Link between ADHD and Criminal Behavior - Research Paper Example

Link between ADHD and Criminal Behavior Abstract Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects many children and especially teenagers. The major consequences of this disorder include learning disabilities, increased anxiety and anti-social behavior. However, recent studies have indicated that there is a correlation between this disorder and criminal behavior. It is evident that ADHD leads to the onset and development of criminal activities. This paper discusses how ADHD causes criminal behavior. It analyzes the various aspects of ADHD that indicates and causes criminal behavior. It provides the premise that several ADHD related behaviors like drug abuse, bullying, poor self-control, personality disorders as well as depression and anxiety leads to criminality. The paper also evaluates the prevalence of ADHD induced criminality according to age and gender. In this regard, it explains concerning the prevalence of criminal behavior between males and females as well as between adults and youths. Introduction Unnever & Cornell (2003) indicate that Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent neurobehavioral childhood disorder. In addition, this disorder is the most common condition that mostly affects schoolchildren. The major signs of ADHD comprise hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattentiveness. Moreover, it is evident that occurrence rates for ADHD in the general population of young teenagers and children range from 4% to 12%, with high rates for city areas, boys, and those from low Social economic backgrounds. Many researchers have indicated that there have been continued link between psychiatric disorders and antisocial disorders in children. Since ADHD starts early in children, there is the possibility of this condition extending into adult-hood and breed criminal behavior. Research has also termed this disorder as the developmental forerunner of later disruptive behavior and criminality. In addition, there is a connection between ADHD and conduct or personality disorders. It is evident that ADHD causes this personality and conduct disorders which later leads to criminality. For instance, recent studies performed on prisoners in western nations have indicated that approximately half of the inmates tested positive to the diagnoses of serious antisocial personality disorder or conduct disorder when imprisoned. In addition, enduring evaluation researches have established that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) merged with conduct disorder is a forerunner of later criminal behavior (Mordre et al., 2011). Connection of ADHD with Criminal Behavior Ghanizadeh et al. (2011) portray three major areas, which describe the clear connection of ADHD with criminal behavior. In the first premise, they claim that ADHD might lead to delinquent activities consequently attracting imprisonment. The second premise entails the relationship between ADHD and conduct disorder. In this regard, they note that there is a strong connection between the high rate of conduct behavior and the prevalence of ADHD. This means that most patients with ADHD show symptoms of conduct disorder, which primarily indicates the onset of criminal behavior. The third premise is that imprisonment and offender behavior may lead to ADHD and conduct disorder. Several researchers have established that there is a positive link between youths who have ADHD and criminal activities. This means that the young generation, mostly the children and teenagers are the most in danger of engaging in criminal activities due to ADHD. Considerable research has also indicated that prevalence of ADHD in teenagers might cause spontaneous, unconscious behavior that frequently overpowers an adolescent’s sense of self-control. This unconscious behavior makes the teenager to undertake some actions that are not right and without consciously knowing. This is because the teenager lacks the self-control to handle the situations surrounding him or her. However, since this disorder starts early in children, it is possible to curb this negative effect of the disorder through early interventions. Moreover, adolescents in the juvenile justice system are highly susceptible for mental health problems, which not only lead to their criminal behavior, but also frequently hinder their rehabilitation (Mikula, 2010). Blake (2006) argues that even if ADHD induced criminal behavior is most prevalent in teenagers; there are a many adults, who have the same problem. He states that most ADHD starts in childhood but the effects of this disorder highly affect someone in adulthood. There are studies, which indicate a strong connection between ADHD and serious life problems in adulthood. For example, a study conducted in 2002 established that 46% of adult male prisoners had experienced childhood ADHD, with an additional of 18% having likely childhood ADHD. He adds that the exploration of the biological roots of ADHD, it is possible to understand not only criminality but also other problems in adult life triggered by childhood psychiatrist disorders. Criminal behavior catalyzed by ADHD includes several activities ranging from drug abuse to criminal action. In addition, environmental pressures for instance a dysfunctional family further aggravate these actions. There is also considerable research portraying that there is a strong correlation the level of ADHD symptoms and the occurrence or nature of criminal behavior. This means that people, who have advanced symptoms of the disorder, are more likely to portray exaggerated criminal behavior. For instance, ADHD children with persistent proof of the disorder are more likely to engage in negligent or criminal conduct. In addition, there exists a link between ADHD, juvenile