By Ben Martin, Psy.D.

Table of Contents:

• An Introduction to ADHD
• Symptoms of ADHD
• Problems Related to ADHD
• Causes of ADHD
• How is ADHD diagnosed?
• Treatment of ADHD
• Additional Treatments for ADHD
• ADHD in Adults
• Getting Help for ADHD
• Future Directions in ADHD
• Resources for ADHD

As with all mental disorders, the exact cause of attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is unknown, so parents should not blame themselves for this problem. It is likely that many factors play a role in each case of ADHD, very little of which has to do with specific parenting or child rearing skills.

Inevitably, parents will ask themselves “What did I do to cause this?” or “How could I have prevented it?”, but most of the evidence points to genetic factors, environmental facts or brain damage.

Instead, parents should focus on how best to help their child with ADHD. Experts hope that someday, understanding the causes of the condition will lead to effective therapies, and evidence is building on the side of genetic causes for ADHD rather than elements of the home environment. Certain aspects of a child’s environment may, however, affect the symptom severity of ADHD once it is established.

Possible causes of ADHD include:

Genetics

ADHD has a strong genetic basis in the majority of cases, as a child with ADHD is four times as likely to have had a relative who was also diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. At the moment, researchers are investigating many different genes, particularly ones involved with the brain chemical dopamine. People with ADHD seem to have lower levels of dopamine in the brain.

Children with ADHD who carry a particular version of a certain gene have thinner brain tissue in the areas of the brain associated with attention. Research into this gene has showed that the difference are not permanent, however. As children with this gene grow up, their brains developed to a normal level of thickness and most ADHD symptoms subsided.

Research from all over the world is collected and published by the ADHD Molecular Genetics Network. While scientific advances are allowing researchers to identify specific genes associated with ADHD, a great deal of work remains to be done.

Brain Injury

Brain injury may also be a cause of attention deficit disorder in some very small minority of children. This can come about following exposure to toxins or physical injury, either before or after birth. Experts say that head injuries can cause ADHD-like symptoms in previously unaffected people, perhaps due to frontal lobe damage.

Nutrition and Food

Certain components of the diet, including food additives and sugar, can have clear effects on behavior. Experts believe that food additives may exacerbate ADHD, and that refined sugar may be to blame for a range of abnormal behaviors.

A scientific conference was held in 1982 to discuss these issues. The experts concluded that ch...