Side Affects for ADHD in Children?

Diagnosing your child with ADHD at a young age may reduce later symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide. A new study considers the possibility of ADHD children being more susceptible to depression and suicidal behavior.

Benjamin Lahey, PhD warns parents that children with ADHD run the risk of suicidal and depressed behaviors and therefore parents should pay attention to their children's behavior and seek appropriate treatment for ADHD.

Parents of ADHD children should seek professional care.

Study director, Benjamin Lahey, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the University of Chicago in Illinois investigated the link between suicidal behavior and depression among ADHD children.

In Depth

For this study, 125 ADHD children and a 123 non-ADHD children, between the ages of four and six until the age of eighteen were evaluated for depression and suicidal behavior.

Results indicated that ADHD children between the ages of nine and eighteen were at greater risk of attempting suicide and suffering from depression then children without the diagnosis of ADHD or those ADHD sufferers under the age of six .

Kids with ADHD at higher risk of depression and suicidal behavior were girls, those whose mother suffered from depression and/or also had anxiety-like symptoms.

Furthermore, 18 percent of the ADHD children suffered depression as a child, which is 10 percent more then children without ADHD. Results indicated that children with early ADHD were five times more likely to consider suicide and twice as likely to attempt suicide.

It is important to seek treatment if you child has symptoms of ADHD or has been diagnoised with ADHD.