Have you asked, "is ADHD hereditary" and been frustrated by the fact that you cannot always get a straight yes or no answer? This is a common issue when it comes to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, also known as ADD or ADHD.
There is a lot of information available on the subject of ADHD, however a lot of it is conflicting and sadly somewhat misguiding.
If you have a child that is suspected of being ADHD, or who has already been diagnosed with this very common mental disorder, you should be evaluated and assessed as well.
In fact, both parents should be tested, as should siblings.
The reason for this is that very often at least one of the child's close relatives will also have ADHD.
Without a doubt, this disorder is one of the most common ones that we have ever encountered in our developed world.
Although it may seem that ADHD is a problem that only appears to affect so-called first world countries, the truth is that this is a global problem.
The reason why there does not appear to be as many diagnoses in other countries can be chalked up to the fact that there is less awareness in most third world countries.
Many adults today were once the noisy, rambunctious, and apparently undisciplined children of the past, but once grown up, they discover the same erstwhile problems in their own children.
Due to a higher level of awareness and thanks to the intense amount of research that has been done, we now know that many kids actually have ADHD.
These children are not badly behaved or in need of discipline so much as they are in need of an evaluation and treatment for a legitimate disorder.
As to the question, is ADHD hereditary, the answer would appear to be that is certainly seems like it is.
Many parents actually discover that they are themselves ADHD when their child has been assessed and diagnosed with the disorder.
However, if you are looking for conclusive proof that this is a hereditary disorder, chances are that you will not find it.
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that we actually know more about what does not cause ADHD than what does cause it.
Therein lies the problem.
If we knew what caused it we might be able to prevent it.
The good news is that this is the most researched and studied of all childhood mental disorders.
From the research and studies that have been done it would appear that ADHD might be caused by the following: * Environment * Head or brain trauma/injury * Diet * Alcohol use and smoking by pregnant women * Brain abnormalities * Genetics A recent study has found that young children might be more inclined to develop ADHD by the time that they reach school going age if they have been exposed to television.
During the first three years of life the neurological pathways of the brain are being formed and the study indicates, very strongly, that television viewing at such a young age, actually 'rewires' the child's brain.
This is certainly something that bears closer scrutiny.
So is ADHD hereditary? Based on the research and studies that have been conducted it would seem that genetics play a very significant role in the development of the disorder.
ADHD does have a tendency to run in families.
In fact, roughly 20-25 percent of all diagnosed cases of ADHD involve more than one family member.
That means that about a quarter of the children that are diagnosed with ADHD will have a least one close relative who also has the disorder.
Although this is certainly something to take into account one must remember that, as of yet, researchers have been unable to identify and isolate the gene/s responsible.