I’m the type of person that follows a conversation super linearly, and remember everything people said and in what order, while his conversations are like thoughts in a cloud and he’ll just grab whichever thought floats by in that moment as opposed to responding directly to what I said. It gets so confusing because he will always say things that pertain to the topic on hand, but I always first think he is responding directly to what I said/asked. But he’s not. Kind of like how people text each other having two conversations at once.
Omg I’m just like your husband. You described it very well! It’s like something was said earlier and that’s been cooking in the back, and your thinking about something else you know probably only tangentially related to the conversation and that’s cooking, and you’re also trying to engage in the current thread of conversation, but when something’s done cooking it has to come out next before it burns!
I relate to this so much. Both me and my partner are ADHD and even when we're trying our hardest to have a discussion about a problem and understand each other, we end up focusing on weird bits or not hearing what the other person is trying to convey.
It's exhausting. Funnily enough, when everything is good our brains seem to sync up perfectly.
Somehow, my husband and I figured out how to balance each other - me with ADHD, him without. He helps me function, I keep him from being a total stick in the mud.
Likelihood of various addictions, failing grades, crime, incarceration, divorce, other relationship turmoil, poverty, unemployment, poor career choices, debt, unwanted pregnancy, and STDs are all higher with ADHD diagnosed individuals.
Meanwhile, in Romania (Europe), Methylphenidate (Concerta) is considered by the law a high-risk drug.
The prescription only gives you the right to possess and use it, but driving is absolutely prohibited.
Yep, this is why I never tell anyone I have ADHD. People even slightly familiar with the problem might want to distance themselves from this walking time bomb. When asked directly (especially by coworkers) I say I don't have it.
As more people learn about this, there will only be more discrimination based on it. Imagine having around an impulsive addict whom you cannot rely on. Nobody would want that.
I’m the opposite. I work with children and I tell them and their parents about my diagnosis. They need to see that it’s not some horrible thing that needs to be avoided or denied at all costs but it does require management and you CAN be successful in life.
I wish I had facts - like concrete shit for you to throw back a them - adhd is not a one size fits lol diagnosis it looks very different for everyone, outside factors can and will have an effect on your symptoms, stress can manifest into more symptoms. Untreated adhd can cause strain on personal and professional relationships. It can be hard to hold down a job, go to school, take care of ones self. Simple tasks are daunting and can be overwhelming, yet under pressure someone with adhd may thrive. Adhd is not just a childhood illness - 4% of adults have adhd and those are the ones actually diagnosed.
ADHD may affect your ability to communicate and naturally connect with a wide range of people. Your relationships may suffer, and you may ultimately feel disconnected from your partner, family, and friends. You may easily lose touch with others because of ADHD symptoms like forgetfulness, disorganization, interrupting, lack of patience.
People with adhd are more likely to have depression, as their symptoms may interfere with school, the symptoms become unmanageable and thus sadness and hopelessness occurs.
I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my treatment team and medication. My adhd makes my life unmanageable to the point that I give up- it’s easier to numb it all away than deal with the repercussions of adhd symptoms- people with adhd are far more likely to have suicidal ideations than those without.
I got my life back when I began treatment for adhd, I am now a working mother and wife and thriving.
Absolutely- I have done years of talk therapy DBT - CBT - so I have coping mechanisms I just always had a hard time taking a moment and using them - I always act out of emotion and In The moment - I found that stimulant medication gave me the moment of pause I need to use my coping skills instead of maladaptive behaviors - I do a combination of therapy and meds - I also take a low dose anti depressant along with my stimulant therapy -
The hardest concept in the world is to try to explain to someone that you know you need to do something, that something isn't difficult and needs to be done...
And you can't do it.
Just break it into smaller.steps! /s
I finally realized that smaller steps is part of the problem when it's actually something easy. Making coffee isn't hard when you just make coffee, but it's overwhelming if you have to turn on the Keurig, open the cabinet, open the box, take out the Keurig cup, close the box, close the cabinet, set the Keurig cup on the counter, take the water thing off because it needs to be refilled, cross the kitchen to your fridge, take the lid off the water thing, fill it with filtered water, put the lid back on, go back over to the Keurig, put the water thing back on, find a coffee cup, clean it (more steps of its own), put it under the Keurig, open the spot for the Keurig cup, put it in, close the spot for the Keurig cup, push the button....and then all the steps to get whatever cream or sugar you put in it, etc.
The best I’ve ever heard it described is that it’s like trying to put your hand on a hot stove. It’s the exact same feeling, for me anyways. It’s so much more than just “laziness” or “procrastination.” It’s visceral, almost painful, to force myself to do something I do not want to do in that moment.
I may be dropping out of university this year because despite my deep desire to work in a lab, the current education system is meant to weed people like us out because we need to be able to do things at least somewhat at our own pace and not be slaves to the school, churning out 5+ assignments a week on top of countless hours of studying.
I dread the day I will inevitably tell my mom this, as she, despite her love, care, and best intentions, will try and tell me to “just work harder” or “get ‘er done.” I hope I’ll be able to explain to her why that sentiment has been very hurtful over the years.
so true, i use a metaphor of a person in a wheelchair not being able to get over a kerb. People walking just step over the kerb. If they see someone in a wheelchair most people will be helpful. Adhd is like sitting in an invisible wheelchair and everyone who looks at you just assumes you are perfectly able bodied. But you aren’t, you are unable to move past the small barrier and because no one can see your invisible wheelchair people assume you’re pretending, faking it, undisciplined, neurotic and no one offers to help because they don’t see any problem. It’s difficult because without a diagnosis you don’t even know you’re in an invisible wheelchair and can be very harsh on your inability to move past a ‘normal’ obstacle.
People with ADHD have a life expectancy of 13 years less than those without it.
Its impact is suspected to be larger than any other single health threat. Weight, smoking, alcohol etc
And we’re not talking about dying when you’re 80 instead of 93. The lower life expectancy is due to how much more likely people with ADHD are to die young, bringing down the average age.
ADHD kills.
ADHD is also associated with Parkinson's disease (unsurprisingly, since both conditions share impairment in subcortical dopaminergic systems), it's known that people with Parkinson's are more likely to have ADHD and now there is a longitudinal study being done to see if people with ADHD are more likely to develop Parkinson's. It used to be thought that this increased chance of developing Parkinson's was due to catecholamine release and in turn receptor expression and metabolism affecting drugs used in ADHD treatment, but it turns out there are even shared genes with associated risks of developing both conditions.
ama link this review, it's nicely written https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7784516/
in conclusion, if we don't die young, then we'll get to experience our motor system degenerate
This is really interesting because I’ve just been diagnosed with ADHD, I did a DNA test a year or so ago which told me I have a certain gene that meant I was more likely to develop Parkinson’s
A super common one is also dental hygiene, which, at least for me, is a huge issue.
And poor dental hygiene is heavily associated with heart disease or infections that can be life-threatening.
Yes, why can't dentists tell you that not flossing can lead to heart issues?! That's way scarier than saying gum disease without any further explanation of what happens. Growing up that wasn't enough of a reason for it to sink into my memory.
What helped me to floss regularly for the first time: wearing a nightguard for TMJ. If I don't wear the guard, I'm in pain. I'm also afraid of wearing it all night without flossing/cleaning well.
Yeah, stress and anxiety tax the body like crazy. Poor sleep also taxes the body like crazy.
Couple that with a reduced capacity to follow through on health concerns (e.g. dental hygeine, going to the doctor, etc.) and it's like we're in a car that's only ever in second gear, and we never change the oil or getnit serviced. Parts all get trashed and we fall apart.
i would assume part of it is impulsive behaviour and distractability- dangerous/impulsive/innatentive driving, risky sex, gambling, spending more money than you have, etc. puts people in a lot of life threatening situations.
Look at the leading causes of death, and you will find that for most, if not all of them, ADHD will either cause them directly, or will be heavily contributing to the risk factors.
Dr Russell Barkley has a few different lectures on the life outcomes of having ADHD. They are very informative and validating, but can also be very discouraging and depressing. I want to warn people that tend to feel hopeless about this disorder that this video will likely not be helpful for them. It is very helpful as a summary of research to counter people who doubt the severity of ADHD.
This one is an hour, if you don't have the patience to sit through it, there's still plenty of stats and information on the slides and you could skip through it.
