ADHD is a Problem for Teenagers

The teenage years can be hard enough for some. But with ADHD as a part of life it can be even a greater challenge for both the parents and the teenager.

If left untreated, ADHD can lead to serious problems in a teenager.

• Teenagers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Impulsive Type ADHD - have 400% more traffic accidents and traffic tickets related to speeding, than teens without ADD ADHD.
• Twice as many teens with ADHD will run away from home than teens without ADHD. About 16% of teens run away from home at some point, versus 32% of teens untreated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD.
• As many as 50% of all teenagers in juvenile facilities have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder but were untreated for ADHD.
• Arson is often associated with Attention Deficit Disorder, as teens with untreated Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - are three times more likely to be arrested for arson than those without ADHD: 16% vs. 5%.
• Teenagers untreated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - are ten times more likely to get pregnant, or cause a pregnancy, than those without ADHD.
• Teenagers untreated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - are 400% more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease than teens
  without ADHD: 16% to 4%.

While the impulsive ADHD kids will often get into trouble, the inattentive ADHD kids tend to be non-compliant due to not being motivated enough to remember the things he was asked to do.

About 60% of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids are also oppositional or defiant. Some are even getting in trouble with the law.

Impulsive-Hyperactive ADHD kids are the most likely to get into trouble than are the Inattentive ADHD kids, as they tend to crave the stimulation of anti-social behaviors, and impulsively "act-out". Because they are impulsive, they don't plan their crimes well, and are usually easily caught.

Teens untreated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - average two arrests by the age of 18.

About 20% of teens untreated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD ADHD - will be arrested for a felony, versus only about 3% of teens without ADHD.

Please look through each of the articles below to better understand teenagers with ADHD.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., M.S. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Tehachapi, CA who has been a skillful counselor to children, teens, and adults helping them to overcome ADHD, find relief for depression or anxiety, and solve other problems in life since 1989. He served on the medical advisory board to the company that makes Attend and Extress from 1997 through 2011, and he is the Editor of the ADHD Information Library online resource. His weekly ADHD Newsletter goes out to 9,500 families. Visit his website at http://DouglasCowan.me for more information on achieving greater health, personal growth, Christ-centered spirituality, stress management, parenting skills, ADHD, working out the stresses of being a care-giver to elderly parents and also being a parent to teenagers, or finding greater meaning in retirement years, Dr. Cowan can be a valuable resource to you.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., MFT
27400 Oakflat Dr.
Tehachapi, CA 93561
(661) 972-5953