People Who Fail to Take Their ADHD Medications May Cause Wrecks

In Mississippi, people who are diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder can face distraction on the road. Past studies have shown that people who have ADHD are more likely to be involved in car accidents than are people who do not have the disorder. A new study shows that people who take medication to control their symptoms are less likely to get in car accidents.

According to a study that was recently published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, people who have ADHD but who fail to take their medications as prescribed are significantly likelier to be involved in car accidents. Among men, those who took their ADHD medications were 38 percent less likely to have accidents than were men who failed to take their medications. Women who took their medications were 42 percent less likely to have accidents than were women who failed to take medications for their ADHD diagnoses.

The researchers reviewed data from 2.3 million Americans with ADHD from 2005 to 2014. They also looked at a control group of people who were age- and gender-matched who did not have the disorder. Regardless of whether or not the people with ADHD took their prescribed medications, they were likelier to be involved in car accidents than the people who were in the control group.

When people who have ADHD fail to take their medications as prescribed and cause accidents because of distracted drive, the injured victims might be able to hold them liable in subsequent personal injury lawsuits. By filing lawsuits, the victims may be able to recover damages so that they can be compensated for their economic and noneconomic harms. Personal injury lawyers may investigate the claims so that they can present strong cases for their clients.