ADHD Linked to 71% Higher Risk of Death in Analysis of 16 Million People

A systematic review and meta-analysis in JAMA Network Open puts a number on the mortality gap for people with ADHD. Across nearly 16 million participants, an ADHD diagnosis was associated with a 71% higher hazard of death from any cause (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.31-2.24).

The team came from University College London and the University of Liverpool. Joshua Stott, PhD, a professor in UCL Psychology and Language Sciences, is the senior author. Lucy Corrigan is the first author.

What the numbers show

The researchers pooled 19 longitudinal studies with close to 16 million participants across three continents. The populations came from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK, Finland and Denmark. Some cohorts were followed for more than 20 years, and the review covered peer-reviewed research through July 2025.

The cause-specific hazard ratios, each compared with people without an ADHD diagnosis:

• Suicide: 1.89 (95% CI 1.21-2.95), roughly 90% higher.
• Injury, intentional or unintentional: 1.55 (95% CI 1.22-2.00), roughly 55% higher.
• Natural causes: 1.27 (95% CI 1.16-1.38), roughly 27% higher.

The all-cause interval is wide. The figure could plausibly sit anywhere from 31% to 124% higher. Every interval excludes 1.0, the value that would mean no difference in risk.

The natural-cause result is the new part. An earlier review found no evidence of higher natural-cause mortality in people with ADHD. The authors suggest the difference "may reflect the inclusion of more recently published studies or differences in the studies and effect estimates included."

Why the risk may be higher

The authors point to several possible pathways. Impulsivity, emotional dysregulation and risk-taking may contribute to injuries, and differences in attention may play a role in deaths such as road crashes. Co-occurring conditions, including depression and other mental health problems, may raise suicide risk.

For natural-cause deaths, they cite smoking, alcohol and substance use, trouble engaging with health care, difficulty keeping appointments and weaker adherence to chronic-disease treatment. Their earlier work found higher rates of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders and diabetes in people with ADHD.

These are proposed explanations. The analysis does not establish which of them drives the gap.

The medication finding

Among people with ADHD, those taking medication had a 25% lower hazard of all-cause death than those who did not (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.87).

The authors attach heavy caveats. Only three of the 19 studies tracked medication status. The design is observational, so it shows correlation and cannot prove the drugs caused the lower risk.

"Our findings provide early evidence to suggest that medication may play an important role in supporting the health of people with ADHD," Corrigan said. She added that further research is needed to clarify the link, and that "medication is just part of the story; many people with ADHD benefit from comprehensive, long-term treatment and support."

That caution is warranted, since people who take medication differ from those who do not in ways a pooled analysis of three studies may not capture.

Diagnosis gaps

Stott stressed that the results do not mean everyone with ADHD will die young. "ADHD is not by definition a life-limiting condition as the right support and treatment can help people with ADHD to live long and healthy lives," he said. He told MedPage Today the findings do not suggest increased mortality is "inherent to ADHD."

His policy takeaway is access. Diagnosis rates have risen, he said, but they "may still lag behind actual prevalence, particularly for older age groups where mortality risk may be most pertinent."

Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was not involved in the study. He said diagnosis often comes late. He cited CDC data indicating that perhaps half of adults with ADHD are first diagnosed in adulthood, even though the disorder almost always begins in childhood. A large share of diagnosed adults receive no treatment, he said.

The CDC estimates 15 million U.S. adults (6%) have ADHD, and nearly one in three of them take stimulant medication. The agency also reports that 7 million children ages 3 to 17 (11.7%) have a diagnosis, based on a national parent survey.

What comes next

The study does not say what kind of treatment or support would shrink the gap. Nor does it say whether the medication link survives better-designed research. The authors call for further work, and the open question is whether larger studies that track medication use will confirm the 25% figure or shrink it.