ADHD is a genetic disorder - study suggests

If your children suffer attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, don't even bother to discipline them or modify their diet to improve their condition.  A new study published in the medical journal The Lancet suggests the disorder is caused by certain genetic variants.

This is simply a suggestion because the study does not prove that the duplicated or missing segments of DHA are the cause for the disorder that affects one in 50 children in the United Kingdom.

The study led by researchers at Cardiff University found children with ADHD were more likely than others to have small segments of DHA duplicated or missing.

A press release by Wellcome Trust, which co-sponsored the study, makes some statements that sound like ADHD is CAUSED by duplication or loss of certain segments of DNA.

Wellcome Trust quotes Professor Anita Thaper as saying in its press release "Too often, people dismiss ADHD as being down to bad parenting or poor diet. As a clinician, it was clear to me that this was unlikely to be the case."

It also says that "although no cure exists for the condition, symptoms can be reduced by a combination of medication and behavioural therapy."

So the message sounds like only medication and behavioral therapy can help children with ADHD.

The missing or duplicated segments of DNA, also known as copy number variants or CNVs, were also found overlapped with genetic variants implicated in autism and schizophrenia. This could mean that ADHD is caused by these duplicated or missing segments of DNA.

Wellcome  Trust says "The most significant overlap was found at a particular region on chromosome 16 which has been previously implicated in schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders and spans a number of genes including one known to play a role in the development of the brain."

According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), what causes ADHD include genes, environmental factors such as prenatal exposure to smoke, alcohol, and exposure to high levels of lead, brain injuries, sugar and food additives like aspartame.

In addition, previous studies have found exposure to pesticide, flame retardant, food additives, high intake of phosphorus, prenatal vitamin D deficiency, and western diet are associated with increased risk of ADHD.

In the United States, 3 to 7 percent of school aged children suffer from ADHD and diagnosis of the disorder increased 3 percent a year from 1997 to 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than a dozen drugs may be used to treat children with ADHD. They include adderall, adderall XR, concerta, daytrana, desoxyn, dexedrine, dextrostat, focalin, focalin XR, metadate ER, metadate CD, ritalin, methylin, strattera, and vyvanse, according to NIMH.

Editing by Rachel Stockton