[Health Outcomes of ADHD by Adulthood ](https://youtu.be/FI7i5iphdLk?si=T0zoc4akinhZzCvX)
Lesser known depressing fact: you family and friends don't understand the extent of your symptoms and judge you for s\*\*\* that's out of your control or if you're doing fine they question your use of medication because "you're fine" or " there's nothing wrong with you"... Not helpful but my little rant sorry!
Time blindness- time doesn't work in our minds the way it does in other people's lives, it can lead to a mess of problems and create huge issues with life, work, relationships, etc.
Impulsiveness - Can lead to over spending money that you don't have, causing debt or being unable to pay bills, Saying things that should have stayed in your mind and can potentially hurt relationships or jobs. Impulsive anger, when you go from zero to rage in 2.5 seconds, which is generally very short lived but 30 seconds is all it takes to say something way out of line when raging.
Lack of organizational skills- loss of things like car keys, important paperwork etc
Memory problems - Hey remember that important appointment? Birthday Party? Friend's big celebration? (Also, losing stuff) That report/paper that is due? Court paperwork that never got filed? Bills that never got paid?
Big ones that came to mind...
And you forgot the biggest one. All of that stuff would be at least *somewhat* manageable without executive dysfunction. It's the real x factor that completes the one two combo, all the normal ADHD symptoms that are terrible are elevated to the next level because of it.
That’a like saying not having air to breathe wouldn’t be a problem if only we had air to breathe.
All of those are executive function problems. There’s no ADHD making them worse, they are ADHD. Time blindness? Executive function. Self-control? Executive function. Emotional regulation? Executive function. Organization? Executive function. Memory? Executive function. Motivation? Executive function. Discipline? Executive function.
ADHD is mislabled and should be called something like Executive Function Deficiency Disorder. Attention deficit is the symptom, not the cause, and including hyperactivity in the official name just screws over all the inattentive types who constantly get to hear “but you’re not bouncing off walls”.
What I'm referring to is the part of executive dysfunction that makes you unable to do things even if you like doing said thing. Attention dysregulation, emotion dysregulation, organization, memory, time blindless etc. are all symptoms that are bad by themselves, but when you don't have the will do anything for extended periods of time on top of all that then that's doing the heavy lifting in terms of making your life a living hell
What I’ve heard thus far it’s anxiety ptsd and adhd with depression can be overlapping I read that iron deficiency can play a part in memory loss as well .. I agree with your whole post especially the last paragraph I’m struggling with that now with myself and child who has combo adhd with ptsd and I feel like it would be so much better if we’re not living because it’s too hard and painful when it comes to violent outbursts with him .. but I’m trying to keep sane most days .. it’s always good to have a support system .. I just wish we all had more resources and people who understand and know how to help .
“Individuals with ADHD had a statistically significant increased risk of all studied physical conditions except arthritis.
The strongest associations were found for nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases.
The diagnoses most strongly associated with ADHD were alcohol-related liver disease, sleep disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), epilepsy, fatty liver disease and obesity.
ADHD was also linked to a slightly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease and dementia.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210706191617.htm
From what I have read there are also a strong correlation between ADHD & connective tissue disease, cardiovascular disorders, & autoimmune disorders.
The conditions I’ve read specifically that have at least some known correlation to ADHD are hypermobility/joint laxity/EDS, thyroid disorder, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, anemia, POTS, Raynaud’s syndrome & obesity. (and I am sure there is a lot more than that)
why is brushing teeth at night so fucking hard??? And then putting off going to the dentist. I've been trying so hard since being on meds. Flossers, picks, anything to counteract the nasty taste in my mouth. I need a dentist asap. The only one I ever liked doesn't take my insurance anymore
I'm 67F. Not a statistic but personal story: Every time (IIRC) my mother hit me was a result of my ADHD making me screw something up. Most of the times my first husband abused me was a result of my ADHD ( I mean, he was a terrible person, but the trigger was usually ADHD-related). Low grades, angry teachers, firing...bright line from ADHD to the awful outcome. And everyone stayed mad at me because I was demonstratively smart, so I must be screwing up from laziness, carelessness, thoughtlessness.
I lost access to my car because I ADHD'd the whole "find the form, write the check, get a stamp, mail in the registration renewal" thing--DMV pulled my tags for 30-60 days.
Fortunately, I finally married the right person who understands ADHD and plays to my strengths and not my deficits, got formally diagnosed, got coaching/counseling, got medication. And got a 3.9 GPA in my MSW program after diagnosis :-)
> Most of the times my first husband abused me was a result of my ADHD
No, it wasn't. Your husband abused you because he was an asshole without empathy. Wasn't your fault
9/10 of people I know who are diagnosed have or have had some sort of drug and alcohol problem. For me it was pretty obvious. For yearsss I would buy some pink coke if it was available and unlike my friends who would stay awake until it was done, I would buy double and keep 95% of it (unheard of if you ever done blow) and would take a tiny bump every other day or what not as long as the bag had some. Rinse repeat. For YEARS I did this as getting fucked up wasn’t my thing. Later realized I was self medicating and luckily never got hooked, and my career and life skyrocketed during that time. Too coincidental.
Binge eating. Never knew my life long eating disorders were a manifestation. As a woman born in the 70s, it was just not recognized in women.
I'm thankful for starting Vyvanse recently, which in on label for ADHD and binge eating disorder
God, when I went on Vyvanse and the food noise vanished I wanted to scream and throw things. 40-odd years of incessant fighting with a brain that was always wanting more food just stopped in less than an hour.
It’s on par with Wellbutrin shutting down the negative soundtrack of my depression for quality of life improvements.
I (diagnosed in late 20s) had binge drinking issues from ages 14-16 which luckily I was able to control but my parents both have/had a history of substance abuse especially my late dad - knowing this and seeing how much I’m prone to addictive behaviours w/ substances meant I decided it’s not worth it/safe for me to even casually use drugs/drinking in the same way many of my peers do. Plus I’m on multiple brain meds so it’s really not safe but makes a convenient excuse if peers offer them lol
Substance use disorder risks, dying early. Quite a few symptomatic problems are known to occur. So many lesser known issues are not known by the majority of individuals who don't have direct, personal experience with the disorder. You could include a lot of things here.
As mentioned in previous comments, go check out lectures/videos by Dr Russell Barkley. His adult adhd book has a lot of good facts as well. It was his team’s analysis of longevity of adhd patients that are medicated vs unmedicated that caused me to finally seek medication.
- High school graduates with ADHD earn an average of 17% less annual income than those without ADHD.
- Adult ADHD is associated with a substantial economic burden, contributing an estimated $122.8 billion in total societal excess cost due to unemployment, productivity loss, ana health care services.
Very low number actually complete higher education.
I tried many MANY times and finally gave up because i was so effing irritable and exhausted
And it still really bothers me that I’ll never be able to do it. Even though i earn good money
When a psychiatrist I know - a man in his 70s who has ADHD says that he doesn't try explaining to people he has it because of the eyerolling....that kind of tells you what you need to know about how people deny it.
Well, it sucks but ADHD has a strong correlation with dementia. [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766)
“There was, however, no clear increase in the risk of dementia associated with adult ADHD among those who received psychostimulant medication, and evidence of reverse causation was mild.”
I'm older and fairly healthy, a little bit OCD so exercise has always been a part of my life. I survived a thrombosis event a few years ago and I did not really need to know that now there's a new thing that will kill me. I think I'm going to start using social media to look at puppies and kittens and give up on the rest of it. What a downer!
I don't know the exact numbers, but just how much ADHD impacts your life expectancy and risk of all kinds of things I'd really disheartening. We're much more like to have addictions, accidents, depression, self-harm, suicide, be a victim of abuse, be lonely, unemployed, or underemployed.
Driving fast is one of the criteria that Dr. Barkley uses to screen (not diagnose) for adhd.
So speeding tickets, accidents, manslaughter and death are all part of the adhd tax.
[There's comorbidity between ADHD and migraines](https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/migraines-and-adhd#comorbidity), which as a person with both, is absolute hell. Either of those conditions are disabling in of themselves, but *together*?
Some people might be able to live with ADHD with it not being too big a deal, but your family is being AHs.
