ADHD Treatment and Substance Use Problems

EXPERTS: Brooke S.G. Molina, Ph.D., Brian D’Onofrio, Ph.D.

The risk of a substance use disorder (SUD) — i.e., using alcohol or cannabis at a level that causes problems — is three times greater for individuals with ADHD than it is for the general population. Due to this elevated risk, several decades of research have focused on ways to prevent problematic substance use for people with ADHD. Not surprisingly, many people with ADHD and their families want to know about the impact of ADHD medication treatment on substance use-related outcomes. Some worry about inadvertently increasing risk of addiction by treating ADHD with stimulant medication.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• About the risk for substance use and SUD among individuals with ADHD and the potential reasons for it
• About research studies involving substance use and SUD for people treated with ADHD stimulants
• Why obtaining an answer to this question — whether stimulants prevent or increase the risk for SUD in people taking ADHD stimulants — has been challenging, and where research priorities remain
• About strategies, besides medication, that are available to prevent and/or treat substance use problems for individuals with ADHD

Click on the Event Website Link below to register and learn more.