“ADHD can be really dangerous if it’s untreated, like endangering your life,” says Dr. Rupert, who found out during her medical residency that she, herself, has ADHD. “Sometimes, I have 4-year-olds who are so impulsive that they do dangerous things, like running into the street or jumping off buildings [like houses].”
In fact, individuals with ADHD have more than double the risk of death, most often due to unnatural causes such as accidents, compared with those without the disorder, according to a study published in February 2015 in The Lancet. The authors of the study add that having a co-occurring condition, like oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, or a substance use disorder, exacerbates this risk.