The teenage years are difficult in most families. Your child is growing up, seeking his or her own identity and struggling to cope with new freedoms and responsibilities. Family conflicts are almost unavoidable. If your teenager has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), these problems may be worse.

For many years, experts thought that ADHD went away at puberty because teenagers with ADHD are less hyperactive than younger children. But around 70 in 100 to 80 in 100 children with ADHD still have symptoms as teenagers.^[17][20] This can put great pressure on both the child and the family.

Teenagers with ADHD sometimes:^[19]

• Find it difficult to make friends and keep them

• Perform poorly at school. Teenagers with ADHD may struggle to organise themselves or concentrate well enough for difficult schoolwork

• Behave aggressively and defiantly. They may get into fights and are more likely than other teenagers to lie, steal and get into trouble with the police

• Rebel and take risks. Because of their impulsiveness, teenagers with ADHD are more likely to take illegal drugs and abuse alcohol

• Have a low opinion of themselves. They may get depressed.

Teenagers with ADHD may need to learn coping strategies.

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