Psychiatry · 2 h ago
ADHD Linked to Higher Mortality in Meta-analysis of 19 Studies
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies involving nearly 16 million people found that ADHD was associated with higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Among people with ADHD, medication use was associated with lower all-cause mortality, although substantial between-study heterogeneity limits interpretation.
- ADHD was associated with 71% higher all-cause mortality.
- Higher mortality associations included suicide, injury, and natural causes.
- Medication use was associated with lower all-cause mortality.
- Substantial heterogeneity limits interpretation of pooled estimates.
Researchers searched six databases through July 8, 2025, for quantitative studies reporting mortality among people with ADHD. The systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis included 19 studies with 15,920,970 participants; ADHD definitions varied across studies and included diagnostic criteria, self-identification, trait measures, and polygenic risk scores. Outcomes included all-cause and cause-specific mortality, with pooled hazard ratios (HRs).\n\nADHD was associated with higher all-cause mortality (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.31-2.24). Associations were also reported for suicide mortality (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.21-2.95), mortality from intentional or unintentional injury (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.22-2.00), and natural-cause mortality (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.16-1.38). In analyses of people with ADHD, medication use was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64-0.87).\n\nThe findings indicate elevated mortality across several causes, but the medication result is an association and does not establish that treatment reduces mortality. The authors noted substantial heterogeneity and called for standardized methods and better control of confounding. The abstract does not provide further detail on study-level designs or medication types.
In practice
This meta-analysis identifies higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality among people with ADHD, including mortality from suicide and injury. Medication use among people with ADHD was associated with lower all-cause mortality, but the pooled association does not show that medication caused the reduction or establish effects for specific drugs or patient groups. The findings support attention to mortality-related risks in ADHD care, but substantial heterogeneity and potential confounding mean they do not justify changing prescribing decisions on their own.
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JAMA Network Open: Mortality Among People With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.