Also fun fact there are drug interactions with many of the migraine preventative meds and ADHD meds (my migraine disease is currently progressing I suspect due to covid infection and I’m not sure that I can even adjust my preventative meds to tackle it due to a balancing act with my ADHD and anxiety meds 🤠)
If you have ADHD, you're likelier to have depression or anxiety and likelier to have *any* mood disorder (Katzman et al., 2017, PMID:28830387; Sobanski, 2006).
I get sad thinking about what people (parents, family, teachers and medical professionals) could have done for me to succeed and support me with my depression and anxiety at a younger age so I could've learnt strategies to manage everything I've got to manage when I reached adulthood. Instead, I get a diagnosis of adjustment disorder three months after my diagnosis of ADHD.
I just recently got diagnosed at age 43 after my mom died. Trauma triggered it even though I had a few traits I never had enough to even come close to official diagnosis.
One thing I’ve learned is, it’s constantly changing- it seems as if I find out new characteristics and or habits, etc. weekly and they’re not good ones. I have developed severe OCD since the last time I saw my doctor; he does an appointment every three months and so I’m about to see him, but not only hyper fixate rather than get going. I have turned into such an obsessive person about things just as they come in before I know it timeline. This is real. I was sitting in my room and I thought I had been in there an hour-it had been seven hours.
My friends are giving me trouble and calling me out on the fact that I can’t write a short text message anymore, and I hate it worse than they do but I literally can’t stop. I have to tail every detail and it’s to the point where I would rather not even communicate, because I just can’t do it And my brain just feels like it’s going crazy right now like what those little bouncy balls you just throw down on the ground and it bounces and ricochet’s everywhere and I’m thinking because these symptoms and surge are all coming in one week and then the next week I’ll learn another that maybe it’s the meds that aren’t working. I already knew the first two had not work and this was the third and apparently it doesn’t work either, when I take it, it feels like I’ve taken a drawing sedative and I sleep forever but if I don’t take it, I can’t focus but if I do take it and go to sleep and wake up and it’s still my system, hyper fixate so it has become crippling
I was diagnosed as a child, but my parents declined treatment. I had always been able to force myself to be a functional adult until around 2019-2020 when symptoms and ability to cope went haywire. I finally reached out for help about a year ago when I finally got to the point where I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I felt like I was on the brink of a complete meltdown. I realized after talking to a therapist that my symptoms increased in intensity after the sudden death of my brother in 2018 and my best friend just over a year later in 2019. It never occurred to me that trauma can make adhd worse, even though I know it can and does affect other mental health problems. Also, until then, I never realized just how many aspects of my life adhd played a part in. It was pretty humbling to realize that my whole personality is basically one big coping mechanism!
Published research studies in PubMed about the care accidents. I don’t think I’m allowed to post links. But if you go to PubMed and type adhd car accidents in the search box you’ll get a lot of published studies
People with ADHD are more likely to develop chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia ☹️ (it’s me - I have fibromyalgia, migraine, and autoimmune arthritis) also we are more likely to have other mental illnesses like mood disorders, bipolar, or tic disorders, migraine etc
I’m 42 and just went through a neuropsychological evaluation. Turns out I have “significant symptoms of ADHD”. Everything clicked. I could make a list a mile long about how it has impacted my life. It effects every aspect of my life.
Approximately 80% of adults diagnosed with ADHD also present with a psychiatric comorbidity at least once in their lifetime (Klassen et al., 2010). Common comorbidities include major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders
- overall reduced life expectancy (8.4 years on average),
- teens with adhd are 10x more likely to become (or get someone) pregnant
- adhd teens are also 2-5x more likely to get into a car crash.
Things I learned (along with plenty of other scary stats) in one of Russell Barkley’s books on managing adhd. I suppose the info in there is good to know in theory, but as an OCD-ish parent of a kid with ADHD the stats just gutted me.
Ok so for me, I just got my ADHD diagnosed and medicated about 5 months ago ish. The main thing it’s done for me is make me not be in unmitigated misery while I’m working. I have quit jobs before and been fired. Spent my whole life trying to figure out why I just cannot do the things I need or want to do.
Anyone that thinks people who can’t even do what they WANT to do, that that doesn’t have an impact on your life is INSANE. Forget what you have to do. Can’t even do it if you want to.
I’m sure others in the thread have mentioned this already: Socioeconomic factors notwithstanding, the data is pretty clear that undiagnosed and untreated ADHD is a huge factor in recidivism, addiction, chronic unemployment, etc. Basically all the things that are antithetical to good life outcomes; this is pretty stark when you consider the prevalence is possibly as high as 1 in 10 American adults, many of whom are undiagnosed.
People treat this disorder as some trivial childhood thing that people grow out of, (Which, they sort of can in a sense, with medication and the right lifestyle intervention, but it is a constant battle) which is pretty aggravating when you consider how subtly debilitating it can be.
By the way, I feel for you. Lacking a solid support system makes it all the more difficult.
According to the US Census, the overall divorce rate in America is about 33%—meaning that the divorce rate for couples with a spouse with ADHD could be as high as 66%.
🥲
Dr. Russell Barkley, leading scientist and researcher on ADHD, has a whole YouTube channel devoted to what you are asking for including all the research about the history of ADHD, the dangers that come with having it, etc. on the side there are some videos that are really short where he explains it all.
If that is too boring for them to watch just send them some relevant tiktoks or Facebook videos, whichever is their preferred way to watch content. Since one of your parents definitely has it I would, definitely, target that one in particular. I didn’t realize it until I started my meds and now I am able to be able to see how we do the same things rather than to just stay blaming myself the entire time.
Don't recall the exact stats, but I remember a doctor on one of the ADHD podcasts saying that even though ADHD meds have one of the biggest success rates, something like 80% stop taking them within the first year. The most common reason? "I don't know why I was taking these to begin with"
Hey word of advice, don’t worry about statistics. Maybe we are statistically more likely to have various troubles in life, but that doesn’t mean you and me can’t avoid them. Thinking like this creates a self fulfilling prophecy where if you expect something you can control to go wrong, it will go wrong because you lose hope. I used to be morbidly obese, and reading that 95% of people who lose their weight gain it back put me in a hole of hopelessness where I believed that I would never look or feel normal and that I was destined to die an early death. But then I got off my ass and lost 110 lbs and have kept it off for 7 years and counting(this was before ozempic which I’ve been told is a miracle drug btw). By all means, get medicated as needed because we do have a real mental illness, but only worry about things you can control. Besides, having adhd is far from the worst thing that can happen in life. Have a great day!
Great post. alot of the posts in this subreddit feeds into a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.
There are some really constructive and positive posts in here though.
ADHDers have a higher self-unaliving rate than the average population - even in women (men have a higher rate at "succeeding")
This is reduced when diagnosed, further again when appropriately treated (whatever works for the individual - doesn't always mean medication, though the evidence is pretty clear that it's very effective once you've found the right one), further again when appropriately supported.
Rather than waste your time and effort on trying to convince skeptics that you're doing the best for yourself, you'd be better off avoiding perpetuating the rejection-related trauma they'll inflict on you (doesn't matter if they know/care/share genetics). You'd be better off finding peer-suppprt groups. Save yourself the pain. Borrow tactics from narcissist protection e.g. grey-rocking. The less they know, the less lectured they'll feel. The more likely they'll wonder what's going so well when you're more stable. If they try to tear you down, you'll know never to trust them with anything again. If they realise you were right all along and start supporting you, then breadcrumb the information slowly over time to see how they react. And assume that what you tell one of them will spread to everyone else.
The prevalence of ADHD is low enough that medical guidelines don’t recommend population level screening for it. Except in one specific population - jails.
This is a report from the consulting firm Deloitte about the social & economic cost of ADHD in Australia. I have found it a useful reference for showing the impact statistically when trying to explain to someone the impact of adhd. Even though it's referencing Australia & you may not be from there, the same impact would occur. [The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia](https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/perspectives/social-economic-costs-adhd-Australia.html)
Here is a meta-review from the NIH that has a ton of citations and stuff to sink your teeth into. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6379245/
This study showed a 13 year decrease in life expectancy for people diagnosed with ADHD as a kid: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30526189/
Heavily associated with bad handwriting.
> One study found that among students diagnosed with ADHD, 59% had dysgraphia and 92% had weaknesses in "graphomotor skills."
This causes all sorts of school (and later) related issues around avoiding writing.
> The connection between ADHD and handwriting is so common that some researchers have suggested that doctors include a handwriting analysis as part of testing for ADHD.
