Researchers in Sweden tested whether adding exercise to normal ADHD care helps adults. They studied 63 adults aged 18 to 65 who had a confirmed DSM-5 ADHD diagnosis at one open-care psychiatric clinic. The average age was about 36, most were women (42 of 63), and 63% were taking ADHD medication. People were split so that twice as many joined the exercise program as stayed on usual care alone. The program, called START, ran for 12 weeks. It was led by physiotherapists and used moderate mixed exercise on top of each person's usual treatment.
The main measure was a standard ADHD symptom questionnaire that people filled out themselves. The exercise group improved much more than the usual-care group. Their symptom scores dropped by 7.07 points on average, while the usual-care group barely changed. The gap between the groups was large (mean difference -6.98, Cohen's d 0.93). A stricter analysis still found a clear difference (Cohen's d 0.71). Sleep problems and quality of life also improved more with exercise, and no serious harms were reported.
The authors call this early evidence, not a firm recommendation. The study was small, with only 41 people in the main analysis, and about 35% dropped out. It ran at a single Swedish clinic, so the results may not apply everywhere.
Source: Svedell L, Lindvall M, Holmqvist K, et al.. Physical exercise as add-on treatment in adults with ADHD – the START study: a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry (2025). doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1690216