MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with increased mortality across multiple causes, according to a review published online Oct. 19 in JAMA Network Open.
Lucy Corrigan, from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between ADHD and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Data were included from 19 studies with 15,920,970 participants.
The researchers observed a significant association for ADHD with increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.71). There were also significant associations for suicide, unintentional or intentional injury, and natural-cause mortality (hazard ratios, 1.89, 1.55, and 1.27, respectively). In people with ADHD, reduced all-cause mortality was seen in association with ADHD medication use (hazard ratio, 0.75). Across studies, substantial heterogeneity was observed.
"Our findings provide early evidence to suggest that medication may play an important role in supporting the health of people with ADHD, but this is based on a small number of studies and further research is needed to clarify this link," Corrigan said in a statement. "And medication is just part of the story; many people with ADHD benefit from comprehensive, long-term treatment and support."
