What is the cause of ADD?

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Cause of ADD

ADD/ADHD may be inherited. Research shows that ADD/ADHD tends to run in families so there are likely to be genetic influences. Children who have ADHD usually have at least one close relative who also has ADHD. And at least one-third of all fathers who had ADHD in their youth have children with ADHD. Even more convincing of a possible genetic link is that when one twin of an identical twin pair has the disorder, the other is likely to have it too.

Here are more answers and opinions from other FAQ Farmers:

• I've encountered four mothers of ADHD children who admitted the use of hallucinogenic drugs before and during pregnancy (cocaine, LSD or "magic mushrooms"). This is not a confirmed cause but is a strong possibility. Lead poison of the fetus could be related to the use of cocaine or hallucinogenics since lead is used in the process of fabrication. Researcher at MCGill University MTL Canada

• Currently I think it's due to refined sugars (basic sugars that get into the blood stream quickly)and fats in the blood (which your body will use instead of sugars and therefore there's a lot of excess sugars in your blood, or fats in general cause you to not think clearly).

• I have ADD and have put lots of thought into what the cause might be and so on. I have also done much research on the subject. And based on observation of not only myself, but of my mother, brother, and even step father I have come up with some quite interesting observations. Though this is not proven here is my theory. First off let me introduce you to some interesting stuff. If you don't already know ATP or adenosine triphosphate is what mitochodrea in our body cells produce for the use of energy. The reason I point that out is because in our brain there is a certain area called the V5 area which is the part that we use for motion detection, therefore sight being an important part. Now,... our metabolism is the rate at which we are able to convert energy sources into Atp for use in our cells. So Lets say that your v5 area of the brain had a slow matabolism of ATP. If so the rate at wich you processed what you see is going to be slower. and If you had a high metabolism you'd have a faster proccessing. What would the effect be? well look at it this way, as analogous to a moving picture camera. When the camera takes pictures at high speed and this in-turn is played back and projected on a screen, the motion on the screen will appear to run slow. Conversely, if the pictures are taken in a time-lapsed mode (say one or two frames per minute)much like that of some one with a low matabolism, during projection the motion on the screen appears very fast. I believe that some one with ADD such as myself has a high rate of matabolism of ATP in the V5 area. Due to this every thing around us seams much slower and so what may seam hyperactive to one person to that seamingly hyper active person they are acting normaly. This makes lots of since to me because I have noticed that when I get frustrated and such I, as do people when they're board, feel hungry. And by eating something this slows down ones production of ATP so that the food can be digested. Hince a slower matabolism of ATP in the V5 area allowing that persons to not feel so overloaded with all that he or she is perceiving. It's like playing a game or trying to do something on the computer and every thing is going slow, but in this case it's because your to fast. And at a slow pase their is more time between now and then for you to tak in information,and get ditracted due to being board. It's like haveing to set through life when every thing around you is in slow motion. But if so you might ask why people with ADD go slow on tests, it's simply either due to geting board or if you have serious ADD maybe it is because the amount of information your resieving is simply overloading. Which is most likely the cause of boardum your just so mintally exausted that you have nomore mental energy to even enjoy anything. Also a good example I have noticed in myself and meny of my friends with ADD is that we seem to watch "to much TV" or we don't work hard enough. This is because our minds are recieveing so much information that by the time we are done with work, school or anything that requires thinking we've thought so much that we're tired of thinking and therefore would like to just zone out on some TV or go to sleep, or smoke pot, get drunk, be lazy. So why do we give people with ADD ridalin, basiclly speed? Thats because ridalin is not only speed, what speed alone does is give you dopamine wich is used in proceesing information. What haveing High matabolism of ATP in this area causes is that your haveing more thoughts and what you need in order to sort out these thoughts is dopamine. IN the brain of one with ADD we have so many thoughts that our vacuum in our brain cells that sucks up dopamine speeds up because we're needing more dopamine for the sorting of thoughts. But the amount of dopamine that we have is equal to that of a normal person so we run out quickly. When we run out we are no longer able to process what we were thinking about so we, seem to "get ditracted" when actually we just are unable to proccess any more of that thought and just go to other brain cells and process different thought,untill we run out of dopamine in that area, hince the ditraction, we do reproduce dopamine though so it is possible to return to that thought. So if given more dopamine by ridalin we are able to finish our thoughts ridalin though also slows down our vacuum so it actually makes us think slower in the process. The reason for the "dopamine miss fireing," as said by docters. is due to the fact that since we think so much faster our minds try to produce more dopamine faster so when we try to concentrate or focus all the dopamine we have is shot out instantly and then instantly suced up by our vacuums after which if the vacuum continues to suck hard or we continue to try and focus the dopamine producers can only shoot out a few dopimines, normaly your dopamine creation is faster than the ability of your vaccum to inhale it so that you have excess dopamine their when you really have to concentrate, so one with ADD simply Focuses or concentrates to fast for the dopamine producers to have time to build up a dopamine reserve. But if we try to do something slower we're able to do it better because then our dopamine has time to reproduced so that we can stay focused on that thought, however at a slower pace. This is also why those with ADD tend to have high IQs Because of the constant change in thought we result to thought in more areas of our brain and IQ tests tend to cover a wide verity of areas. I'm not saying though that those with ADD are only intelligant due to a lack of dopamine its just it allows them to have a wider span of knowledge if given the meds they often do even better because then they'll do better in the more focused areas of there thought. But IQ test are inaccurate anyways they base your intellagence mostly on knowledge not ability to use what knowledge you do have.

