Findings suggest ADHD real?

Findings suggest ADHD real?

‘…evidence concludes ADHD has neurochemical cause.’

Inattention, forgetfulness, foggy mind, trouble organizing, trouble sitting down, impulsiveness… we all experience them at some time or another. Anyone could agree that experiencing these isn’t the best, but did you know that some people function on a daily basis? All of these are common symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. About 11 percent of children and 4.3 percent of adults have ADHD. It’s a disorder that was thought not to be real, but in recent years scientific backing has largely changed that perception among people. Scientist now think it has a biological cause that can be explained by looking at the nervous system.

ADHD has been described for nearly 200 years, starting in 1798 by the doctor Sir Alexander Crichton noticing children with a “disease of attention”. It was then discovered in 1937 that racemic amphetamine, the medication used today for ADHD, was beneficial to children who were hyper and couldn’t focus at school. It wasn’t until 1980 that it was finally added to DSM-III and finally recognized as a psychiatric disorder.

The modern perception of ADHD has its roots from the controversy that it’s been over diagnosed by doctors so pharmaceutical companies can make more profit by selling more drugs commonly used to treat it. Although it has been largely over diagnosed in the last 30 years, the reason is not because of the pharmaceutical companies. There exist two reasons for the over diagnosis, which are inadequate evaluations from doctors and the pressure to treat the kid caused by a significant increase of demands being put on them. As we evolve into becoming a fast-paced society with the rise of technology, the demands on children today and society as whole to constantly be doing something are never like they have been before making doctors feel like they have to diagnose.

Another important thing to realize is the impact this perception may have on children with ADHD. Many times a child with ADHD already feels like they don’t fit in with everyone else, and it’s detrimental to them when they’re told that what they experience is fake and to be “normal”.

There is a large amount of studies done that point to ADHD being a real disorder caused by differences in the nervous system. Scientist have found that people with ADHD have a smaller prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain responsible for organization, task management and planning, attention, inhibitory control, etc. They also found that people with the disorder usually have a smaller amount the neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the brain. Dopamine helps with reward processing, organization, attention, memory, etc. The lack of dopamine seen in the ADHD brain may be caused by a defect in the DRD4 gene.

Finally, and probably the most compelling evidence to suggest that ADHD is a real disorder is the high rate of heritability found in families and twins. Studies show that the rate of hereditability of ADHD is between 60-80%. In an article published by CHADD called ‘The Science of ADHD’, they attribute heredity to making the biggest contribution to the expression of the disorder within the population (“Science of ADHD”).

In summary, given the vast scientific evidence, it can be unequivocally concluded that ADHD is a real disorder. The evidence that exist on differing brain volumes, the dopamine transmitter, genes, and data on familial inheritance all point to ADHD having a biological root. Although perceptions from the 1970’s and 80’s may still persist, it is becoming commonly accepted by a majority of people that ADHD is a real disorder. Many theories exist on the biological interworking’s of the disorder without all coming to a conclusive decision, however some conclude it is an interaction between all the aspects that arise to the disorder. With future research and interest into ADHD, more light will be shed on this very complex disorder.

Works Cited

Tovo-Rodrigues, Luciana et al. “DRD4 rare variants in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): further evidence from a birth cohort study” PloS one vol. 8,12 e85164. 31 Dec. 2013, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0085164

“The Science of ADHD.” CHADD – The National Resource on ADHD, chadd.org/about-adhd/the-science-of-adhd/.