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ADHD Linked To High School Dropouts

ADHD Linked To High School Dropouts
A study out of the University of California, Davis shows that students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are at high risk of dropping out of high school.

A study out of the University of California, Davis shows that students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are at high risk of dropping out of high school.

Researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute looked at 30,000 people across the country who had been surveyed about their mental health and their success in school.

They found that people who described symptoms consistent with ADHD were the most likely to drop out of high school, even more likely than people who suffered from depression, post-traumatic stress or who used illegal drugs.

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Julie Schweitzer, the senior author of the study, said the study shows that ADHD is a serious roadblock to academic performance.

"I think a lot of people, who aren't directly dealing with it, don't understand how difficult it can be and how challenging it can be to parent somebody with a disorder," she said.

Thirty-two percent of people surveyed who had ADHD dropped out of high school, compared to 15 percent of people who reported no psychiatric disorders.