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Two in Five Adults With ADHD Report Thriving Mental Health
Two in 5 adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have achieved excellent mental health, according to a study published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology.
“This finding provides a very hopeful message for both individuals struggling with ADHD and their loved ones,” said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, of the University of Toronto in Canada. “This research marks a paradigm shift. Most previous research, including my own, has focused on mental illness among those with ADHD, so to focus on those who are thriving mentally is refreshing and very heartening.”
The nationally representative study included 480 adults in Canada who reported having been diagnosed with ADHD and 21,099 respondents without ADHD from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. To qualify as being in excellent or complete mental health, participants had to report no mental illness or substance dependence in the previous year, almost daily happiness or life satisfaction in the past month, and high levels of social and psychological well-being in the past month.
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Among adults with ADHD, 42.0% were in complete mental health, according to the study. Factors associated with complete mental health included being married, being physically active, and using spirituality to cope with challenges. Complete mental health was less likely among adults with adverse childhood experiences, debilitating pain, and a history of depression and anxiety.
“Our findings emphasize the importance of addressing comorbid mental health issues when providing care to individuals with ADHD,” said study coauthor Bradyn Ko, a recent graduate of the University of Toronto’s master of social work program at the University of Toronto. “Those with ADHD who also struggle with depression and anxiety face substantial barriers to achieving complete mental health and may benefit from targeted care. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a very promising intervention that has been shown to be effective for those with ADHD.”
The rate of complete mental health among adults without ADHD was 73.8%, the study found, which was significantly higher compared with adults with ADHD.
“Although we were surprised and delighted to find that 2 in 5 adults with ADHD were in excellent mental health, they are still lagging far behind their peers without ADHD, for whom 74% were thriving. There is still a long way to go in closing the mental health gap between those with and without ADHD,” said Dr Fuller-Thomson. “This study calls attention to this gap, while also emphasizing potential mechanisms to reduce this discrepancy.”
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