Adults with ADHD live shorter lives than those without a diagnosis, a new study finds

Adults with ADHD live shorter lives than those without a diagnosis, a new study finds toggle caption Chris Winsor/Getty Images A large new study finds adults diagnosed with ADHD live shorter lives than they should. "It is deeply concerning that some adults with diagnosed ADHD are living shorter lives than they should," senior study author Josh Stott, a professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London, said in a statement. Barkley's study found that the biggest predictors of shorter life expectancy in adults with ADHD were factors including lower incomes, fewer years of education, a greater likelihood of smoking, shorter sleep duration, less exercise, poorer nutrition and risky driving. The results of the new study are in line with other research in the U.S. and elsewhere that has found untreated ADHD raises the risk of serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as early death through accidental injury and death by suicide, says Max Wiznitzer, a professor of pediatric neurology at Case Western Reserve University.