misbehavior and the chance for adult imprisonment. This indicates that a large population of imprisoned adults has a history of ADHD occurrence in their childhood (Reinstein, 2011). There is however, a difference between the prevalence of ADHD induced criminality in adults and that of the youths. Some studies assert that adults with ADHD are more susceptible to depression and criminal arrests than the youth. This is because these adults have greater responsibilities than the youths. There is also a difference in the prevalence of ADHD induced criminality between males and females. For instance, various studies have demonstrated that evidence of criminal behavior due to ADHD is more prevalent in boys than in girls, in the case of juveniles. These boys are highly susceptible of developing adult antisocial behavior as well as depression and nervousness. Nevertheless, there is little evidence concerning the adult outcomes of girls with ADHD, since the disorder is much less prevalent in girls than in boys. However, contemporary studies indicate that girls with ADHD frequently grow up to be troubled teenagers (Blake, 2006). Mikula (2010) strengthens this point by adding that boys are three times more likely have ADHD induced criminality than girls are. This is highly because boys are often very aggressive and prone to gangs and other anti-social groups. Another aspect of ADHD that contribute to criminal behavior is the severity of ADHD symptoms. This means that the severity of the ADD symptoms contributes to the level of criminal behavior. Some very severe symptoms of ADHD are very hard to contain for instance anger and impulsivity. These symptoms lead to improper and probably criminal behavior. On the other hand, symptoms, which are much less severe, are easy to contain. This helps a child or a teenager with ADHD to have a higher degree of controlling his or her behavior and thus avoids engagement in criminal activity. Symptoms that augment in both occurrence and concentration often become uncontrollable and encourage unrestrained behavior during the already difficult stage of adolescence (Reinstein, 2011). Mikula (2010) adds that people who have displayed symptoms of ADHD since childhood and exhibited antisocial tendencies as teenagers have a considerably higher rate of run-ins with law enforcement. The severity of ADHD symptoms in teens and adults actually corresponds with an increase of issues linked with violence and conduct. Therefore, the severe the person’s ADHD symptoms get, the more probably that the person may advance to delinquency. Allen (2010) argues that people with ADHD exhibit some mental problems, which might lead to tendencies of criminal behaviors. ADHD associated mental problems are sometimes very severe and may actually lead some people to act in very inhumane ways, consequently leading to delinquency. For instance, most boys with ADHD will often develop mental problems that might make them engage in rape. Research has revealed that out of almost all cases of rapes, 70 percent of the perpetrators are always mentally retarded. This means that untreated ADHD, especially in male children may lead to mental problems in adulthood and consequently causing criminal activities out of unconscious minds. This will also make the rehabilitation of these individuals very difficult due to their mental states. Another strong aspect of the link between ADHD and criminality, is the issue of poor anger management. Children and youths with ADHD often have poor coping strategies, regarding anger management. This means that they are not able to manage or cope with their anger due to prevalence of the disorder. This means that, they portray and direct their anger to those who hurt them or even those that they deem they hurt them. For instance, if a teenager with AHDD fails to achieve his or her goals in life, he or she will think that certain people have deliberately prevented their achievements. Consequently, they will direct their anger to these people and might harm them, which may cause their imprisonment. In addition, children with ADHD find it more difficult to interact with their parents. This lack of interaction may lead the children to think that their parents are actually their enemies and in turn harm their parents (Ghanizadeh, et al., 2011). Mikula (2010) affirms that by young adulthood, these children develop many problems including academic failure, being more oppositional as well as relationship problems. These problems push them to engaging in criminal activities as they try to cover their shame and inability. This is highly because they deem all people as being against them due to their inadequacy. For instance when they cannot do well in school or college, they direct their anger to teachers of fellow students, who are more bright. This is because they see them as their enemies as they are not able to achieve what their friends have achieved. As a result, they are prone to more school suspensions and have more adversarial contacts. Researchers constantly establish the development of violent behavior during childhood and teenage years as the linking bond between ADHD, drug abuse and delinquency. According to Reinstein (2011), another way through which ADHD causes engagement in delinquency is through substance abuse. There is considerable evidence that youths with ADHD often engage in substance abuse as a means of identity. There is a strong connection between people who engage in drug abuse and criminal activity. These people, who are under high, influence of drugs acts unconsciously. In this regard, children and youths with ADD end up using drugs or alcohol and considerably increase their chances of practicing criminal activity. This is because dug abuse exacerbates causal symptoms and traits of ADHD, changing the child's internal thinking