According to the experience of families and girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), symptoms such as restless and disruptive behavior attenuate during adolescence. However, the results of new research today (August 14, 2012) in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Journal of Psychological Consulting and Clinic) predict that girls with a history of ADHD are more likely to internalize their feelings and struggle with their failure, which can manifest in self-harm and even suicide attempts.
Stephen Hinshaw, professor of psychology at the renowned University of Berkeley and director of this research, said: “Like boys with ADHD, girls continue to have academic and interpersonal problems in their early adulthood and need services and treatment. “Our results demonstrate extremely high rates of self-harm and suicide attempts in girls with ADHD, which tells us that the consequences of this disorder are extremely profound.”
These results are consistent with previous reports presented by the UC Berkeley research team.
Girls with ADHD in their adolescence show fewer symptoms of this disorder, but in reality they continue to suffer in a hidden way.
“These results challenge the assumption that girls can ‘outgrow’ ADHD in adolescence and reaffirm the need for long-term follow-up and treatment,” Hinshaw said.
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How was the study developed?
The researchers followed a diverse group of girls for 10 years who were between 6 and 12 years old and belonged to various cultures and socioeconomic levels. They frequently attended a summer camp held by the researchers in San Francisco, USA. After the study began, the researchers examined 140 of them who were between 17 and 24 years old; A comparison was made of their behavioral, emotional and academic development with a group (88 girls) of similar demographic characteristics without ADHD. The researchers also measured symptoms of two major subtypes of attention deficit: subjects who had poor attention, and subjects who had inattention with hyperactivity and impulsivity.
What conclusions did the researchers reach?
The main conclusion of the study was that girls who were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood are more likely to self-injure themselves and attempt suicide in early adulthood. In fact, the research indicated that more than half of the subjects in the subgroup with hyperactivity and impulsivity have engaged in some type of self-harming behavior and more than a fifth had attempted suicide.
“The key question is: why do girls with ADHD in early adulthood have a marked risk of self-harm? According to researchers, impulsivity seems to be the main factor.
In the first phase of the study, published in 2002, the girls were offered to come off ADHD medication during summer camp; the girls participated in outdoor activities and drama classes; They were closely monitored by counselors, but the research team did not tell them which ones had been diagnosed with ADHD. This allowed the researchers to find that girls with ADHD are more likely to struggle with academic problems and be rejected by their peers compared to the control group. In the next 5 years of follow-up, 95% of the sample had been maintained and, when the girls were between 12 and 17 years old, it was found that impulsive symptoms tend to decrease in the adolescent years, but that the gap in Learning between girls with ADHD and their peers without ADHD had expanded and eating disorders and substance abuse had emerged.
During this period, intense interviews were carried out with the adolescents and their families. These encounters included personal reports of behavior, such as self-harm and suicide attempts, drug use, eating habits, and driving habits. The researchers also assessed key executive cognitive functions, such as planning ability that includes goal setting, monitoring, planning, and staying on task despite distractions. Although many girls demonstrated improvements in symptoms during the 10 years of research, some problems persisted and some new ones emerged, suggesting that treatment and monitoring are essential, even as ADHD symptoms decrease.
It is important to note that ADHD is a treatable condition, as long as interventions are carefully monitored and followed for several years.
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