Are ADHD Patients More Likely to Get Into Car Accidents?

One of the most common childhood disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often lasts into adulthood. In fact, around 11 percent of kids in the United States suffer from ADHD, compared to around 4.4 percent of US adults aging 18-44 years. Boys are twice more likely than girls to be a victim of ADHD.

Some common symptoms of ADHD include inattention, difficulty in controlling impulsive behavior and over-activity. In some cases, ADHD affects learning ability, memory, and self-control of the victim. It is important to diagnose and treat ADHD as early as possible.

Teenagers with ADHD are more likely to violate traffic rules, fall prey to road accidents, and/or suffer obesity and related problems. Likewise, adults suffering from ADHD may face difficulty at workplace for not being productive enough. Relationships issues and legal complications aren't uncommon amongst some ADHD patients.

It could be a little difficult to detect the signs of ADHD, especially among kids, because some level of attention difficulty and impulsive behavior is quite normal for most children. The only difference is that kids with ADHD continue to experience these problems and do not seem to grow out of these symptoms. Parents should watch out for some other symptoms in their kids, such as frequent loss of memory, excessive careless, mistakes inability to resist temptation, over-activity and difficulty taking turns.

Thankfully, there are a number of treatment options for ADHD. Proper use of medication can prevent or at least reduce the symptoms of the disorder to a large extent. Whilepeople with ADHD are around 50 percent more likely to be involved in road accidents, the use of medication can reduce the risk largely, says a recent study.

In the period between 2006 and 2009, for every 10,000 Swedish men with ADHD there were around 214 accidents per year, compared to 77 accidents for every 10,000 men without ADHD. On the other hand, for every 10,000 women with ADHD there were 120 accidents every year, compared with only 52 accidents per 10,000 women without ADHD every year, according to a secondary research conducted with statistics gathered from 17,408 Swedish people that were suffering from ADHD during 2006-2009. The results of the study suggest that people with ADHD are exposed to increased risk of car accidents. However, researchers were not very sure about the exact reasons for the increased risk.

A comparative study of accident statistics about ADHD patients who use prescribed medicines verses those who do not use medicines shows that men with ADHD but using prescription medicines are nearly 30 percent less prone to auto accident risks. Overall, between 41 percent and 49 percent of accidents among men with ADHD may have been prevented if they were on medication, according to the research.

If you have been injured in an accident caused by another person's negligence, you should get in touch with an experienced Willens Law car accidents.