ADHD, antissocial personality disorder and drug addiction
Abstract
Background: ADHD is nowadays an increasingly diagnosis among child and adolescent populations, although this increase is not seen in adult population. Many children with misdiagnosed ADHD turn to psychoactive substance abuse to control their symptoms, and end up with drug addiction, social and familiar problems, often being treated and diagnosed as adults as Antissocial Personality disorders. This poster aims to review the literature on this issues, to shed light over the comorbidity of the three diseases and their causality relations.
Methods: Literary revision of publications between 2008-2019 concerning ADHD drug addiction and Antissocial personality disorder
Results: the diagnosis overlap between ADHD and substance abused has been known for some time. Antissocial personality disorder, being profoundly influenced by life events and social background is commonly associated with drug addiction. Moreover, chronic drug abuse produces brain structural changes that deepen and perpetuate behavior associated with Antissocial personalities . Findings suggest that undiagnosed ADHD children and adolescents often resort to substances to control their symptoms, leading to brain, behavior and social changes that predispose them to Antissocial behavior and diagnosis.
conclusions: ADHD diagnosis must be considered in adolescent substance abuses or addiction, as well as in adults presenting with history of disruptive behavior and substance use disorder or addiction, that may present as “typical” Antissocial personality disorders