Overview
- The systematic review, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, pooled 19 observational studies that together covered roughly 16 million people and found a 70% higher all-cause mortality rate for people with an ADHD diagnosis.
- Suicide mortality was the largest relative driver of excess deaths, with pooled estimates showing about a 90% higher rate among people with ADHD compared with those without the diagnosis.
- Deaths from unintentional or intentional injury were roughly 50–55% higher and deaths from natural causes were about 27–30% higher in pooled estimates, reflecting behavioral risks and higher rates of physical illness in ADHD populations.
- Analyses of treatment data from three included studies showed an association between ADHD medication use and roughly 25% lower mortality, but the finding is observational, based on few studies, and cannot establish that medication causes lower death rates.
- Authors and commentators say the results point to urgent clinical and policy steps—wider screening, equitable access to evidence-based care, and long-term studies designed to test causal links—so people with ADHD receive the support needed to reduce preventable deaths.