Is ADHD something passed down from the parents?

Question

neither my wife & I smoke or drink or do drugs and neither of us is ADHD, although she has a strange way of interpreting reallity a lot.
And as for those who say there is no such thing, you are so wrong. i tried to deny it but nothing we tried worked except medicine. It may be misdiagnosed in some cases, but not ours. I wish to God it was.

Answer 1

No one knows for sure what the exact cause is, but it tends to run in families, so a genetic factor is likely. Studies have also shown that there is a possible link between alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and ADHD.

Answer 2

There are several theories for the origins of ADHD. There is a strong indication that it can be passed down from generation to generation via inherited genes, however, the true cause is unknown. It may also have to do with how the patient was raised during childhood (or how they are being raised). Because it does not occur exclusively in children or adults, there are several etiologies proposed to explain ADHD. While there is a stong possibility that the link may be genetic, there have been some studies show that alcohol or tobacco use during pregnancy may result in a child developing ADHD.

Answer 3

Like so many other illnesses, it depends on who you're asking...
some biologists say that it could be inherited, while others say it isn't. Dieting is a part that plays ADHD...you'd be surprised how a person with ADHD acts without sugar in their system.
It could also be a learned behavior (in non-extreme cases)...when children are younger, parents don't make them sit and focus attention...spoiled children do whatever they want, so when it comes time for school and they need to sit and pay attention, they don't know how. Teachers would rather have students listening, so they push for testing and there you go...ADHD.
But again, that is in non-extreme cases. In the extreme cases where kids really need medication to help concentrate, it could be due to genetics or just an over-active mind.

Answer 4

Yes and no.
The father is generally the one to pass it along; however, things such as smoking, drinking, and other drugs can also contribute to it.

I have three sisters, one older, two younger. My parents used to smoke, but my mother quit when she found out she was pregnant with my older sister. My dad did not quit until later. I have ADHD, but my two younger sisters, who are five and six years younger than I, do not have it.

Environmental factors and how the parents treat their bodies contribute to whether a child has ADHD or not--neither parent could have ADHD, but their child could end up with it.

Answer 5

I have reason to believe that Adhd is not purely genetic.

the first case of adhd was diagnosed in the early 1900's a little after additives and perservitives were introduced into the consumers market in order to give foods a longer shelf life..

I'd recommend eating more natural foods and drinking mostly purified water.

Answer 6

no i have adhd my father and mother do not have adhd and i have not passed this on to my son..

a person who has adhd generally has other mental health issues as well for example i have add and dyslexia...

take care

p.s the net has some very good sites and your area should run a group!

Answer 7

ADHD is a cop out so people don't have to learn self control and so teachers can drug kids up instead of using patience to teach them. Most" ADHD" kids are intelligent and suffer from boredom.

Answer 8

Parents, Grandparents, etc. I like the answer of the possibility of skipping generations too. Also, there is something very true about incorrect or mis-diagnoses and the better possibility of dual or multiple conditions.

Answer 9

It is definately passed down from parent to child. I am 26 and I have ADHD, my nine year old son does and so does my brother and my father.

Answer 10

Any mental or physical illnesses can skip generations so it could have came from someone other than your parents, or yes it could have not skipped generations went to your parents then to you.