Adult ADHD: Causes

Video Transcript

"It's not precisely known what causes ADHD, or what conditions in the brain are responsible for ADHD. It's known that there's low activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is where things like focus attention are dictated, and the medications that treat ADHD often increase activity in the prefrontal cortex, and that's seen as being beneficial. There's no real way of knowing if something that happens in the womb causes ADHD. It has been linked to smoking, alcohol, and recreational drug use by the pregnant mother. It's also been linked to possible light exposures that a child has at an early age. There's evidence of it being genetically transmitted as well, to an extent. Generally, if you're born to a family where depression, bipolar, or other disturbances of mood are common, it puts a child at an increased risk for ADD. An interesting note about ADHD in kids, and therefore in adults, is children who are from."