Research Identifies Link Between Childhood ADHD And
Adult Crime
Many chronic conditions have emerged simultaneously
since 'healthy eating' was introduced in the 1980s.
Much of this is covered in my book, Trick
and Treat: How 'healthy eating' is making us
ill. Over the last few years, researchers
have found links between conditions that tend to
confirm what I have discovered - the dietary link. The
following study is an example.
Schoolchildren with attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder are substantially more likely to engage in
many types of criminal activity such as burglary, theft
and drug dealing as they grow older, a new study by the
Yale School of Public Health has found. The research
was published in The Journal of Mental
Health Policy and Economics.
An analysis of more than 10,000 adolescents who were
later surveyed as young adults found that children with
ADHD were twice as likely to commit theft later in life
and had a 50 percent higher incidence of selling drugs.
The research results are believed to be the first
evidence of a link between illegal activity and the
childhood condition commonly known as ADHD that uses a
national sample of individuals.
Authors Jason M. Fletcher, assistant professor at
the school, and Barbara Wolfe of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison say the findings suggest that
children exhibiting ADHD symptoms should be viewed as
an at-risk group and that intervention programs might
be appropriate.
Researchers estimate that crimes where ADHD is a
factor cost society $2 billion to $4 billion annually.
"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," said Fletcher, the
study's lead author. He added, "We also found important
differences in the association between adult crime and
the type of childhood ADHD symptoms-whether hyperactive
or inattentive or both."
It is estimated that ADHD affects between 2 percent
to 10 percent of schoolchildren in the United States.
The condition is far more prevalent in males than
females and is much higher among close relatives than
in the general population, suggesting a genetic origin.
Treatment for ADHD, meanwhile, has increased sharply
over the past 20 years with pharmaceuticals, such as
Ritalin, now commonly used.
Fletcher said the link between ADHD and criminal
activity will be further investigated by examining
whether pharmacological treatments may reduce the risk
of illegal activities as an adult. He is also
investigating the relationships between childhood ADHD
symptoms and labor market outcomes, such as employment
and earnings.Jason Fletcher, Barbara Wolfe. Long-term
Consequences of Childhood ADHD on Criminal
Activities
Reference
Jason Fletcher, Barbara Wolfe. Long-term
Consequences of Childhood ADHD on Criminal Activities.
Journal of Mental Health Policy and
Economics 2009; 12: 119-138
Last updated 8
November 2009
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