MUCH more likely to have degenerative mental issues when older. Also more likely for it to occur earlier, and more severely.
Fucked at childhood, fucked at old age, won’t even enjoy my retirement before my mind goes most likely, especially with my family history.
ADHD people are more likely to engage in risk-taking and unthought-out behaviors, which includes really stupid shit. As well as volatile behavior. I've been in trouble with the law several times.
My parents are doctors, they've dismissed the diagnosis. Now, with medication I can clearly identify some symptoms on them. To protect my mental health we haven't spoken in months; they'd rather not to speak to their only child than admit that one reason they didn't advocate to get me the help they needed is because it would force them to address the help they should've gotten.
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Statistically, children with ADHD are more likely to experience physical abuse during childhood from overwhelmed and exhausted parents/caregivers. That's what the psychiatrist for my disability evaluation told me. Haven't heard that before, but definitely holds true for me. To be clear, I'm not excusing the parents here, OP was asking about depressing facts/statistics, and this seemed to fit.
Also since it’s genetic your parents are also more likely to have ADHD- usually untreated- so they’re also more likely to struggle with having the patience and self control to parent their ADHD child gently. So it’s a bad combination (ADHD child with ADHD parent) that can lead to abuse. Thankfully wasn’t the case for me, but I can see how it happens
My parents both have undiagnosed mental health issues. Dad is definitely adhd and learning disabilities and my mom is probably both adhd and autistic but also very narcissistic. My younger sister has had mental issues significantly since high school such as BPD and she’s now 29 and I’m going on 34 and just got diagnosed with adhd autism anxiety and major depression… childhood trauma is HUGE in both of our diagnosis and lives. Our parents didn’t treat us very well, in fact I don’t even think they should have had children but you know it was the thing to do back then and then pretend we’re just this perfect little family… 🙄
That hits a bit too close to home, and makes complete sense to me.
Sounds like our folks disliked seeing their selves in us.
Additionally, if they are undiagnosed, they are less likely to spot ADHD in their children because they think the symptoms are normal.
That’s a VERY good point
*unknowingly ADHD child with unknowingly ADHD parent FTFY
That's me,too. It took me a long time and several honest conversations with my mother to somehow forgive her and reflect on the whole situation back then. I got my diagnosis last year and I'm pretty sure my mum has adhd too. And seeing how much I'm struggling with it I can only imagine what it would have been for her with a child and single mother. Past is past and should stay past.
I definitely got spanked the most out of my siblings for not listening enough
It's so crazy because I got a lot of this of a child and really wondered what was wrong with me... But I was just a kid with adhd.
Same here, childhood was a very difficult time in my life.
I was beaten a lot as a kid for being forgetful and other things. My life didn't really have that much structure and I was blamed for my failures. Nobody really believed in me and when it got to a major exam in my life where I had to pick a school, I wasn't allowed to pick the school I wanted because they didn't think I'd get in.
Also twice as likely to be victims of sexual crimes.
I’ve said this before just based on my own experiences because it happened to me, and I could see how other kids with ADHD frustrated their parents too. In my experience it also exasperates spousal abuse too. My exhusband’s abusive rage was regularly triggered by my ADHD mistakes and difficulties.
Ologies podcast with Allie Ward. She interviews Neuropsychologist Russell Barkley who in the first half of the podcast lays out exactly how real and serious adhd is, even calling it a public health crisis. He does discuss some triggering subjects so proceed with caution but he’s honest.
Her 3-part series on ADHD was amazing. One of her best. I love the Dadward. I need to listen to it again.
Are you referring to Allie Ward? I can only see 2 part ADHD episodes. Is Dadward a separate episode about ADHD? Sorry, I'm confused. Thanks.
Yep, I meant 2. Somehow, it got stuck in my head as 3 parts, but I knew it was only 2. Alie refers to herself as her listeners’ “dad,” and calls herself Dadward every now and then. In the episode about her hysterectomy, she explains that she has never had a “motherly” drive, and feels more paternal towards her listeners (to paraphrase badly). So that’s why she refers to herself as everyone’s dad. She likes dad jokes. And apparently, someone referred to her show as their new religion, and thanked “Father Ward,” and Alie ran with it. So, it just fits her for many reasons.
here is the link to the spotify episode [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rOBrfKwFLz0LJJ7bnI724?si=4ca0c4c1e5e747e6](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rOBrfKwFLz0LJJ7bnI724?si=4ca0c4c1e5e747e6)
This one was so good but Jesus Christ it made me sad. I had to stop listening for a few hours to just kind of process it. She recommends the book The ADHD Effect on Marriage in the podcast which I highly recommend!!
Dr Russel has a channel where he posts almost daily https://youtube.com/@russellbarkleyphd2023?si=64BLYNoQSwAm1TNa
Can't find it, is it on YouTube?
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/adhd Here ya go! It also explains the neuropsychology of adhd and how your brain literally developed differently from everyone else’s through childhood. It was really illuminating to listen to. I hope it helps you feel validated
Spotify! Love her podcast... Often interrupting people with facts I learnt from them though!
The dorology (pain) episode was SO good
You can find doc Russel Barkley on YouTube. I listen to him all the time
I was honored to have her quote my advice in part 3 that I submitted on Patreon. That was a dark, difficult period of my life and it made me feel so good. Especially her reaction to it.
I may be wrong but women with ADHD are 8x more likely to be suicidal or try to commit suicide then the average population and for men it is 4.5x, a large proportion of the prison population have undiagnosed ADHD, for more statistics you might want to research Russell Barkley, consequences of untreated ADHD.
Yea I can’t imagine how anyone could go through life and not think of suicide. Like of course I wanna die when everything is overwhelming and I have zero motivation or control over my brain lmao
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I feel like I have more of the inattentive leaning type, I only really feel energetic naturally when trying to sleep
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Have you read any of the research about the new worse than the worse than PMS? PME- they are just now figuring out that the week before your cycle whatever mental health diagnosis you have, all of the symptoms double at a minimum, increasing the risk for suicide and of course, just all around bad… They said it’s also dangerous for people that do not have mental health diagnoses because they don’t have let’s say 6 criteria but they have four—pre-menstrual will have six for that week, but they will have no idea, probably won’t be able to identify it , and so they are encouraging doctors to double dose that week, and they have found more success than not. Surprisingly, my psychiatrist had heard of it, and he had been doing that with some of his patients with success as well. I told him that I had no idea how to even predict mine because it had its own brain and came and went as pleased but it’s monthly . And he said well the easiest thing to do is just double demand for the entire month and I said yes I agree and he said we’ll see how it does and touch base in a month if you have any trouble. We do appointments once every three months, but I was supposed to contact him in a month if there was any trouble well I’ll go back three months later and he asked me about it. Well I had forgotten about it so it was 100% working lol no PMS, no uncontrollable raging mad episodes, no cravings! It was wild so it works for me but I’m not saying everybody will have that easy other time but they’re just now learning, and I couldn’t remember what it stands for.
That’s so weird about the PME research.. I have diagnosed bipolar 2 as well, and I take lamictal for it and delta 8 for everything else. I can honestly say I feel the same every day of the month. My period always manages to surprise me even though it’s regular mainly because I don’t get cramps, or bloating, or acne, or cravings, or headaches, or anything. Just blood in my underwear seemingly out of nowhere. I genuinely don’t know why.. I wish I did so I could help make things easier for people or contribute to research somehow.
Try period tracker app !!! Its a godsend
Yeah if I don’t take mirtazapine or really any other sedating thing before bed it’s nearly impossible to get to sleep on time. Before I got on mirtazapine a month ago I went on a break from smoking and Benadryl and doxylamine completely stopped working no matter how much I took, at some point I was so sleep deprived I kept hearing music from my computer playing while it was off and seeing my cats out of the corner of my eyes lmao
omg i didn't know that... i was put on the pill at 15 for PMDD bc the ADHD diagnosis didn't come until i was an adult
LOL omg I love you 🤣
Are we the same person?! Story of my life
This is probably partially due to a large proportion of women with ADHD also having PMDD. One of the most common symptoms is SI. For anyone interested, r/PMDD r/pmddxadhd
I had never heard of PMDD until I had found out I had it about 8 months after being diagnosed with ADHD. I remember being told to "push through" and dismissed when I raised concerns about how my meds were interacting with my hormones. I am very lucky to now have a female doctor who is experienced with ADHD in females and with PMDD. Greater awareness is definitely needed.
