5 Ways ADHD Can Affect Your Teen’s Mental Health

Most adolescents are restless, unfocused, and indifferent to adult direction at times. But for teenagers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it can be much harder to stay focused, sit quietly, listen attentively, follow instructions, transition from one situation to another, and control impulsive behavior.

You may know that medication and behavioral therapy can go a long way in helping teens with ADHD improve their focus and control their impulses. But did you know that effective ADHD management can also safeguard their mental health?  

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, our expert team at The Center for Advanced Pediatrics explains how ADHD can undermine your teen’s mental health — and how the right care and support can keep them balanced and protect their well-being. 

Understanding ADHD in adolescence  

ADHD is a neuro-behavioral condition that affects the brain’s frontal lobe, or the area that governs a vital set of cognitive processes and higher-order self-regulating skills known as executive function. 

A teen with ADHD may primarily have inattentive symptoms or impulsive/hyperactive symptoms — or they may have difficulties in both categories. Such challenges can lead to:

• A short attention span and difficulty focusing
• Poor time management; chronic disorganization
• Trouble prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines
• Difficulty managing stress and negative emotions
• An inability to effectively cope with frustration
• Risky or impulsive behaviors (i.e., unprotected sex)

These difficulties make adolescence — a time of increased expectations and autonomy and less structure — more difficult to navigate successfully. Without proper management, ADHD can negatively affect various aspects of a teen’s life, from academics and peer relationships to overall emotional functioning. 

ADHD and your teen’s mental health

About three in four young people (78%) with ADHD have at least one other co-occurring condition, and usually, it’s one that affects their mental health. ADHD — especially when it goes untreated — can increase a teenager’s risk of the following issues.

1. Depression 

About one in four teens with ADHD (26%) also experience depression, a mood disorder that can cause disinterest, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, trouble sleeping, digestive issues, and appetite changes. When these two conditions co-occur, the severity of the depression is often more significant than it would be if ADHD weren’t a factor.    

2. Anxiety

Over two in five adolescents with ADHD (43%) live with persistent anxiety, too. Far from the everyday worries and fears that everyone experiences, anxiety disorders can cause ongoing feelings of nervousness, restlessness, panic, irritability, and physical tension, along with an impending sense of doom. Teens with anxiety are also more likely to become depressed. 

3. Low self-esteem

Academic struggles, social difficulties, and emotional challenges can make an adolescent with ADHD feel frustrated — as though they’re inadequate, not in control, or “a failure.” When repeated negative experiences reinforce such feelings, teens are more likely to develop a negative self-image, low self-esteem, and a deep sense of demoralization. 

4. Anger issues

The emotional dysregulation that comes with ADHD can leave a teen more emotionally volatile, causing frequent irritability and outbursts of anger. Over time, these co-occurring anger issues can lead to the kind of hostile, uncooperative, and antisocial behaviors that are associated with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder. 

5. Substance abuse

Teenagers are more likely to self-soothe with substances as a way to cope with the emotional difficulties of ADHD. Research shows that adolescents with ADHD use tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol earlier than their peers without ADHD and that their substance use tends to progress into a problem — or substance use disorder — faster, as well.  

Awareness, support, and intervention

Understanding how ADHD can affect your adolescent’s mental health puts you in a better position to help them face challenges successfully and stay well. If your teen seems to be struggling, seeking early intervention care and expert support can make a difference in their immediate and long-term outcome. 

Effective ADHD management can go a long way in helping teens increase focus, reduce impulsivity, regulate emotions, and improve their quality of life.  

Even better? The proper ADHD medication combined with therapy, behavioral interventions, parent/family counseling, and support at school can have positive effects that stretch beyond basic ADHD control, protecting your teen’s mental health and reducing their risk of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger issues, and related challenges.

Is your teenager struggling with ADHD? The Center for Advanced Pediatrics is here to help. Schedule a visit at your nearest office in Norwalk or Darien, Connecticut, today.