The most recent generation of kids appears to demonstrate more instances of behavioral issues than any other generation in the past. This may be due to the availability of medication to treat these behaviors, or is it simply the cultural changes that amplify problems that have been in place for years?

Regardless of the reasons, there are more children diagnosed with ADHD today than at any other time in history. While it is true that some of these children have serious issues for which they need help, this Science Daily release shows that this segment of the younger population is also two to three times more likely to develop serious substance abuse problems in adolescence and adulthood.

This argument was taken from a study by UCLA psychologists and colleagues at the University of South Carolina. According to ACLA assistant professor of psychology, Steve S. Lee, the greater risk for substance abuse among ADHD individuals applies to boys and girls, across race and ethnicity. The risk also applies across substances, including marijuana, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine and other drugs.

To come to these conclusions, Lee and his research team analyzed 27 long-term studies that examined 4,100 children with ADHD, and 6,800 children without the disorder. In some cases, the children were tracked for more than 10 years. Overall, this research team determined that children with ADHD were at a greater risk for serious teenage drug abuse and an inability to quit using a number of different substances.

ADHD is proving to be increasingly common, occurring in as many as 5 percent to 10 percent of children in the U.S., and at comparable rates in other industrialized countries with similar educational systems.