process and external actions. Another aspect of ADHD that portrays the onset of criminal behavior is the involvement in bullying. Studies indicate that children with ADHD often have behavioral symptoms that could augment the risk of taking part in bullying as either attackers or victims. Since many children with ADHD display problems with violence and have a high occurrence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and comorbid Conduct Disorder, they might probably engage in bullying actions. Bullying behavior lays the foundation of future adverse criminal behaviors (Unnever & Cornell, 2003). Allen (2010) indicates that criminal behavior is more prevalent among those with ADHD since they are likely to have other personality disorders along with ADHD. This means that there are other personality disorders present in people with ADHD, which further accelerates the likelihood of engaging in criminal behaviors. The two major personality disorders often linked with ADHD and consequent criminal behavior are Oppositional deviant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). People with conduct disorder might portray antisocial behaviors as well as criminal behaviors. Actually, numerous studies assert that adults with ADHD who also have other disorders fro instance conduct disorder are more highly susceptible to criminal actions compared to those having ADHD only. For instance, researchers at King's College London established that ADHD criminals were also more likely to have Oppositional deviant disorder, in which an individual maneuvers or infringes the rights of others. Unnever & Cornell (2003) argues that poor self-control is the most significant and persistent personal attribute connected to criminal behavior. In this regard, there is considerable evidence that people with ADHD often have poor self-control. This means that, since they have poor self-control, these people are highly susceptible to engage in criminal behaviors. Self-control helps an individual to restrain from engaging in anti-social or offensive activities. An individual with good self-control will not do any action that might harm another person or that may result in law breaking. On the other hand, persons with poor self-control are impetuous, self-interested, and short-tempered, they prefer simple tasks over multifaceted ones, like taking risks, and choose physical activities rather than mental action. Depression an anxiety is another major cause of engagement in criminal behavior. In most cases, children and teenagers with ADHD portray much depression and anxiety. These conditions also affect adults with ADHD and may in turn cause delinquency. For instance, an ADD child with despair or nervousness has many issues to handle and is thus under extra stress. In addition, stress and conditions that aggravate it deteriorate the impulsive nature of an ADHD child. Consequently, co-morbid situations push the ADHD child into criminal behaviors that shortly ease the feelings linked with the related conditions (Reinstein, 2011). Contemporary studies of adult prisoners have demonstrated that not only is ADHD more widespread among those in prisons, but also that in prisons, it is those with ADHD who appear to cause more problems. Criminals with ADHD engage in actions that are more aggressive and are more susceptible to drug abuse compared to other prisoners. Other studies indicate that having ADHD symptoms are the highest forecaster, followed by alcohol addiction, for aggressive behavior among the prisoners (Allen, 2010). Due to this, Ghanizadeh et al. (2011) indicate that there is the need of screening all adult or teenage prisoners for ADHD. In addition, ADHD appraisal should be a part of the management protocols of prisons. Moreover, prisoners with ADHD require more mental health service cares than those without the condition Conclusion It is evident that ADHD has several aspects and causes diverse behaviors that lead to criminal behavior. People with severe symptoms of ADHD are more likely to engage in criminal behaviors compared to those with less developed symptoms. In addition, ADHD causes teens to engage in substance abuse, which is a forerunner of delinquency. ADHD also causes poor self-control, which is the greatest cause of criminal behavior. This is because people with poor self-control are not able to control their emotions. Moreover, other personality disorders associated with ADHD accelerates the engagement in criminal behavior. References Allen, N. (2010). ADHD May Foster Criminal Behavior in Some Adults. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/10871-adhd-foster-criminal-behavior-adults.html Blake, A. K. (2006). Linking Brain Dysfunction to Disordered, Criminal Psychopathic Behavior. Crime Times, 12, 3, 1-7. Ghanizadeh, A. et al. (2011). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Imprisoned Individuals: A Review. Psychiatric Genetics, 23, 2, 139-144. Mikula, B.A. (2010). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Juvenile Delinquency: An Education and Training Program for Law Enforcement. Retrieved from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Jr42mrYNvAJ:minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/46110/Mikula,%2520Brian.pdf?sequence%3D1+link+between+Juvenile+Delinquency+%26+Attention+Deficit+Disorder&hl=en Mordre, M. et al. (2011). The Impact of ADHD and Conduct Disorder in Childhood on Adult Delinquency. Retrieved from http://paidopsiquiatria.com/documentos/tc-tdah.pdf Reinstein, R. D. (2011). Juvenile Delinquency and Attention Deficit Disorder. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5608310_juvenile-delinquency-attention-deficit-disorder.html Unnever, J.D. & Cornell, D.G. (2003). Bullying, Self-Control and ADHD. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 2, 129-147. Read More