Failure to adequately diagnose and treat ADHD is likely leading a significant harm from drug use, a new report says. Photo: RNZ/Vinay Ranchhod
The country's failure to adequately diagnose and treat ADHD is likely leading to significant drug harm, including from alcohol and nicotine, according to a new report.
The NZ Drug Foundation pulled together the latest international evidence on how ADHD and autism spectrum disorder affected people's drug use for its report Neurodivergence and Substance Use.
It found that people with ADHD were significantly more likely to use drugs and to develop substance use disorders (SUD), with one study suggesting as many as 50 percent of adults with ADHD would meet the criteria for SUD at some point in their life.
Evidence also showed that people with ADHD and SUD were more likely to die early, especially if their ADHD was untreated or unmanaged, the Drug Foundation said.
Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said making ADHD diagnosis and treatment more accessible would save the health system money.
"ADHD is under-diagnosed and under-treated in Aotearoa," she said.
"The people we spoke to for this report confirmed the very real barriers they faced when trying to access diagnosis and support.
"It would be so much more humane and cheaper to allow people access to ADHD diagnosis and treatment, preventing not only the costs of addiction, but also other health issues such as organ damage and cancers," she said.
"The system is failing people with ADHD, and it's failing them again if they develop an addiction or problematic drug use as a result of their untreated condition."
One study of people who regularly used illicit stimulants found that 45 percent screened positive for adult ADHD, and another showed that as many as one in five people with SUD had ADHD, Helm said.
Another study suggested that 0.6 percent of New Zealand adults received pharmacological treatment for ADHD, yet ADHD prevalence in adults could be as high as 2-6 percent.
Helm said evidence showed that young people with ADHD who received appropriate and timely pharmacotherapy had an 85 percent reduction in risk for developing a SUD compared to those not receiving treatment.
The reports' recommendations include to streamline screening of ADHD in individuals with SUD or substance harm, increase access to ADHD diagnosis, offer training on neurodivergence and substance use for the addiction workforce, and fund and expand access to lisdexamfetamine.
Health New Zealand has been approached for comment.