According to a new Swedish study published in WebMD, people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are less likely to commit crimes if they take proper medication to control this illness.
The study included more than 25,650 people with ADHD and researchers assessed their medication history with criminal records from 2006 to 2009.
Under the observations, it was found that 32 percent of men were less liable of committing a crime while taking medication for ADHD, whereas 41 percent of women were less likely to commit a crime under medication when compared to those were not taking the medication, says a report in WebMD.
Study researcher Paul Lichtenstein, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, said in an email according to the report, that these findings were common for any person with this illness.
"The most probable interpretation would be that medication reduces symptoms like impulsivity and that would be similar regardless of country or culture," Lichtenstein said. "What this study adds is that this probable reduction in the risk of crime should now also be taken into account in this evaluation. So, I guess it might be taken as a motivation for parents as well as young adults to consider to take medication."
Andrew Adesman, MD, referring to previous research on ADHD medicines being overprescribed, said in a statement published in WebMD: "This is further affirmation that medication, when indicated, is part of the solution, not part of the problem," says Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York.
Howard Abikoff, PhD, a professor in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center explained how ADHD medication can prevent a person from committing crime. '"There is some evidence to suggest that while on medication, a person with ADHD is less likely to get involved in criminal behavior," he said. "They may be less impulsive, or perhaps they are better organized in their life."