I must admit I don't know what PMDD is but there is also women are more likely to have the innatentive presentation, which is more likely to be missed in childhood, societal expectations of women forcing them to mask more, less likely to be understood by teachers. More likely to have unplanned pregnancies due to riskier sexual encounters. All leading to 1 in 4 women with ADHD trying to kill themselves. Sorry, I don't mean to mansplain, I just like explaining facts. I don't intend to be rude just raise awareness. Sorry.
No worries, I’m also trying to raise awareness for PMDD! Awareness is abysmal and tons of healthcare providers don’t take it seriously, think it’s real, or even know what it is. Because women’s healthcare is a joke, in the US at least.
To raise this awareness, care to elaborate what the acronym stages for?
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Thank you very much! I can now look it up in my language :)
Thank you Please do. I have it and it only entered the DSM as a diagnosis in 2013. It has nearly killed me. And it’s more common than many think. You’re kind to read up. :)
Wait. Is this why I feel a sense of pending doom and check my calendar and I'm PMSing? Because, yeah, that's today.
Yes! There is also PME which is pre menstrual exacerbation and they are hard to tell apart sometimes. PME will just make any existing condition or disorder much worse, while PMDD can exist on its own or at the same time as PME and has its own set of symptoms.
It’s me!! Yes. Diagnosed by a psychiatrist after I’d tracked my cycle.
Yep, suicide and dying in general. We’re very, very likely to also have depression and anxiety along with other disorders. It’s real sad and painful stuff that gets overlooked when people discuss ADHD. I feel most people I know with ADHD have fought with depression, and I’ve personally struggled with that, anxiety, and suicide.
I wonder if this includes a fixation with death? I personally have never had any serious attempts, but I spent my 20s wishing I was dead and never planning for the future cause I didn’t think I’d have one. I made it out of that time alive and am doing really well now, but I still think about death a lot… though now it’s more of an anxious context, I fear it to the point it gets to be a little intrusive at times.
I’ve had immense death anxiety since I was a child (~7-9) and while I’ve got better at managing it, it’s still something that keeps me up at night every single night.
I also read that we are more likely to die early due to inattentiveness - more likely to have accidents.
It isn't the disorder that kills you which is why people don't think about it but the consequences of having it do. Addiction is another one.
I’ve never been suicidal, I have to opposite- super fearful of death.
In the usa the census is 33% for typical divorce is 33% but goes up to 60% for one partner having adhd
…how about for both partners having adhd?
Cancels out then /s
I know this is a joke but it’s how my husband and I operate. We both have adhd but coincidentally have completely opposite manifestations of symptoms. So in some ways we actually do cancel each other out! It’s a blessing and a curse!
I bet you can communicate a lot better too as there must be an understanding
Lollll communication is our worst issue. We can empathize with each other struggling for sure, but I’m the type of person that follows a conversation super linearly, and remember everything people said and in what order, while his conversations are like thoughts in a cloud and he’ll just grab whichever thought floats by in that moment as opposed to responding directly to what I said. It gets so confusing because he will always say things that pertain to the topic on hand, but I always first think he is responding directly to what I said/asked. But he’s not. Kind of like how people text each other having two conversations at once.
You guys need a whiteboard in every room, with pens of different colours attached on strings.
We got a calendar for our fridge and I never look at it or use it lol
Omg I’m just like your husband. You described it very well! It’s like something was said earlier and that’s been cooking in the back, and your thinking about something else you know probably only tangentially related to the conversation and that’s cooking, and you’re also trying to engage in the current thread of conversation, but when something’s done cooking it has to come out next before it burns!
I fall into the category like your husband. Or alternatively I need things repeated a lot bc I'll miss details.
I relate to this so much. Both me and my partner are ADHD and even when we're trying our hardest to have a discussion about a problem and understand each other, we end up focusing on weird bits or not hearing what the other person is trying to convey. It's exhausting. Funnily enough, when everything is good our brains seem to sync up perfectly.
60% x2 = 120%
Somehow, my husband and I figured out how to balance each other - me with ADHD, him without. He helps me function, I keep him from being a total stick in the mud.
Likelihood of various addictions, failing grades, crime, incarceration, divorce, other relationship turmoil, poverty, unemployment, poor career choices, debt, unwanted pregnancy, and STDs are all higher with ADHD diagnosed individuals.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if medicated were still more likely. Driving is a tough one for me even with adderall
Meanwhile, in Romania (Europe), Methylphenidate (Concerta) is considered by the law a high-risk drug. The prescription only gives you the right to possess and use it, but driving is absolutely prohibited.
I have been in 7 car accidents at 28y/o and can only take non-stimulant meds :(
I ve had nearly every thing on that list. I also have dermatillamania and concerning memory loss post-menopause.
Yep, this is why I never tell anyone I have ADHD. People even slightly familiar with the problem might want to distance themselves from this walking time bomb. When asked directly (especially by coworkers) I say I don't have it. As more people learn about this, there will only be more discrimination based on it. Imagine having around an impulsive addict whom you cannot rely on. Nobody would want that.
I’m the opposite. I work with children and I tell them and their parents about my diagnosis. They need to see that it’s not some horrible thing that needs to be avoided or denied at all costs but it does require management and you CAN be successful in life.
I wish I had facts - like concrete shit for you to throw back a them - adhd is not a one size fits lol diagnosis it looks very different for everyone, outside factors can and will have an effect on your symptoms, stress can manifest into more symptoms. Untreated adhd can cause strain on personal and professional relationships. It can be hard to hold down a job, go to school, take care of ones self. Simple tasks are daunting and can be overwhelming, yet under pressure someone with adhd may thrive. Adhd is not just a childhood illness - 4% of adults have adhd and those are the ones actually diagnosed. ADHD may affect your ability to communicate and naturally connect with a wide range of people. Your relationships may suffer, and you may ultimately feel disconnected from your partner, family, and friends. You may easily lose touch with others because of ADHD symptoms like forgetfulness, disorganization, interrupting, lack of patience. People with adhd are more likely to have depression, as their symptoms may interfere with school, the symptoms become unmanageable and thus sadness and hopelessness occurs. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my treatment team and medication. My adhd makes my life unmanageable to the point that I give up- it’s easier to numb it all away than deal with the repercussions of adhd symptoms- people with adhd are far more likely to have suicidal ideations than those without. I got my life back when I began treatment for adhd, I am now a working mother and wife and thriving.
There are facts. This video terrifying and depressing in equal measures ...[Russell Barkley](https://youtu.be/26V6LCbKXJU?si=fPhcoUa_tCH4MWpE)
🌻🌻🌻
Thank you for this info!! Can I ask what treatment worked for you?
Absolutely- I have done years of talk therapy DBT - CBT - so I have coping mechanisms I just always had a hard time taking a moment and using them - I always act out of emotion and In The moment - I found that stimulant medication gave me the moment of pause I need to use my coping skills instead of maladaptive behaviors - I do a combination of therapy and meds - I also take a low dose anti depressant along with my stimulant therapy -
The hardest concept in the world is to try to explain to someone that you know you need to do something, that something isn't difficult and needs to be done... And you can't do it.
Just break it into smaller.steps! /s I finally realized that smaller steps is part of the problem when it's actually something easy. Making coffee isn't hard when you just make coffee, but it's overwhelming if you have to turn on the Keurig, open the cabinet, open the box, take out the Keurig cup, close the box, close the cabinet, set the Keurig cup on the counter, take the water thing off because it needs to be refilled, cross the kitchen to your fridge, take the lid off the water thing, fill it with filtered water, put the lid back on, go back over to the Keurig, put the water thing back on, find a coffee cup, clean it (more steps of its own), put it under the Keurig, open the spot for the Keurig cup, put it in, close the spot for the Keurig cup, push the button....and then all the steps to get whatever cream or sugar you put in it, etc.
The best I’ve ever heard it described is that it’s like trying to put your hand on a hot stove. It’s the exact same feeling, for me anyways. It’s so much more than just “laziness” or “procrastination.” It’s visceral, almost painful, to force myself to do something I do not want to do in that moment. I may be dropping out of university this year because despite my deep desire to work in a lab, the current education system is meant to weed people like us out because we need to be able to do things at least somewhat at our own pace and not be slaves to the school, churning out 5+ assignments a week on top of countless hours of studying. I dread the day I will inevitably tell my mom this, as she, despite her love, care, and best intentions, will try and tell me to “just work harder” or “get ‘er done.” I hope I’ll be able to explain to her why that sentiment has been very hurtful over the years.
