STAT+: ADHD medication linked to less impulsive behavior, crashes, and crime
A large Swedish study found that ADHD medications reduced risks of traffic crashes, injuries and criminal behavior.
A study tracking nearly 250,000 Swedish people using ADHD medication for 14 years found that these treatments can reduce risks of traffic crashes, injuries, and criminal behavior — and that conclusion remained true even as more girls, women, and adult men received a diagnosis.
“I wish we had access to this kind of data for the U.S.,” said Ryan Sultan, who was not part of the study and is a psychiatrist and professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he specializes in ADHD. “Being able to follow them from birth means that their data is really, really powerful.”
The study arrives as providers in the United States contend with twin realities: ADHD medication prescriptions are skyrocketing — largely thanks to telehealth and diminishing stigma — while medication shortages are imperiling people’s access to these critical treatments. Scientists are also learning more about how the condition interacts with other variables, such as how menstrual periods can affect symptoms and treatment.
