People with ADHD have higher mortality, and medication use is linked to lower risk
Corrigan L et al., 2026, JAMA Network Open 9(10):e2639448 (published Oct 19)
DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.39448
Systematic review and meta-analysis, 19 studies, about 15.9 million participants (36% female)
Summary: ADHD often continues into adulthood, and earlier research suggested people with ADHD may live several years less than those without it. The only earlier review grouped ADHD with autism and didn’t look at medication. This team searched six databases through mid-2025 and found 19 studies published between 2012 and 2025, mostly large national registry studies from the US, Canada, Scandinavia, Taiwan, and the UK. Twelve studies could be pooled. Compared with people without ADHD, people with ADHD had about 1.7 times the risk of death from any cause, about 1.9 times the risk of suicide, about 1.5 times the risk of death from injury, and about 1.3 times the risk of death from natural causes. Among people with ADHD, those taking medication had about a 25% lower risk of death from any cause. Results varied widely across studies, but every study pointed toward higher mortality, and 17 of 19 were rated good quality. The main limitations are that the medication result rests on only 3 studies and is open to confounding, since people who get treated may differ in healthcare access, income, or severity. Samples were also mostly male, and the authors say the medication finding shouldn’t be read as proof of a protective effect.
Takeaways for clinicians
Excess risk shows up across suicide, injury, and natural causes, which supports looking at ADHD as a lifespan health issue, not just an academic or work one.
The medication result comes from 3 studies and may reflect who gets treated, so the authors say it isn’t evidence that medication causes the lower risk.
The natural-cause estimate (about 1.3x) was the most consistent across studies. It differs from the 2022 review, which found no clear increase in natural-cause deaths.
Takeaways for families
On average, people with ADHD had higher health and safety risks over their lifetime, including from accidents and mental health struggles.
People who took ADHD medication tended to have lower risk, but this kind of study can’t show that the medication itself made the difference.
These are averages across millions of people, so they don’t predict what will happen to any one child or adult.
