Dados do Trabalho

Título

NEURONUTRITION IN ADHD: AN INTERTWINING OF EATING HABITS AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH ADHD

Introdução

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that affects neurodevelopment and is one of the most prevalent disorders in childhood and teenage. This last phase of life is characterized by being a transition between childhood and adulthood, being marked by a comprehensive development in different areas. In this sense, this phase is susceptible to environmental influences such as dietary patterns, thus making adolescents a nutritionally vulnerable group.

Objetivo

Elucidate and determine an intertwining of eating habits and suicide in children and adolescents with ADHD, as this theme has a significant impact on the well-being of adolescents with this neurobiological disorder.

Método

A qualitative and descriptive research was carried out through an integrative literature review in which a bibliographic survey was carried out through visits to relevant databases such as SCIELO, PubMed, Google Scholar and documents from health agencies. In this perspective, after the literature survey, 15 articles were selected, delimited between 2019 and 2023, in an attempt to provide answers to the guiding question of the investigated problem and the established objectives.

Resultados e Conclusões

The main symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. In the teenage public, a higher prevalence of impulsivity was observed. Added to this, there is also impairment in executive functions as well as in social relationships. In addition, changes in the gut-brain axis resulting from the recurrent consumption of ultra-processed foods lead to the worsening of ADHD symptoms, such as impulsivity in this age group, especially in patients without treatment due to lack of diagnosis and in those who recently started pharmacological treatment. According to studies, individuals who have the neurobiological disorder are 2 to 4 times more likely to commit self-extermination when compared to the general population.
It is understood, therefore, that adolescents with ADHD who have inappropriate eating habits may have worsened symptoms due to inadequate eating habits. Due to the worsening of impulsivity added to the impairment of social relationships and executive functions linked to exacerbated anxiety in this age group, adolescence becomes a phase of life of significant nutritional and psychological vulnerability, as well as a greater propensity for self-extermination in contemporary times.

Palavras Chave

ADHD, Self-extermination, Adolescents, Eating habits, Suicide.

Declaração de conflito de interesses de TODOS os autores

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.