ADHD Causes

ADHD is broadly defined and pervasive, and it is likely that the symptoms attributed to ADHD have a variety of different causes. The initial triggers could include genetic vulnerabilities, viral or bacterial infections, brain injury, or nutritional deficits. A 1990 study at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health correlated ADHD with a series of metabolic abnormalities in the brain, providing further evidence that ADHD is a neurological disorder. While heredity is often indicated, some believe that problems in prenatal development, birth complications, or later neurological damage may contribute to ADHD, although no satisfactory proof exists for this. There has been a surge in alternative approaches to ADHD, but these have been vigorously disputed.