Despite Prevalence, Most ADHD Behind Bars Goes Undiagnosed and Untreated
In an interview on September 27, 2024, former New Zealand prisoner Ricky Wakelin, 42, described the “lightbulb moment” when he learned about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)—intense anger, shame and anxiety triggered by real or perceived criticism—that often accompanies Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
“I didn’t get a high,” he said, from the drugs to which he became addicted, including meth. Instead, “I was able to stay in one space, as opposed to needing to get up and move from place to place with no direction,” trying to outrun the negative emotions.
Classic ADHD symptoms including impulsiveness, defiance of authority and thrill-seeking increase the propensity for criminal behavior, researchers believe. As a result, children with untreated ADHD are more likely to grow up and commit certain crimes—50% more likely to commit robbery grow and 25% more likely to sell drugs.
The striking prevalence of ADHD behind bars bears this out. Though it affects just 4.4% of the overall population, up to 22% of prisoners have ADHD. Said Anthony Blankenship of Washington nonprofit Civil Survival, “It’s impossible to overstate what an obstacle untreated ADHD is to getting your life in order.” But typical stimulant drugs used to treat the condition are not allowed inside most lockups.
Said former Washington prisoner Kurt Myers, “Getting high, getting in fights, going to the hole” were all part of a destructive behavior pattern attributable to his ADHD. However, he added, “there was no help” from the state Department of Corrections (DOC) for that. Indeed, DOC specifically discourages prescribing prisoners ADHD drugs, calling it “medication with a high abuse potential used to treat a non-life-threatening disease.”
Scoffed Blankenship, “Why would someone snort Ritalin when he could do meth?”—which is abundantly available inside most prisons.
Another Washington prisoner, Darrell Jackson, said that “[i]t would definitely help if DOC made programs or medication available,” since so many cases of ADHD go undiagnosed. “How do you fix a problem you don’t even know you have?” he wondered.
Answered Myers sadly, “I had to figure it out on my own.”
Sources: The Appeal, New Zealand Herald
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