Does ADHD exist due to the sole reason of genetics or is it due to the influences of culture and environment? You are probably asking questions like, “Is ADHD hereditary?”, “Is ADHD heritable?”, or “Is ADHD hereditary or environmental?” because you probably have been diagnosed with ADHD and you are essentially worried that it might be passed onto your children. We are here to diffuse this worry (even though it can be treated by treatment methods like psychotherapy or psychiatric medication management) in words below by helping you understand everything about the subject matter.
Defining ADHD First
To understand if ADHD is genetic, one needs to understand ADHD itself. ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as it is called in full form, is a neurodivergent condition that affects the executive functioning of the affected individual (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), n.d).
Executive functioning relates to everyday tasks like thinking rationally and managing time properly to sustain your life properly. This is what essentially affected by ADHD through symptoms like restlessness, impulsivity, procrastination & freezes, sudden and uncontrollable outbursts of high energy, hyperfocus sometimes (which can actually be good sometimes), or inversely there is no focus at all and also induces boredom and lethargy among the affected individuals. These symptoms usually arise in childhood but can go well into adulthood, which can be extremely very debilitating for the sufferer because it affects aspects of life such as relationships and work. It makes understanding treating ADHD and understanding the background of the subject matter, “Is ADHD hereditary?” important. Why get into depression or anxiety related to when you can manage the matter by understanding the root cause properly?
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Is ADHD Genetic or Hereditary?
If you are asking questions like “Can you inherit ADHD?”, then the answer is yes, ADHD is indeed genetic. If you inherit genes for ADHD from your parents you are most likely to have it. Even if it is the siblings, or close relatives who have it then again odds are in favor of you having ADHD as well (Grimm et al., 2020). Evidence has confirmed that the biggest factor in the diagnosis of ADHD in an affected individual such as people with siblings are nine times more likely to have it (Faraone & Larsson, 2019) and 40% of the children who have or had parents with ADHD, will have ADHD like them (Uchida et al., 2021).
Heritability of ADHD
The evidence we just described helps draw the line between the meanings of the words which are frequently used interchangeably but shouldn’t be as genetic means mutation or change in your genes while hereditary means genes that are essentially inherited from parents, which cause a particular condition. For example, cancer is caused by genetic mutation but is not always inherited. That genetic mutation has to be inherited and be triggered first. The tendency to do so is always inherited but that does not mean it is most likely to happen.
If you are asking questions like “Is ADHD genetic or hereditary?” here. So, here is an answer: It involves genetic mutations that are mostly inherited, which makes ADHD not only genetic but also hereditary. We can say that ADHD has a strong genetic link but again this does not mean your child has been sentenced to have ADHD.
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What Are Other Possible Causes of ADHD?
The answer to the question, “Is ADHD hereditary” is obviously a yes. However, other than the ADHD inheritance pattern, there is also the question of “Is ADHD hereditary or environmental?”. Yes, the real question is indeed if there are other factors that lead to the diagnosis of ADHD.
Brain’s Structure, Chemistry, and Function
The differences that are found in an ADHD brain in terms of structure, chemistry, and function and in comparison to normal brains expound how one can get ADHD not just because of their genetic disposition but other factors too.
There is a part of the brain that is collectively called the default mode network (DMN). It is responsible for stuff like daydreaming, imagining the future, retrieving memories, and internal reflection. In the normal brain, it deactivates when it is time to focus on a given task. In an ADHD brain, it quite never calms down (Katya, 2018).
The overall size of the brain is smaller in an ADHD brain and brain areas such as the amygdala and hippocampus, may also be smaller in terms of volume than their counterparts in the normal ones. All of this affects how a person processes and regulates emotions. The frontal lobe also tends to be smaller in terms of volume. This is what leads to inattention, impulsivity, and problems with social interactions in ADHD individuals.
There is also a difference in chemistry between ADHD brains and normal brains. The dopamine pathways are different in ADHD brains when compared to normal ones. This changes the way the brain processes motivation and reward and explains why affected individuals lack motivation (Blum et al., 2008). All of this does address the concerns related to how it can be as heritable as insomnia and PTSD.
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Environment
There is also an answer to the question of “Is ADHD hereditary or environmental?”. Environmental factors, also called phenotypes, do influence if you are going to get ADHD. Phenotypes act as triggers for genotypes (genetic factors) and therefore the related phenotypes increase the likelihood of an ADHD diagnosis. If someone was, unfortunately, part of these conditions and had a genetic disposition for it, then they are more likely to have ADHD:
Childhood afflictions:
Streptococcal infection, which is a bacterial infection or something like a childhood stroke can all lead to the increased chances of an affected individual having ADHD. Another risk factor is a lower weight than expected right after birth (Livingstone et al., 2016).
Traumatic injuries to the brain:
Injuries such as blunt force trauma to the head or an excessive concussion put people with a genetic disposition for ADHD at greater risk (Asarnow et al., 2021).
Heavy metals exposure
Heavy metals like lead and mercury are linked with the increased risk of ADHD development. Heavy metals like these and especially lead can disrupt the dopamine pathways in the brain, which of course can lead to ADHD (Maria et al., 2020).
Harmful chemicals
Certain chemicals such as pesticides and air pollutants can increase the chances of someone having ADHD. So, living somewhere where these harmful chemicals are in abundance, such as near or in an industrial area can be a big risk factor for those who have a genetic disposition for ADHD.
All of these contribute to ADHD heritability by influencing the genotype via phenotypes such as the ones described above, answering a question like, “Is ADHD hereditary?” in the process.
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Conclusion:
If you have understood what ADHD is and also know the answer to “Is ADHD hereditary”, it is time to find treatment for it as the mental experts at Solid Foundation Psychiatry are more than adept at treating ADHD. We also have Family therapy, Marriage Therapy, and Couple Therapy at our disposal just for your inconvenience.