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Teen girls with ADHD at higher risk of mental illness

By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
May 27, 2005

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.

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 27th, 2005 at 9:17 am and is filed under General, Brain and Behavior, Parenting, ADHD and ADD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

One Response to “Teen girls with ADHD at higher risk of mental illness” (Pingbacks/trackbacks not shown below)

I wanted to ask, I have a girl teen pupil that her father died about 4 yrs ago and her mother is also sick. She is add diagnosed and has problems with all her studies, yet her mother has great expectations from her (because her older sisters were good students). How can I release the pressure she is going through?
Your comment will be very appreciated.

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Last reviewed:
  On May 27, 2005
  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.



I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
-- Pablo Picasso