College Students in Study Who Misused Stimulants More Likely to Have ADHD

A new study finds college students who misuse prescription stimulants are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared with students not misusing stimulants. UPI reports students who misused stimulants also were more likely to have conduct disorder or substance use disorder.

The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

“We know that untreated ADHD is associated with increased risk of alcohol- and drug-use disorders, so it is not surprising that we found high rates of co-occurring ADHD and of stimulant-use and overall substance-use disorders in those misusing stimulants,” Dr. Timothy Wilens, Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, said in a press release.