ADHD is a disorder to me that is overly diagnosed, so I can understand a parents concern especially with medicating their child at a young age. I would suggest that all parents no matter what disorder their child is being diagnosed with that they become educated and find answers to any questions they may have. Also, to get second opinions to make sure their child is diagnosed correctly. Some parents fear that their child may develop substance abuse problems when taking medication, but just like any other disorder or disease if left untreated it can become worse or cause other difficulties. Recent research has stated that children who have ADHD that goes untreated may actually be at higher risk of substance abuse. In my opinion this is because they will develop more problems they will not be able to control and thus they will turn to something to soothe their pain such as drugs and alcohol. Below are some long term consequences of untreated ADHD in children:
• Lower educational attainment
• Difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment
• Increased interpersonal problems
• Reduced earnings
• Increased emergency room admissions
• Greater healthcare utilization
• More likely to be divorced
• More likely to suffer from depression
• More likely to suffer from anxiety
• More likely to have traffic accidents
• Twice as likely to smoke cigarettes
• Six times more likely to suffer depression
• Twice as likely to abuse alcohol.
• Four times more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases.