ADD Causes

What are the Most Common ADD/ADHD Causes?

When a child is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, it is normal for parents to look for the reasons that their child has the disorder. Although ADHD is also seen in adults, the disorder is most frequently diagnosed in children between the ages of six and twelve years of age. The symptoms are much more familiar to most parents that are the ADD/ADHD causes. Diagnosis often comes when a parent or teacher realizes a child is having problems focusing on a single task, is unable to sit for even short periods of time, or acts compulsively without thinking.

OAlthough there are no specifically known ADD/ADHD causes, there are some patterns that have been observed over time. Research has, and is continuing to be performed to determine the real ADD/ADHD causes so that more effective treatments may be found. In fact, heredity is thought to be a significant factor and much of the research is targeted at finding the genes responsible. To learn about some of the research that has been performed and the results in finding ADD/ADHD Causes, go to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107134541.htm

Some of the ADD/ADHD Causes Found From Research

One interesting factor that has been suggested from research of ADD/ADHD causes is that many genes might play a role in the disorder with each having a small effect. The idea of many genes being ADD/ADHD causes rather than a single one having a large impact might explain why ADHD and its symptoms can be so different among individuals and why there has been no cure found.

Various other types of research have also found other ADD/ADHD causes to be:

• The actual structure of the individual’s brain
• The way the chemicals of the brain which are responsible for regulating their activity and attention actually function.
• The functions that differ in those areas of the brain which are responsible for attention and controlling impulses

While using dangerous substances during pregnancy including drugs, tobacco and alcohol may not be ADD/ADHD causes, they have been shown to increase the risk for the child to develop the disorder. The exact role these activities play has not yet been determined.

The Importance of Finding ADD/ADHD Causes

Although there are treatments, including medications, which are highly effective at treating the symptoms of ADHD, there is no cure for the disorder. As many as 8-12% of children are affected by the disorder worldwide and the disorder affects them in different ways and to varying degrees. Until the ADD/ADHD causes have been pinpointed, it is unlikely that a cure will be found. Also, although the treatments available are very useful for improving the symptoms, the medications themselves can cause side effects that reduce the child’s functional level and their quality of life.

ADD/ADHD Causes in Adults

While ADHD is commonly recognized in children, it is also becoming more prevalent throughout the adult population. Changes in the time-frame for brain development in children with ADHD is one explanation as to why some children seem to outgrow the disorder. Although development comes later in the majority of children with the disorder, their brains do seem to “catch up”. However, the condition continues into adulthood for many, often those with the highest level of impulsiveness during childhood. The ADD/ADHD causes in adults are the same as those for the development of ADHD in childhood because it is simply a continuation in those individuals who did not outgrow it rather than being a different condition that they developed later on!

The fact that ADHD can continue into adulthood makes it even more important to pinpoint the ADD/ADHD causes and find a cure. The disorder can be very frustrating for children, parents, and teachers to deal with but it can also lead to psychiatric problems, substance abuse, as well as depression and anxiety disorders in adults. As research continues to look for specific ADD/ADHD causes and the cure that will provide relieve to thousands of children and adults, we can only work to try and understand the disorder and learn to identify the symptoms so that everyone with this disorder can get the treatment that is available.