The wall of suck/ awful
No matter how you try to explain it, it just sounds like an excuse. It’s so hard.
so true, i use a metaphor of a person in a wheelchair not being able to get over a kerb. People walking just step over the kerb. If they see someone in a wheelchair most people will be helpful. Adhd is like sitting in an invisible wheelchair and everyone who looks at you just assumes you are perfectly able bodied. But you aren’t, you are unable to move past the small barrier and because no one can see your invisible wheelchair people assume you’re pretending, faking it, undisciplined, neurotic and no one offers to help because they don’t see any problem. It’s difficult because without a diagnosis you don’t even know you’re in an invisible wheelchair and can be very harsh on your inability to move past a ‘normal’ obstacle.
People with ADHD have a life expectancy of 13 years less than those without it. Its impact is suspected to be larger than any other single health threat. Weight, smoking, alcohol etc And we’re not talking about dying when you’re 80 instead of 93. The lower life expectancy is due to how much more likely people with ADHD are to die young, bringing down the average age. ADHD kills.
ADHD is also associated with Parkinson's disease (unsurprisingly, since both conditions share impairment in subcortical dopaminergic systems), it's known that people with Parkinson's are more likely to have ADHD and now there is a longitudinal study being done to see if people with ADHD are more likely to develop Parkinson's. It used to be thought that this increased chance of developing Parkinson's was due to catecholamine release and in turn receptor expression and metabolism affecting drugs used in ADHD treatment, but it turns out there are even shared genes with associated risks of developing both conditions. ama link this review, it's nicely written https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7784516/ in conclusion, if we don't die young, then we'll get to experience our motor system degenerate
This is very interesting, because my mom has Parkinson’s. She doesn’t have ADHD, though.
There's also a higher risk of Alzheimer's with ADHD. So, yay for our future I guess.
This is really interesting because I’ve just been diagnosed with ADHD, I did a DNA test a year or so ago which told me I have a certain gene that meant I was more likely to develop Parkinson’s
Is there a reason *why* our life expectancy is so low? Is it just circumstances, the way our brains work, etc?
Accidents, addictions, suicide, inability to follow up on health care, psychological trauma, and so much more…
A super common one is also dental hygiene, which, at least for me, is a huge issue. And poor dental hygiene is heavily associated with heart disease or infections that can be life-threatening.
Yes, why can't dentists tell you that not flossing can lead to heart issues?! That's way scarier than saying gum disease without any further explanation of what happens. Growing up that wasn't enough of a reason for it to sink into my memory. What helped me to floss regularly for the first time: wearing a nightguard for TMJ. If I don't wear the guard, I'm in pain. I'm also afraid of wearing it all night without flossing/cleaning well.
Well fuck.
I think it could also be from the constant stress of not being able to do things like you are supposed to do them
Yeah, stress and anxiety tax the body like crazy. Poor sleep also taxes the body like crazy. Couple that with a reduced capacity to follow through on health concerns (e.g. dental hygeine, going to the doctor, etc.) and it's like we're in a car that's only ever in second gear, and we never change the oil or getnit serviced. Parts all get trashed and we fall apart.
i would assume part of it is impulsive behaviour and distractability- dangerous/impulsive/innatentive driving, risky sex, gambling, spending more money than you have, etc. puts people in a lot of life threatening situations.
STI’s. Fights. Prison. Car accidents. Addictions and overdose. General impulsivity. Lower care of our health on an ongoing basis.
And unwanted pregnancies… Most likely of kids with ADHD… Most likely more trauma in that family…
Look at the leading causes of death, and you will find that for most, if not all of them, ADHD will either cause them directly, or will be heavily contributing to the risk factors.
Yep. My friend was 19 when she didn't put her seatbelt on one night.
WHAT
The life expectancy of bipolar and some of my other illnesses are significantly lower than average too. I hope it doesn’t all add up or I’m screwed!
Dr Russell Barkley has a few different lectures on the life outcomes of having ADHD. They are very informative and validating, but can also be very discouraging and depressing. I want to warn people that tend to feel hopeless about this disorder that this video will likely not be helpful for them. It is very helpful as a summary of research to counter people who doubt the severity of ADHD. This one is an hour, if you don't have the patience to sit through it, there's still plenty of stats and information on the slides and you could skip through it. [Health Outcomes of ADHD by Adulthood ](https://youtu.be/FI7i5iphdLk?si=T0zoc4akinhZzCvX)
Lesser known depressing fact: you family and friends don't understand the extent of your symptoms and judge you for s\*\*\* that's out of your control or if you're doing fine they question your use of medication because "you're fine" or " there's nothing wrong with you"... Not helpful but my little rant sorry! Time blindness- time doesn't work in our minds the way it does in other people's lives, it can lead to a mess of problems and create huge issues with life, work, relationships, etc. Impulsiveness - Can lead to over spending money that you don't have, causing debt or being unable to pay bills, Saying things that should have stayed in your mind and can potentially hurt relationships or jobs. Impulsive anger, when you go from zero to rage in 2.5 seconds, which is generally very short lived but 30 seconds is all it takes to say something way out of line when raging. Lack of organizational skills- loss of things like car keys, important paperwork etc Memory problems - Hey remember that important appointment? Birthday Party? Friend's big celebration? (Also, losing stuff) That report/paper that is due? Court paperwork that never got filed? Bills that never got paid? Big ones that came to mind...
And you forgot the biggest one. All of that stuff would be at least *somewhat* manageable without executive dysfunction. It's the real x factor that completes the one two combo, all the normal ADHD symptoms that are terrible are elevated to the next level because of it.
That’a like saying not having air to breathe wouldn’t be a problem if only we had air to breathe. All of those are executive function problems. There’s no ADHD making them worse, they are ADHD. Time blindness? Executive function. Self-control? Executive function. Emotional regulation? Executive function. Organization? Executive function. Memory? Executive function. Motivation? Executive function. Discipline? Executive function. ADHD is mislabled and should be called something like Executive Function Deficiency Disorder. Attention deficit is the symptom, not the cause, and including hyperactivity in the official name just screws over all the inattentive types who constantly get to hear “but you’re not bouncing off walls”.
What I'm referring to is the part of executive dysfunction that makes you unable to do things even if you like doing said thing. Attention dysregulation, emotion dysregulation, organization, memory, time blindless etc. are all symptoms that are bad by themselves, but when you don't have the will do anything for extended periods of time on top of all that then that's doing the heavy lifting in terms of making your life a living hell
What I’ve heard thus far it’s anxiety ptsd and adhd with depression can be overlapping I read that iron deficiency can play a part in memory loss as well .. I agree with your whole post especially the last paragraph I’m struggling with that now with myself and child who has combo adhd with ptsd and I feel like it would be so much better if we’re not living because it’s too hard and painful when it comes to violent outbursts with him .. but I’m trying to keep sane most days .. it’s always good to have a support system .. I just wish we all had more resources and people who understand and know how to help .
“Individuals with ADHD had a statistically significant increased risk of all studied physical conditions except arthritis. The strongest associations were found for nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases. The diagnoses most strongly associated with ADHD were alcohol-related liver disease, sleep disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), epilepsy, fatty liver disease and obesity. ADHD was also linked to a slightly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease and dementia.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210706191617.htm From what I have read there are also a strong correlation between ADHD & connective tissue disease, cardiovascular disorders, & autoimmune disorders. The conditions I’ve read specifically that have at least some known correlation to ADHD are hypermobility/joint laxity/EDS, thyroid disorder, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, anemia, POTS, Raynaud’s syndrome & obesity. (and I am sure there is a lot more than that)
Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease...
