Studies have shown that women with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are eight times more likely to attempt suicide, while men with ADHD are four and a half times more likely to do the same.
ADHD can adversely affect mental health in adulthood. A nationally representative Canadian study reported that the frequency of suicide attempts was significantly higher for women with ADHD (24%) compared to women without (3%). Men with ADHD were also more likely to attempt suicide compared to men without ADHD (9% vs. 2%).
“ADHD has a very long shadow. Even when we considered the history of mental illness, and the higher rates of poverty and early complications that adults with ADHD often experience, those with ADHD still had 56% higher. on attempted suicide than their peers without ADHD ”said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Professor at the Faculty of Factor-Inwentash Social Work University of Toronto and Director of the Institute for the Course of Life and Aging.
Because ADHD is more common in men than in women, little research or clinical attention has focused on women with the disorder. In this study, women with ADHD had more than twice the suicide attempts compared to men with ADHD.
“Our finding that one in four Canadian women with ADHD has attempted suicide reflects the speed with which appropriate mental health support is provided over the course of life for this vulnerable group who have neglect, ”said Lauren Carrique, a recent graduate of the University of Toronto ‘s Masters in Social Work. (MSW) program is a social worker at Toronto General Hospital.
Adults with ADHD who had been exposed to parental domestic violence had three times more suicide attempts compared to their peers with ADHD who did not experience this childhood problem. Parental domestic violence was defined as “harmful” if it had occurred more than 10 hours before the respondent was 16 years old.
“The cross-cutting nature of this study limits our ability to prove reason; the relationship between parental domestic violence and suicide attempts could flow in all directions, ”said co-author Raphael Nahar Riviere, a medical resident in anesthesiology at the University of Toronto.
“We argue that violent parental conflict can put a great deal of pressure on the child with ADHD and lead these people to mental illness and suicidal thoughts. In addition, the challenges of raising a child with ADHD who are struggling with real mental health problems could lead to parental conflict, which can escalate into domestic violence. ”
The study examined a nationally representative sample of 21,744 Canadians, 529 of whom reported being diagnosed with ADHD. Data were extracted from the Canada-Community Mental Health Survey.
“The high level of suicide attempts among people with ADHD underlines the importance of health professionals screening patients with ADHD for mental illness and suicidal thoughts,” said co-author Senyo Agbeyaka, a recent MSW graduate from the University of Toronto who is a social worker at the University Health Network.
“By finding out that women with ADHD who have suffered childhood disorders and adults with a history of substance dependence and / or depression are particularly at risk of attempted suicide, we hope they will help clinical to target and reach out to this population. ”
(This story was published from a wire group without text changes. Only the headline was changed.)
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