(ABC) -- ADHD affects about seven percent of U.S. children and three times as many boys than girls.
A study in the journal Pediatrics looked at 232 kids with childhood ADHD and found that, as adults, they had higher rates of:
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Anti-social personality disorder
- Anxiety
- And depression
Almost 30 percent had ADHD that lasted into adulthood, as well.
They also had a higher suicide rate.
In fact, just 37 percent of the ADHD children were free of mental health problems later in life.
The authors say these grim numbers add up to an urgent need to improve long-term treatment of affected children and for their follow-up care as adults.
