Adult ADHD Leads to More Divorces?

I saw an advertisement in one of the psychiatry news journals with the capture line “Broken Promises.”  It was an advertisement for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) medication.  The ad went on to state “Adults with ADHD were nearly 2x more likely to have been divorced.”  That got my attention.  Of course, I wanted to know where they got the information. 

It was based on an article published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2006 entitled “Functional Impairments in Adults with Self-reports of Diagnosed ADHD: A Controlled Study of 1001 Adults in the Community.”

Functional impairment is what we use to determine the significance of one’s symptoms and the need for medical intervention.  With any disorder, an individual can have some symptoms – but how much of a problem is it causing?  There are many adults with attentional problems who compensate by the job they choose or by putting in extra hours, creating To Do lists, etc.  Then there are those who have functional impairments such as threat of losing a job because they can’t keep up or serious relationship problems.  These individuals are the ones who often seek medical help for their problems.

This study surveyed 500 men and women who said they were diagnosed with ADHD and 500 who had not been diagnosed with ADHD.  The results were as follows – Adults with ADHD were found to have the following:

• less likely to have graduated high school or have a college degree
• less likely to be employed
• more likely to have been arrested – by a factor of 2
• more likely to have been divorced – by a factor of 2
• less likely to be satisfied with their family, social and professional lives

Notice the greatest differences when compared to the control group was the greater chance of divorce and arrests.  Not sure what this means clinically, but it’s an interesting finding none the less.  Keep in mind all studies have flaws and results have to be interpreted cautiously.  The drug advertiser didn’t mention the arrest statistic, probably because it would be considered too inflamatory and defeat the purpose of marketing their product.

Nonetheless, these results do emphasize the significance of Adult ADHD and how it can seriously impact one’s life.