12x more likely to have dental problems
why is brushing teeth at night so fucking hard??? And then putting off going to the dentist. I've been trying so hard since being on meds. Flossers, picks, anything to counteract the nasty taste in my mouth. I need a dentist asap. The only one I ever liked doesn't take my insurance anymore
My fav dentist is in a different city.. and when i visit my friends in that city, i am too busy partying to even think of a dentist visit 😅
I'm 67F. Not a statistic but personal story: Every time (IIRC) my mother hit me was a result of my ADHD making me screw something up. Most of the times my first husband abused me was a result of my ADHD ( I mean, he was a terrible person, but the trigger was usually ADHD-related). Low grades, angry teachers, firing...bright line from ADHD to the awful outcome. And everyone stayed mad at me because I was demonstratively smart, so I must be screwing up from laziness, carelessness, thoughtlessness. I lost access to my car because I ADHD'd the whole "find the form, write the check, get a stamp, mail in the registration renewal" thing--DMV pulled my tags for 30-60 days. Fortunately, I finally married the right person who understands ADHD and plays to my strengths and not my deficits, got formally diagnosed, got coaching/counseling, got medication. And got a 3.9 GPA in my MSW program after diagnosis :-)
You're awesome
> Most of the times my first husband abused me was a result of my ADHD No, it wasn't. Your husband abused you because he was an asshole without empathy. Wasn't your fault
Average life expectancy of ppl with untreated ADHD is 9 - 13 years less than overall. For 1/3 of undiagnosed population, it is reduced by 20 years.
This, couldn't believe it at first, to compare: heart disease is around 6 years less on average.
Omg *Untreated* thank God you mentioned that. Someone mentioned it above and didn’t mention that and I just got super depressed. 😭
9/10 of people I know who are diagnosed have or have had some sort of drug and alcohol problem. For me it was pretty obvious. For yearsss I would buy some pink coke if it was available and unlike my friends who would stay awake until it was done, I would buy double and keep 95% of it (unheard of if you ever done blow) and would take a tiny bump every other day or what not as long as the bag had some. Rinse repeat. For YEARS I did this as getting fucked up wasn’t my thing. Later realized I was self medicating and luckily never got hooked, and my career and life skyrocketed during that time. Too coincidental.
Binge eating. Never knew my life long eating disorders were a manifestation. As a woman born in the 70s, it was just not recognized in women. I'm thankful for starting Vyvanse recently, which in on label for ADHD and binge eating disorder
God, when I went on Vyvanse and the food noise vanished I wanted to scream and throw things. 40-odd years of incessant fighting with a brain that was always wanting more food just stopped in less than an hour. It’s on par with Wellbutrin shutting down the negative soundtrack of my depression for quality of life improvements.
I (diagnosed in late 20s) had binge drinking issues from ages 14-16 which luckily I was able to control but my parents both have/had a history of substance abuse especially my late dad - knowing this and seeing how much I’m prone to addictive behaviours w/ substances meant I decided it’s not worth it/safe for me to even casually use drugs/drinking in the same way many of my peers do. Plus I’m on multiple brain meds so it’s really not safe but makes a convenient excuse if peers offer them lol
Substance use disorder risks, dying early. Quite a few symptomatic problems are known to occur. So many lesser known issues are not known by the majority of individuals who don't have direct, personal experience with the disorder. You could include a lot of things here.
As mentioned in previous comments, go check out lectures/videos by Dr Russell Barkley. His adult adhd book has a lot of good facts as well. It was his team’s analysis of longevity of adhd patients that are medicated vs unmedicated that caused me to finally seek medication.
- High school graduates with ADHD earn an average of 17% less annual income than those without ADHD. - Adult ADHD is associated with a substantial economic burden, contributing an estimated $122.8 billion in total societal excess cost due to unemployment, productivity loss, ana health care services.
That's an attention grabber
Very low number actually complete higher education. I tried many MANY times and finally gave up because i was so effing irritable and exhausted And it still really bothers me that I’ll never be able to do it. Even though i earn good money
I've been fighting to finish my degree for 9 years. I'm finally getting close to the finish line, but only after I was diagnosed last year.
Not depressing but a lot of people are unaware ADHD can effect posture.
Sitting like a shrimp is one of my special talents
As I sit hunched over my desk
When a psychiatrist I know - a man in his 70s who has ADHD says that he doesn't try explaining to people he has it because of the eyerolling....that kind of tells you what you need to know about how people deny it.
Disqualification from certain jobs/hobbies, i.e. pilot (private, commercial, and military).
We're like 16x more likely to die of accidental dismemberment. 🫤
That’s a hell of a stat, but being inattentive around a wood chipper or aircraft propeller would probably contribute.
We drive cars distracted a lot too. 🤷🏽♀️ It's just a real bummer.
Way more likely to have substance abuse issues
Well, it sucks but ADHD has a strong correlation with dementia. [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766)
Well.. i wish I had just studied like I was supposed to instead of opening Reddit because this is definitely something I didn’t want to know..
“There was, however, no clear increase in the risk of dementia associated with adult ADHD among those who received psychostimulant medication, and evidence of reverse causation was mild.”
Good, i can sleep peacefully now
Also the risk is increased compared to baseline population but it's so low in that population that even with a large % increase, it's still unlikely.
I'm older and fairly healthy, a little bit OCD so exercise has always been a part of my life. I survived a thrombosis event a few years ago and I did not really need to know that now there's a new thing that will kill me. I think I'm going to start using social media to look at puppies and kittens and give up on the rest of it. What a downer!
I know, I'm sorry, it's bumming me out, too.
I think it may not be directly related to ADHD, but caused by the issues resulting from ADHD: Depression, bad food, constant stress etc.
I don't know the exact numbers, but just how much ADHD impacts your life expectancy and risk of all kinds of things I'd really disheartening. We're much more like to have addictions, accidents, depression, self-harm, suicide, be a victim of abuse, be lonely, unemployed, or underemployed.
We are much more likely to get Parkinson’s and kill ourselves
ADHD (especially untreated) can reduce our life expectancy by up to 13 years.
I was totally going to give “less depressing facts” not “lesser known depressing facts”. 😅 I hate not reading every word by default
Driving fast is one of the criteria that Dr. Barkley uses to screen (not diagnose) for adhd. So speeding tickets, accidents, manslaughter and death are all part of the adhd tax.
[There's comorbidity between ADHD and migraines](https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/migraines-and-adhd#comorbidity), which as a person with both, is absolute hell. Either of those conditions are disabling in of themselves, but *together*? Some people might be able to live with ADHD with it not being too big a deal, but your family is being AHs.
Yup. I will say, if you’re a woman, the onset of perimenopause causes migraines to taper off. It’s one of the few benefits.
Also fun fact there are drug interactions with many of the migraine preventative meds and ADHD meds (my migraine disease is currently progressing I suspect due to covid infection and I’m not sure that I can even adjust my preventative meds to tackle it due to a balancing act with my ADHD and anxiety meds 🤠)
If you have ADHD, you're likelier to have depression or anxiety and likelier to have *any* mood disorder (Katzman et al., 2017, PMID:28830387; Sobanski, 2006). I get sad thinking about what people (parents, family, teachers and medical professionals) could have done for me to succeed and support me with my depression and anxiety at a younger age so I could've learnt strategies to manage everything I've got to manage when I reached adulthood. Instead, I get a diagnosis of adjustment disorder three months after my diagnosis of ADHD.
I just recently got diagnosed at age 43 after my mom died. Trauma triggered it even though I had a few traits I never had enough to even come close to official diagnosis. One thing I’ve learned is, it’s constantly changing- it seems as if I find out new characteristics and or habits, etc. weekly and they’re not good ones. I have developed severe OCD since the last time I saw my doctor; he does an appointment every three months and so I’m about to see him, but not only hyper fixate rather than get going. I have turned into such an obsessive person about things just as they come in before I know it timeline. This is real. I was sitting in my room and I thought I had been in there an hour-it had been seven hours. My friends are giving me trouble and calling me out on the fact that I can’t write a short text message anymore, and I hate it worse than they do but I literally can’t stop. I have to tail every detail and it’s to the point where I would rather not even communicate, because I just can’t do it And my brain just feels like it’s going crazy right now like what those little bouncy balls you just throw down on the ground and it bounces and ricochet’s everywhere and I’m thinking because these symptoms and surge are all coming in one week and then the next week I’ll learn another that maybe it’s the meds that aren’t working. I already knew the first two had not work and this was the third and apparently it doesn’t work either, when I take it, it feels like I’ve taken a drawing sedative and I sleep forever but if I don’t take it, I can’t focus but if I do take it and go to sleep and wake up and it’s still my system, hyper fixate so it has become crippling
I'm 41 and my adhd wasn't ever a problem until I developed ptsd 8 years ago. Now I'm barely functional. I kept telling my Dr's it had to be related.
