By Georgianna Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
A recent Swedish study suggests that affordable and easy access to ADHD medications can decrease not only recidivism of individuals diagnosed with ADHD or similar conditions, but also potentially crime rates. Based on symptoms of impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and difficulty concentrating untreated ADHD would indeed leave someone more at risk of entering the criminal justice system. For example, individuals with ADHD may be more likely to use recreational drugs as a means of self-medication, resulting in involvement in the drug market, illegal drug use, and drug abuse. However, if an individual is medicated the study suggests they are less likely to commit a crime in the first place, as well as a second time around:
“The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found when people took their medication they were 32-41% less likely to be convicted of a crime than when they were off medication for a period of six months or more”
With increased medication use and access, these individuals also may have more access to other support services which improve their likelihood of limiting their criminal behavior. But what does this mean for broader society? With estimates suggesting that 7-40% of individuals in the criminal justice system having ADHD, or similar conditions, in the UK (and likely similar numbers in the USA) such findings would improve crime at a micro and a macro level. For one, it would decrease costs for the justice and social systems:
“…it costs £100-£300 a month to provide medication for someone with ADHD, and taking into account the costs of unemployment and the criminal justice system, these would “vastly outweigh” the costs of medication, he says”
“”A referral to specialist adult services can cost £1,500 – compare this with the amount of money you can save if you keep people out of prison – it’s a no brainer.””
Sources:
Our authors want to hear from you! Click to leave a comment
Related Posts
Perfect storm of liberal misunderstanding and conservative desire to shrink budgets led to the collapse of our mental health system to the sad shell of its former self. There are people that need to be medicated, and institutionalized, against their will for their safety and the safety of others. Homeless shelters and prisons are the substitute for the old residential public mental health hospitals, to the detriment of all. “Immediate danger to self or others” is too high of a bar- the real standard for involuntary commitment and medication should be “Substantial risk of harm to self or others”. Mass shootings could have been prevented, deaths of loved but mentally ill family members due to suicide, starvation, elements, could have been prevented, prison populations lowered, homelessness near eradicated, if that were the standard.