Author: Ulrich Brennecke
Review: Dipl.-Psych. Waldemar Zdero
Substance-related addiction problems are a possible symptom of untreated ADHD. Alcohol addiction increases the risk of ADHD in young men by 5.3 times. There may be a self-medicating component to cannabis use, but medical cannabis is only a suitable treatment option in rare cases. The medical usability of non-medical cannabis is questionable due to the fluctuations in the active ingredients.
In the area of non-substance-related addictions, increased video game time is shown to be a consequence, but not a cause of ADHD. Internet addiction and cell phone addiction are associated with increased ADHD symptoms. There is a correlation between excessive cell phone use and impulsivity as well as a number of other mental illnesses.
ADHD medications significantly reduce the risk of addiction.
17.1. Substance-related addictions in ADHD¶
17.1.1. Alcohol addiction with ADHD¶
Short-term alcohol consumption reduces stress symptoms. Long-term alcohol consumption, on the other hand, increases them.
If there was another substance-related addiction in addition to alcohol addiction, the probability of comorbidity with ADHD was 5.3 times higher in young men.
17.1.2. Cannabis use and ADHD¶
Cannabis can have a self-medicating component in ADHD. This already occurs at doses that have no intoxicating effect (microdosing). Nevertheless, non-medical cannabis is not an appropriate treatment and medical cannabis is only a possible medication in very rare constellations.
Dosages that cause an intoxicating effect are of no serious medical significance. The medical usability of non-medical cannabis is fundamentally questionable due to the high fluctuations in the active ingredients.
More on this at ⇒ Cannabinoid medicines for ADHD And ⇒ Substance abuse with self-medication effects in ADHD.
17.2. Non-substance-related addictions¶
17.2.1. Video game addiction with ADHD¶
ADHD appears to trigger more video game time, while more video game time does not cause an increase in ADHD.
Internet gaming addiction and ADHD appear to exhibit the same reduced functional connectivity between PFC and subcortical brain regions, each of which declined after 1 year of drug treatment.
One study found a link between internet gaming addiction and inattention. It also found that this relationship was reinforced by a vertical individualistic cultural orientation with no significant gender difference.
Whether video game addiction can lead to ADHD, as is sometimes assumed[^5], is questionable. The adolescents surveyed in this study were between 12 and 16 years old. DSM 5 requires an ADHD diagnosis by the age of 12. If children under the age of 12 develop a video game addiction, this raises the question of parental involvement and socioeconomic status. On the other hand, this could indicate genetic causes that contribute to the parenting behavior of the parents and the ADHD of the children.
ADHD is associated with a deviant profile of attention, in which attention is less able to be activated for intrinsically non-interesting things. Since school is usually entirely about extrinsic guidance, it would be conclusive if children with ADHD are at an increased risk of perceiving video games as one of the few elements in life that they find intrinsically interesting. Video games are specifically programmed to increase intrinsic motivation. People with ADHD also find it enjoyable when their attention is working.
We further hypothesize that the lower interest for more distant rewards caused by ADHD also triggers a higher affinity for video games, as they often systematically motivate by means of short-term rewards (especially at entry levels)
17.2.2. Internet addiction and ADHD¶
Of 650 boys at a high school, 12 to 15% showed a pronounced internet addiction. This was accompanied by increased ADHD symptoms.
Internet addiction was differentiated into two subtypes by one study: one subtype that correlated with impulsivity and ADHD-HI and another subtype that correlated with compulsivity.
One study found that internet addiction in ADHD correlated with motivational dysfunction, but not executive dysfunction.
17.2.3. Cell phone addiction with ADHD¶
Excessive cell phone use correlates with impulsivity and affected 20.1% of the participating student test subjects.
Excessive cell phone use continued to correlate with higher levels of
- Alcohol consumption
- Sexual activity
-
PTSD/PTSD
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
Cell phone addiction correlated directly with ADHD, depression, anxiety and stress in one study, but not with sleep duration.
