ADHD Medication Use Lowers the Risk of Suicidality, Criminality, Drug Misuse, Car Accidents: Study

August 22, 2025The benefits of ADHD medication use include significantly reduced rates of first-time and recurring suicidality, criminal behaviors, vehicular accidents, and substance misuse, according to a new study published in The BMJ.1“Public discourse, media coverage, and interactions with individuals affected by ADHD show that many patients and caregivers lack awareness of the risks and benefits of ADHD drug treatment, leading to uncertainty in treatment decisions,” the study’s authors wrote. “This knowledge gap served as a key motivation for our research.”Indeed, in an ADDitude survey of more than 11,000 readers, less than half of caregivers said they chose to medicate their children within 6 months of diagnosis, largely due to the fear of real or perceived side effects like appetite suppression or sleep disruption.

Few said they considered the risks associated with not treating ADHD symptoms with medication when making their treatment decisions.This research may change that.The BMJ study, which examined the effects of drug treatment for ADHD on first-time and recurrent adverse life events, found a strong association between ADHD medication use and decreased first-time occurrences of:ADHD medication use reduced the risk of recurrent events across all five studied categories, according to the study:Study participants with a history of suicidality, accidental injuries, substance misuse, and criminality exhibited a more pronounced decrease in all five outcomes compared to those without such a history.“This may be because people with multiple occurrences of such events typically have more severe ADHD, making them more likely to benefit from drug treatment,” the study’s authors wrote. “Additionally, the cumulative.