17. Addiction problems in ADHD

Addiction problems are a possible symptom of untreated ADHD. ADHD medications significantly reduce the risk of addiction,

• 17.1. Substance-related addictions in ADHD
  • 17.1.1. Alcohol addiction in ADHD
  • 17.1.2. Cannabis use and ADHD
• 17.2. Non-substance-related addictions
  • 17.2.1. Video game addiction in ADHD
  • 17.2.2. Internet addiction and ADHD
  • 17.2.3. Cell phone addiction in ADHD

17.1. Substance-related addictions in ADHD¶

17.1.1. Alcohol addiction in ADHD¶

Short-term alcohol consumption reduces stress symptoms. Long-term alcohol consumption, on the other hand, increases them.

If another substance-related addiction existed in addition to an alcohol addiction, young men were 5.3 times more likely to have ADHD.¹

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 a possible medication only in very rare constellations.
Dosages that cause an intoxicating effect do not represent serious medical significance. In the case of non-medical cannabis, medical usefulness is fundamentally questionable due to the high fluctuations in active ingredients.
See more at ⇒ Cannabinoidergic medications for ADHD And ⇒ Substance abuse with self-medication effects in ADHD.

17.2. Non-substance-related addictions¶

17.2.1. Video game addiction in ADHD¶

ADHD seems to trigger more video game time, while more video game time does not increase ADHD.²
We hypothesize that the lower interest in more distant rewards induced by ADHD triggers a higher affinity for video games, as they often motivate by means of short-term rewards
Internet gaming addiction and ADHD appear to exhibit the same decreased functional connectivity between PFC and subcortical brain regions, each of which declined after 1 year of drug treatment.³
One study found an association between Internet gaming addiction and inattention. It also found that this relationship was strengthened by a more vertical individualistic cultural orientation with no significant gender difference.⁴

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.⁵
Internet addiction was distinguished by one study into two subtypes: one subtype that correlated with impulsivity and ADHD-HI and another subtype that correlated with compulsivity.⁶
One study found that Internet addiction in ADHD correlated with motivational dysfunction but not executive dysfunction.⁷

17.2.3. Cell phone addiction in ADHD¶

Excessive cell phone use correlated with impulsivity⁸ and affected 20.1% of participating student subjects.
Excessive cell phone use further correlated 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.⁹