Adults: ADD and the Family

As with general intelligence, math skills, athletic ability, artistic talent, etc., many researchers believe that the abilities and limitations that comprise ADD are largely inherited. If a family member has been diagnosed with ADD, there is a greater possibility that a sibling, parent, child or blood relative has ADD.

Until the beginning of the 1990’s, it was generally believed that ADD was a disorder limited to childhood which would disappear in adolescence. Research and clinical work has proven this is not to be the case. For many, symptoms continue into adulthood and create significant problems in adult life. It frequently creates difficulties in managing tasks and responsibilities of everyday life (work, school, marriage, running a household, parenting, interpersonal relationships). Unfortunately, millions of American adults have ADD and have not been identified or treated successfully.