Childhood ADHD Linked to Criminal Behavior in Adults

More study needed to see if medical treatment cuts rates of illegal activities, researchers say
HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Monday, October 19, 2009



MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other children to engage in criminal activity when they grow older, a U.S. study has found.

The study included more than 10,000 adolescents who were later surveyed in adulthood. It found that youngsters with ADHD were twice as likely to commit theft later in life and were 50 percent more likely to sell drugs.

The findings, believed to be the first evidence of a link between ADHD and criminal activity, were published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.
"While much research has shown links between ADHD and short-term educational outcomes, this research suggests significant longer-term consequences in other domains, such as criminal activities," study lead author Jason M. Fletcher, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said in a university news release.

"We also found important differences in the association between adult crime and the type of childhood ADHD symptoms -- whether hyperactive or inattentive or both," he said.
Crimes where ADHD is a factor may cost the nation $2 billion to $4 billion a year, estimates have indicated.

Fletcher and colleagues plan to investigate whether drug treatments may reduce the illegal activities associated with ADHD in adulthood. The researchers also plan to study the associations between childhood ADHD symptoms and later employment and earnings.

ADHD, which affects between 2 percent to 10 percent of U.S. schoolchildren, is far more common in males than females. It's also more prevalent in people who have close relatives with the condition, suggesting a genetic origin, the study authors noted in the news release.

SOURCE: Yale University, news release, Oct. 19, 2009
HealthDay

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Women Health Tips: Breasts Of Women Without Bra

Image
Breasts Of Women Without Bra : latest news about Breasts Of Women Without Bra updates, I have been searching the internet for advice on how to be confident with a flat chest, or how to find a suitable swimsuit, etc. There are so many websites that encourage that small busts are attractive – but I am not small, I am flat – and 22 years old. I know this is not a health concern in regards to hormones. I have spoken to my family doctor and my period is regular. I have absolutely no breast tissue and this has never been the case for other women in my family. I feel like I am the only one in this situation and it is very difficult to cope without the support of someody who understands exactly what I am going through. Please help.” After hearing from literally thousands of women in our ten-year history, let me say, you are not alone. Some women have even sent us pictures so I know exactly what you are talking about. The good news is that, as your doctor says, there is no health concern for y
Read more

Reasons for female hair loss

Image
The causes of female hair loss include physical, emotional, and hormonal reasons, as well as taking medications that can cause hair loss. Hormones play a major role in female hair loss. Many women lose their hair after pregnancy. Because of low levels of estrogen during pregnancy, and loss of natural hair which is supposed to not occur during the months of pregnancy. About three or four months after giving birth, and once that is stabilizing the hormones to normal, and the hair that was supposed to be lost during the pregnancy leave at a time. This hair loss is a temporary situation, and hair growth will resume regular sessions promptly. Any modifications to the cycle of birth control are also known to cause hair loss in some cases. Start or stop the pill and hormones for reasons other than stable, and sometimes lead to hair loss. Hormone replacement therapy can have the same results. The presence of DHT is also the initiator of hair loss. DHT is a hormone that weakens hair follicles,
Read more

Torn Surgical Gloves Put Patients at Risk for Infection

Image
Giving antibiotics before operation might improve safety, study finds. Holes in surgical gloves increase the risk of surgical site infection among patients who aren't given antibiotics before their surgery, Swiss researchers say. In procedures lasting more than two hours, the rate of glove perforations ranges from 8 percent to 50 percent, according to a study published in the June issue of the Archives of Surgery. Sterile gloves worn by surgical staff can be perforated by needles, bone fragments and sharp surgical instruments, and the resulting holes enable skin-borne pathogens to travel from the hands of surgical staff into patients. In the study, Dr. Heidi Misteli and colleagues analyzed 4,417 surgical procedures performed at University Hospital Basel between 2000 and 2001, and found that sterile glove perforations occurred in 677 of the surgeries. Antibiotic therapy given before surgery to prevent infection was used in 3,233 of the surgeries, including 605 of the surgeries invol
Read more