Is ADHD Genetic?

After much studying up on this topic, it turns out that the consensus is that ADHD does have a genetic factor to it. I, for one, have ADHD, and that made me think of my parents.

My dad, on the one hand, is a hard working business man who runs his own company, and then there's my mom, who's a lot like me. She has never been officially diagnosed with ADHD, but she's also never actually gone to a doctor or had concerns about trying to get diagnosed with it. She just accepts that she is like me, we're both a little scattered.

ADHD symptoms may include:

• The inability to focus
• Fidgeting and squirming
• Unable to start and/or finish tasks

We both have lived with those symptoms, and we can complete tasks, but it just takes a lot of brain power and extra effort to do so. We're also very easily distracted. Sorry mom, but you know many of those things describe the both of us.

Researchers have found that if a parent has ADHD, there's about a 50% chance that the child will develop it as well. So, thanks, mom, just kidding – kind of.

Currently, there's no one single cause of ADHD, but it's thought to be a combination of genetics, environmental factors, as well as, even possibly diet. However, there is some research that suggests that genes are possibly the largest factor into ADHD.

Maybe neither of your parents have ADHD, or maybe you're a parent who has it, and your child does not. In that case, there's a very good chance that someone in your immediate bloodline has it as well.

On the other hand, there have been cases where there's a child or an adult who has ADHD, and there's no one in their family history who has been diagnosed with it as well. However, at the same time, just because there's no recorded family history of someone else having it, that doesn't mean that they didn't have it – it could just mean that they went undiagnosed. Which once again, I'm assuming is what happened with my mom.

Another interesting thing that I stumbled upon was children who have ADHD tend to have thinner tissue on the part of their brain that is associated with attention. Luckily, as some people living with ADHD get older, they develop more normal levels of brain tissue in that area, which results in the lessening of their ADHD symptoms. So that's some good news.

As of now, there is no cure for ADHD. They have not located a specific gene that causes it. And if you have ADHD, and want or have children, there's nothing you can do to prevent them from developing it.

There's no need to worry too much because there's a chance that they might not get it and on the bright side, you and your loved ones can live a perfectly normal, and happy, and content life, whether any of you have ADHD or not.

I have ADHD, I was very scatterbrained growing up, and just all over the place, but I've learned ways to cope with it and overcome it even, in some ways. I mean, I'm doing fine. Better than fine actually.

So if I can overcome the obstacles that come with having ADHD, I know you can too. But, that's all I have for you. I hope you enjoyed this discussion, and maybe even learned a little something new today.