ADHD Increases Risk of Substance Use Disorder & Cigarette Smoking

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of developing substance use disorder and cigarette smoking. The risk is significant among both boys and girls. Overall, those individuals with ADHD are one and a half times more likely than those without to develop a substance use disorder. These are the findings of two long-term studies conducted by Harvard researchers with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The studies look at two groups of children and adolescents between with ages of six and 17 years who had been diagnosed with DSM-III ADHD. The first study included 140 girls with ADHD and . . .