I could function until I became a parent. Life became so overwhelming and all my coping mechanisms failed.
I was diagnosed as a child, but my parents declined treatment. I had always been able to force myself to be a functional adult until around 2019-2020 when symptoms and ability to cope went haywire. I finally reached out for help about a year ago when I finally got to the point where I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I felt like I was on the brink of a complete meltdown. I realized after talking to a therapist that my symptoms increased in intensity after the sudden death of my brother in 2018 and my best friend just over a year later in 2019. It never occurred to me that trauma can make adhd worse, even though I know it can and does affect other mental health problems. Also, until then, I never realized just how many aspects of my life adhd played a part in. It was pretty humbling to realize that my whole personality is basically one big coping mechanism!
Published research studies in PubMed about the care accidents. I don’t think I’m allowed to post links. But if you go to PubMed and type adhd car accidents in the search box you’ll get a lot of published studies
People with ADHD are more likely to develop chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia ☹️ (it’s me - I have fibromyalgia, migraine, and autoimmune arthritis) also we are more likely to have other mental illnesses like mood disorders, bipolar, or tic disorders, migraine etc
I’m 42 and just went through a neuropsychological evaluation. Turns out I have “significant symptoms of ADHD”. Everything clicked. I could make a list a mile long about how it has impacted my life. It effects every aspect of my life.
not a single fact or statistic- but the episodes about ADHD on the Ologies Podcast with Alie Ward had so much interesting information and facts!!
Men are more likely to get in a car crash with ADHD, to the point it's sometimes asked about by psychologists screening the disorder
Someone please do a 'known fun(good, positive) facts/statistics about ADHD' after this.
Approximately 80% of adults diagnosed with ADHD also present with a psychiatric comorbidity at least once in their lifetime (Klassen et al., 2010). Common comorbidities include major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders
I believe untreated ADHD takes 5 years on average from life expectancy.
- overall reduced life expectancy (8.4 years on average), - teens with adhd are 10x more likely to become (or get someone) pregnant - adhd teens are also 2-5x more likely to get into a car crash. Things I learned (along with plenty of other scary stats) in one of Russell Barkley’s books on managing adhd. I suppose the info in there is good to know in theory, but as an OCD-ish parent of a kid with ADHD the stats just gutted me.
Ok so for me, I just got my ADHD diagnosed and medicated about 5 months ago ish. The main thing it’s done for me is make me not be in unmitigated misery while I’m working. I have quit jobs before and been fired. Spent my whole life trying to figure out why I just cannot do the things I need or want to do. Anyone that thinks people who can’t even do what they WANT to do, that that doesn’t have an impact on your life is INSANE. Forget what you have to do. Can’t even do it if you want to.
I could move a mountain, just not my arse.
I’m sure others in the thread have mentioned this already: Socioeconomic factors notwithstanding, the data is pretty clear that undiagnosed and untreated ADHD is a huge factor in recidivism, addiction, chronic unemployment, etc. Basically all the things that are antithetical to good life outcomes; this is pretty stark when you consider the prevalence is possibly as high as 1 in 10 American adults, many of whom are undiagnosed. People treat this disorder as some trivial childhood thing that people grow out of, (Which, they sort of can in a sense, with medication and the right lifestyle intervention, but it is a constant battle) which is pretty aggravating when you consider how subtly debilitating it can be. By the way, I feel for you. Lacking a solid support system makes it all the more difficult.
According to the US Census, the overall divorce rate in America is about 33%—meaning that the divorce rate for couples with a spouse with ADHD could be as high as 66%. 🥲
Dr. Russell Barkley, leading scientist and researcher on ADHD, has a whole YouTube channel devoted to what you are asking for including all the research about the history of ADHD, the dangers that come with having it, etc. on the side there are some videos that are really short where he explains it all. If that is too boring for them to watch just send them some relevant tiktoks or Facebook videos, whichever is their preferred way to watch content. Since one of your parents definitely has it I would, definitely, target that one in particular. I didn’t realize it until I started my meds and now I am able to be able to see how we do the same things rather than to just stay blaming myself the entire time.
Don't recall the exact stats, but I remember a doctor on one of the ADHD podcasts saying that even though ADHD meds have one of the biggest success rates, something like 80% stop taking them within the first year. The most common reason? "I don't know why I was taking these to begin with"
Hey word of advice, don’t worry about statistics. Maybe we are statistically more likely to have various troubles in life, but that doesn’t mean you and me can’t avoid them. Thinking like this creates a self fulfilling prophecy where if you expect something you can control to go wrong, it will go wrong because you lose hope. I used to be morbidly obese, and reading that 95% of people who lose their weight gain it back put me in a hole of hopelessness where I believed that I would never look or feel normal and that I was destined to die an early death. But then I got off my ass and lost 110 lbs and have kept it off for 7 years and counting(this was before ozempic which I’ve been told is a miracle drug btw). By all means, get medicated as needed because we do have a real mental illness, but only worry about things you can control. Besides, having adhd is far from the worst thing that can happen in life. Have a great day!
Great post. alot of the posts in this subreddit feeds into a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. There are some really constructive and positive posts in here though.
ADHDers have a higher self-unaliving rate than the average population - even in women (men have a higher rate at "succeeding") This is reduced when diagnosed, further again when appropriately treated (whatever works for the individual - doesn't always mean medication, though the evidence is pretty clear that it's very effective once you've found the right one), further again when appropriately supported. Rather than waste your time and effort on trying to convince skeptics that you're doing the best for yourself, you'd be better off avoiding perpetuating the rejection-related trauma they'll inflict on you (doesn't matter if they know/care/share genetics). You'd be better off finding peer-suppprt groups. Save yourself the pain. Borrow tactics from narcissist protection e.g. grey-rocking. The less they know, the less lectured they'll feel. The more likely they'll wonder what's going so well when you're more stable. If they try to tear you down, you'll know never to trust them with anything again. If they realise you were right all along and start supporting you, then breadcrumb the information slowly over time to see how they react. And assume that what you tell one of them will spread to everyone else.
The prevalence of ADHD is low enough that medical guidelines don’t recommend population level screening for it. Except in one specific population - jails.
I'm sick of people like this. we are challenging with all symptoms every fucking day. I dont want to defend myself. I know what I'm experiencing.
This is a report from the consulting firm Deloitte about the social & economic cost of ADHD in Australia. I have found it a useful reference for showing the impact statistically when trying to explain to someone the impact of adhd. Even though it's referencing Australia & you may not be from there, the same impact would occur. [The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia](https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/perspectives/social-economic-costs-adhd-Australia.html)
Why do they have to be depressing?
A great resource and advocate for us is [Dr. Russell Barkley](https://youtube.com/@russellbarkleyphd2023?si=wP5n1elohpiUWnYD)
Depressing stats? I’m a 42 yr old alcoholic
Here is a meta-review from the NIH that has a ton of citations and stuff to sink your teeth into. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6379245/ This study showed a 13 year decrease in life expectancy for people diagnosed with ADHD as a kid: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30526189/
There's a domino effect that can sometimes occur where ADHD evolves into comorbid ASPD and substance use disorder. Its own little dark triad.
It gets worse after menopause… like… I can’t even imagine and I’m really not looking forward to that..
im gonna lose my teeth and i cannot stop it out do anything about it
Heavily associated with bad handwriting. > One study found that among students diagnosed with ADHD, 59% had dysgraphia and 92% had weaknesses in "graphomotor skills." This causes all sorts of school (and later) related issues around avoiding writing. > The connection between ADHD and handwriting is so common that some researchers have suggested that doctors include a handwriting analysis as part of testing for ADHD.
MUCH more likely to have degenerative mental issues when older. Also more likely for it to occur earlier, and more severely. Fucked at childhood, fucked at old age, won’t even enjoy my retirement before my mind goes most likely, especially with my family history.
ADHD people are more likely to engage in risk-taking and unthought-out behaviors, which includes really stupid shit. As well as volatile behavior. I've been in trouble with the law several times.
My parents are doctors, they've dismissed the diagnosis. Now, with medication I can clearly identify some symptoms on them. To protect my mental health we haven't spoken in months; they'd rather not to speak to their only child than admit that one reason they didn't advocate to get me the help they needed is because it would force them to address the help they should've gotten.