ADHD Medication Compliance and Criminality

Using Swedish national registers information was gathered on 25,656 patients with:
- diagnosis of ADHD
- their pharmacologic treatment, and
- subsequent criminal convictions in Sweden from 2006 through 2009.

RESULTS
- As compared with nonmedication periods, among patients receiving ADHD medication, there was a significant reduction of 32% in the criminality rate for men (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 0.73) and 41% for women (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.70).
- The rate reduction remained between 17% and 46% in sensitivity analyses among men, with factors that included different types of drugs (e.g., stimulant vs. nonstimulant) and outcomes (e.g., type of crime).

CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with ADHD, rates of criminality were lower during periods when they were receiving ADHD medication. These findings raise the possibility that the use of medication reduces the risk of criminality among patients with ADHD.