Girls With ADHD at Risk for Suicide Attempts and Self Injury
Updated June 08, 2015.
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Research finds that girls with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more likely to attempt suicide and engage in self-injurious behavior compared to girls without ADHD.
According to findings published by the American Psychological Association in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (August, 2012), girls in the study who were diagnosed with ADHD in childhood -- and particularly those who showed early signs of impulsivity and hyperactivity -- were more likely to display serious self-harmful behavior patterns as young women.
With the aim of understanding more about the young adult outcomes of girls with ADHD, researchers followed a large group of pre-adolescent girls with ADHD, along with a matched comparison group of girls without ADHD. The girls with ADHD were first diagnosed between ages 6 and 12 years. Study participants were followed over a ten year period. By this time the participants were between 17 and 24 years old.
At the ten year mark, the girls with a history of ADHD, particularly those with combined inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity during childhood, were much more likely to report self-injurious behaviors (such as cutting) and suicide attempts in early adulthood than the comparison group of girls without ADHD.
ADHD in girls and women carries a particularly high risk of internalizing, even self-harmful behavior patterns," said the study's lead author Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D., professor of psychology at University of California, Berkley. "We know that girls with ADHD-combined are more likely to be impulsive and have less control over their actions, which could explain these distressing findings."
As girls with ADHD grow older they may show fewer outward “visible” symptoms of ADHD, yet they often continue to struggle in hidden ways. Many girls in the study showed improvement in ADHD symptoms over the ten year period (some no longer met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD), yet all the girls with a childhood history of ADHD had higher rates of self-injury and suicide attempts.
“Like boys with ADHD, girls continue to have problems with academic achievement and relationships, and need special services as they enter early adulthood,” said Hinshaw. “Our findings of extremely high rates of cutting and other forms of self-injury, along with suicide attempts, show us that the long-term consequences of ADHD females are profound.”
These findings highlight the severe impact of ADHD in girls and underscore the importance of long-term monitoring and treatment of ADHD in females. Research in this area brings attention to a population often in need. "ADHD can signal future psychological problems for girls as they are entering adulthood. Our findings reinforce the idea that ADHD in girls is particularly severe and can have serious public health implications," noted Hinshaw.
Additional Reading:
Source:
Stephen P. Hinshaw, Ph.D., Elizabeth B. Owens, Ph.D., and Christine Zalecki, Ph.D. (University of California - Berkeley); Suzanne Perrigue Huggins, Ph.D. (University of Maryland); Adriana J. Montenegro-Nevado, Ph.D. (Palo Alto University); Emily Schrodek, Ph.D., and Erika N. Swanson, Ph.D. (University of California - Berkeley); "Prospective Follow-Up of Girls With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Into Early Adulthood: Continuing Impairment Includes Elevated Risk for Suicide Attempts and Self-Injury," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association. August 2012.
Yasmin Anwar, Girls With ADHD More Prone to Self-Injury, Suicide As They Enter Adulthood. Berkeley Research University of California. August 13, 2012.
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