By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News EditorReviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 8, 2010
A UK psychologist believes untreated ADHD is a significant underlying cause of crime.
Dr. Susan Young, at Broadmoor Hospital, shares her beliefs in a paper in which she explores the connection between ADHD and criminal activity.
Young believes early intervention can reduce crime and actually divert youths from a criminal path.
The paper, co-written by Emily Goodwin, King’s College London and Institute of Psychiatry, was published in the Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, an international journal on drugs and medicines in clinical neurology and neuropsychiatry.
Young said, “Failure to recognize and treat ADHD offenders is likely to have serious consequences for mental health and social outcomes.
“The high rates of ADHD among this group, the consumption and costs of the resources they incur, mean that it is not a condition we can afford to ignore. Given that ADHD is a treatable condition with interventions available that are used to effectively treat ADHD symptoms and related behavioral problems in the general population, the enormity of this problem and its associated costs are too great to bear.”
Source: West London Mental Health NHS Trust