ADHD And Criminality

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Correlation between ADHD and Criminality
The association between ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and criminality has been the subject of a great deal of research over the last decades. Although the numbers of people in the general population that are diagnosed with this disorder are relatively low, they are 4 to 9% more likely to commit crimes and go to prison (Quily.) Still, many questions remain about this connection, including whether or not ADHD was diagnosed prior to entering the criminal justice system, whether people who had been diagnosed were medicated, and if so, what was their medication status when they began engaging in criminal behavior? This paper will discuss these questions, exploring the association between ADHD and criminal behavior that has been discussed and explored in various research studies.
According to a variety of clinical studies appearing in various peer-reviewed journals, only 8% of children and 5% of adults have ADHD, but 21 to 45% of all criminals in US prison have ADHD (Quily.) One of the most prevalent mental conditions in children, ADHD is also one of the fastest growing mental health problems for school-age populations (Wolfe.) Its occurrence appears to be anywhere between 2 to 10% of children in school, and corresponds to 7.4% of parents with children ages 3-17 indicating that they have been notified that their child has this condition. As a result, treatment numbers for ADHD have dramatically increased over the last few decades; ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls although there are no discernible disparities in diagnosis by race. A great deal of research has focused on short-term consequences of this condition on school-age children, including an increased...

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...ictions that early intervention can reduce crime and actually divert children and teens from a path of criminal behavior (Nauert.) It is emphasized that when professionals, teachers, and other people involved with youth and young adults neglect to recognize and treat ADHD, there are likely to be detrimental consequences for both mental health and social outcomes. These results include the consumption and high costs of resources that must be used to respond to these behaviors. ADHD is perceived to be an easily treatable condition that is associated with readily accessible interventions which can be extremely successful in treating symptoms and behavior problems. Because of the failure to recognize and/or treat ADHD, however, the wide range of potentially negative effects of the behavioral problems it generates create significant obstacles for society and individuals.

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