30% of Teenage Cannabis Users in Outpatient Study had ADHD
Post from: Adult ADD Strengths
Here’s yet another example of what happens when you don’t diagnose and treat ADHD, many of them will find other ways of treating it and one popular way is self medication via drugs and alcohol.
In the journal Addiction, there was a study of 600 adolescent cannabis abusers in outpatient treatment.
96% of them had DSM-IV diagnoses of substance abuse or dependence, the remaining 4% having at least one symptom of dependence plus significant problems indicating need for treatment.
30% of the teenage pot smokers had ADHD. Only 8% of kids and 5% of adults have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Only 20% of the participants perceived any need for help with problems associated with their drug or alcohol use. Clients participating in the study typically presented multiple problems at treatment entry, most often including conduct disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), internal (mental) distress, and physical health distress
Patterns of co-occurring problems are at rates comparable to those found in other clinical studies. Those with more severe substance use disorders tend to manifest more problems of social functioning, more mental health problems, and physical health problems. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of treatment needs, challenges, and prognostic implications.
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Pot isn’t the worst drug many ADDers self medicate with. How come people in the online and offline media and politicians who are talking about drug problems don’t talk about the links between ADHD and addiction?
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