Drug treatment reduces criminal behaviour in adults with ADHD by about a third, study shows

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are less likely to commit criminal offences when taking treatment for the condition, research conducted in Sweden has shown.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute examined data on 25 656 people with a diagnosis of ADHD taken from a variety of registries over four years (2006-9) to determine their use of prescribed stimulant or non-stimulant drugs for the condition and whether they had any criminal convictions. Adults were considered not to be taking their treatment if there was a break of at least six months between picking up prescriptions.

The results of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that men with …