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Confronted with children whom psychologists, psychiatrists and teachers claimed had ADHD, I have not been able to find any abnormality—no disease whatsoever!

Dyslexia (or Specific Reading Disability), we are told, is an abnormality in the language parts of the brain, not manifest until the child fails to gain literacy in the early grades of school. What parents and teachers are usually not told, however, is that over sixty years of research have failed to confirm that a defect of any sort exists in the brain of a child who has been labeled dyslexic. Sadly, maintaining this condition to be a fact is doing incredible damage to these individuals. These made-up disorders, along with others including “Severe Emotional Disorder” or “Dyscalculia” (special arithmetic disorder), have never been validated as brain diseases. And believe me, I’ve asked the “experts.’

I wrote to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to Ciba-Geigy (manufacturer of Ritalin), to Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CH.A.D.D.) and four times to leading ADHD researchers at the NIMH, requesting that they direct me to one or a few articles in the peer-reviewed, scientific literature that constitutes proof of a physical or chemical abnormality in ADHD, thus making it a “disease.”

Paul Leber, M.D., of the FDA wrote in response: “...as yet no distinctive pathophysiology for the disorder has been delineated.” Gene Haislip of the DEA responded: “We are also unaware that ADHD has been validated as a biologic/organic syndrome or disease.”

I have yet to receive anything which would constitute proof of an abnormality—one that can be tested for patient-by-patient—one proving that we are not drugging entirely normal children. Even the APA admits in its DSM-IV that there are “...no laboratory tests that have been established as diagnostic” for “Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.”

Lawrence Diller, M.D. of the University of California, San Francisco, who was a conferee at the 1996 DEA Conference on Stimulant Use in the Treatment of ADHD, wrote: “The reason why you have been unable to obtain any articles or studies presenting clear and confirming evidence of a physical or chemical abnormality associated with ADHD is that there is none.”

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RRRR said:

They aren't "making up" anything, they have a long list of possible causes. They just aren't sure which are to be held more responsible for the disorder than others.

After writing several essays on the subject, and doing much research, I am confident it exists. It complies fully with the guidelines provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

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Here are some possible causes:

Possible causes

The exact cause of ADHD remains unknown, but there is no shortage of speculation concerning its etiology [10], most of which centers around the brain. The cerebellum in particular has been shown to be smaller in the brains of those with this disorder.[11] Another possible culprit is a region in the middle or medial aspect of the frontal lobe, known as the anterior cingulate cortex division.[12] The source of these differences is not yet known, but a couple of theories have been presented.
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Hereditary dopamine deficiency

Research suggests that ADHD arises from a combination of various genes, many of which have something to do with dopamine transporters.[13] Suspect genes include the 10-repeat allele of the DAT1 gene,[14] the 7-repeat allele of the DRD4 gene,[15] and the dopamine beta hydroxylase gene (DBH TaqI).[16] Additionally, SPECT scans found people with ADHD to have reduced blood circulation,[17] and a significantly higher concentration of dopamine transporters in the striatum which is in charge of planning ahead.[18]
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Diet

It has long been suggested that ADHD could be the result of a nutritional problem. Recent studies have begun to find metabolic differences in these children, indicating that an inability to handle certain elements of one's diet might contribute to the development of ADHD, or at least ADHD-like symptoms. For example, in 1990 the English chemist, Neil Ward, [19] showed that children with ADHD lose zinc when exposed to a food dye. Some studies suggest that a lack of fatty acids, specifically omega-3 fatty acids can trigger the development of ADHD. Support for this theory comes from findings that children who are breastfed for six or more months seem to be less likely to have ADHD than their bottlefed counterparts and until very recently, infant formula did not contain any omega-3 fatty acids at all.[20] Time and futher investigation will perhaps tell whether this correlation is reliable or merely a coincidence.

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External Factors

There is no compelling evidence that social factors, alone, can create ADHD. (However, see discussion of parental role in section below) The few environmental factors implicated fall in the realm of biohazards including alcohol, tobacco smoke, and lead poisoning. Allergies (including those to artificial additives)[21] as well as complications during pregnancy and birth--including premature birth--might also play a role.
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Smoking during pregnancy

It has been observed that women who smoke while pregnant are more likely to have children with ADHD.[22]. Nicotine is known to cause hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in the uterus, which could lead to brain damage in the unborn child. Smoking could therefore play a major role in the child's development of the disorder prior to birth.
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Head injuries

Head injuries may cause a person to present with ADHD-like symptoms, possibly because of damage done to the patient's frontal lobes. Because symptoms were attributable to brain damage, earliest designations for ADHD was "Minimal Brain Damage". [23]

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