• In most cases, it is caused by an underlying condition that encompasses all of the symptoms of ADD/ADHD. The cause of this ADD/ADHD outbreak is 99% lack of communication between fields of research. Saying otherwise is simply arrogance or an accute lesson in greed.

• AD/HD is generally inherited and runs in families. About 1 percent of people develop it for other reasons (eg toxins introduced to the developing fetus, faulty sugar or food additive metabolism). Although a possible cause, it is unlikely that many people develop the syndrome purely as the result of hallucogenic drug use by the mother during pregancy. There is also the possibility that the mother used such substances because of the lack of inhibition which is a symptom of adult AD/HD. In other words, both the child's and the mother's behaviour stem from the same genetic cause. Brain scans of those who suffer from the disorder show abnormal functioning in areas related to the ability to select what stimuli to attend to or ignore. The "racing brain" which some people talk about is not a sign of intelligence, but a sign that the person doesn't know how to monitor, sift and control their thoughts and actions. While some people with AD/HD are very bright, some aren't. We have the full range in our family.

• I think you probably have a range of problems that have add symptoms in your family. now i don't know much, i'm 21 and i've lived my life not knowing what add was or that the fact that i could never sleep right or remember much was because of something outside of my control. i have some facts that i learned about in my persuit to understand my condition. i have these facts that i've been gathering. 95% of people diagnosed with add are of higher IQ it is assumed that 5% of the population have it. that kind of leads me to believe that it is related to intelligence but maybe the other 5% had another undiagnosed condition holding them back. i don't know from being taught i know from living that i wouldn't be here right now typing this if i couldn't control my thoughts and actions. i just have trouble controlling how quickly they change. the ability to think is how we have all our technology so how could having so many thoughts that we have trouble keeping up with them without help but we don't need medicine to develop into greater things. i guess my main point is that anyone who thinks that the mind racing isn't a sign of intelligence is just jealous that they can't keep up in that department. think about the correlations between creativity and add. we all know that not every person that is creative has add but pretty much all add folk are creative and creativity is how we create. think about how much environment affects everything and the type of environment america is for someone who is more evolved than 95% of the people there. no wonder we can't sleep.

• Personally, I think ADD is caused by the Mother taking cocaine during pregnancy. While I was a little hyper, my middle brother was extremely ADD. And yet the youngest brother was more calm than practically everyone in the entire extended family. The cocaine is a big secret. I figured it out because I remember finding bundles of white powder, mirrors and razor blades as a kid. But I didn't figure it out until I was about 35 or so. My mother is insane. Pure and simple. And while I am very comfortable with the "typical" symptoms of the drug addicts I see now, and recognize them and their behaviors quickly, it is very difficult for me to re-interpret my experiences as a child with my parents as having been raised by two addicts. THEY would never admit it. But I believe I know the truth of it now. My brother was terribly abused his whole life, and the diagnosis of ADD was my Mother's redemption and salvation. Everything from that point became HIS fault (and his "disease") and the diagnosis was the perfect way for my parents (particularly my Mother) to re-direct attention away from THEIR disease and their drug addictions. But I think the real-deal is that mom was a junkie, and screwed up my brother's body chemistry, and then beat him throught his entire childhood. I would cut her into little tiny pieces with a hatchet, if I could get away with it.

• I spent my life since i was 16 with some horrible secret that I didnt understand. This is when I had my first part time after school job. I couldnt learn what to do and got sacked. I couldnt even understand or remember what was said to me on the job, so I couldnt learn what to do. I was very pretty, so I always got another job. I was always terrified of being incompetent, and inevitably I lost it. After a dozen or so lost jobs spanning ten years, I deliberately got pregnant. As a single mum on welfare, at least I would have a guaranteed (though samll)income for the next 16 years in Australia, and I wouldnt keep having to go through this. I have a 'drop kick' useless brother who is always in trouble with the law over some reasonably minor offence. One day I was visiting his place - to give him money for food and rent once again (he always denied vigorously that he had gambled it away, or spent it on whatever took his fantasy). I was horrified when he announced that he had just tricked me into taking speed. I had tow young children to care for. I was devastated, and decided I should sleep over his house until the stuff had gone through my system. I had only ever taken paracetemol before. 45 minutes later I felt wonderful. I drove home. I could read a book and absorb what was on the page. I went back to school. I got good enough grades to gain entry to do a Law degree at one of the best universities.degree(top 2% in this country). I was the only person whose father wasnt a top medical specialist or Judge or politician. I started some house cleaning to get a bit of extra money and for the first time I kept a job. I completed projects for the first time in my life. And my horrible depression disappeared. Unfortunately, I was in my 40s before I found out that I had ADD, or a doctor who would prescribe 'dexamphetamine'. In Australia, ADD is deemed not to exist in adults. but I can assure you with no uncertainty whatsoever, that at least in my case, it is a 'dopamine deficiency that was the problem.

• It is my theory that ADD is caused by the lack of need to use our brains. I think that sometime during childhood the brain figures "wow, I don't need to work, technology does it for me" and buggars off. If you think about it, an attention span isn't even necessary anymore with instant microwaves, instant computers with instant encyclopedias. Our brains are hyperactive because they can get things done this way, rather than if we had slower machines, we'd have to wait, or do things ourselves. I figure my ADD was brought on by the excessive use of things with buttons, and the expectation for things now, rather than later. MY idea is to start doing things that take time, then see what happens.

ADD can be caused by a simple food allergy. Probiotics may help with this disease.

First answer by ID1147984995. Last edit by Sweetscent1. Contributor trust: 2 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 126 [recommend question]