ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a mental illness that causes a number of symptoms such as hyperactivity, difficulty with concentration, shyness, emotional withdrawal, depression, and so on. Although ADHD is often associated with children, in part due to the large number of children affected by it, this condition is also a type of mental illness that affects adults. One problem in trying to determine the cause of ADHD is that in years past, many possibilities identified were met with significant speculation.

For example, some of the earlier believed causes were poor parental control, guidance, and interaction, food and diet, excessive time watching television or playing computer or video games, and raging hormones. The main reason these initial factors were thought to be the cause of ADHD was that they all appeared to be connected. For example, parents were interviewed, stating that when they fed their children sugar, they became hyperactive. Other parents noted that when their child ate certain foods, they too developed cases of hyperactivity. With this, early comments from experts were that the parents were simply not doing a good job of parenting.

Then, parents noted that children watching too much television or playing too many games also had an increase in level of hyperactivity, again leading early reports to state that ADHD was nothing more than a lack of parental supervision and control. However, as the years passed and more people showed signs of ADHD, experts began to take the problem more seriously. Through many studies, experts now believe there is in fact something else going on, some type of neurological disorder but the exact cause remains a mystery.

Now, while the actual cause or causes are still trying to be confirmed, we do know that certain things trigger episodes and tend to make the problem worse. For example, diet does play an important role in ADHD. The brain to function properly needs specific nutrients. Therefore, if a person is not getting those nutrients through diet, then the brain will not work at optimal performance, which for the person with ADHD, that could be devastating. One study in particular showed a direct link between ADHD and essential fatty acids whereby reduced levels of zinc and amino acids produced reaction. Another important study is now indicating that food allergies could play a role in ADHD.

For instance, food allergies and sensitivities also produce symptoms of ADHD or enhance them. Therefore, experts now believe that by eliminating the foods causing the allergic reaction, the symptoms of ADHD would decrease, if not fully subside. The main culprits are foods such as chocolate, sugar, milk and other dairy products, wheat or other forms of gluten, corn, and foods with additives, coloring, and flavoring. Finally, genetics are believed to have a direct coalition with ADHD. In fact, one recent study showed that a child who has a parent with ADHD or ADD is 70% more likely to have this form of mental illness as well. As you can see, while there have been advancements in understanding ADHD, much more research is needed.