Teen girls with ADHD at higher risk of mental illness
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious problem for teenage girls, and those who have it appear to be at much higher risk for mental illness by age 17, a Harvard Medical School researcher reported Tuesday.
The largest, most thorough study so far comparing girls with ADHD with peers who don’t have it underscores the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, says study leader Joseph Biederman, a child psychiatrist. He spoke at the American Psychiatric Association meeting here.
Biederman’s study tracked 140 girls with ADHD from ages 12 to 17 and compared them with 122 girls without the disorder. By 17, the ADHD girls were far more likely to be clinically depressed, to have anxiety disorders and to have conduct disorder.
About 10 boys are referred for ADHD treatment for every girl “and 99% of the childhood ADHD research is on boys,” Biederman says. He believes it’s because girls don’t become disruptive as early in life as boys with ADHD do, so it often goes undiagnosed.
As if parents didn’t have enough to worry about with their teenage daughters, now you should keep a lookout for mental illness as well.
Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.Like this author?
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 27 May 2005
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
Grohol, J. (2005). Teen girls with ADHD at higher risk of mental illness. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 25, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2005/05/27/teen-girls-with-adhd-at-higher-risk-of-mental-illness/
