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Home DNA Testing for ADHD
Many companies are now offering self-administered genetic tests over the internet for various conditions, including ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. However, many of these tests might be misleading to the public because they offer predictions that are not scientifically proven and may provide information that is not meaningful.Genetic testing looks at genes (DNA instructions inherited from relatives), chromosomes (contain DNA), or biochemical tests that test for enzyme levels. Genetic testing might help diagnose a disease or condition if someone already has symptoms, show whether someone is a carrier for certain genetic conditions, determine whether an unborn child will have a genetic condition, screen infants for missing proteins that can cause a disease, determine whether someone has a genetic predisposition to a disease before symptoms become apparent, and guide the selection of a particular medication or dose of medication for a particular person.
Testing is useful for rare types of cancers that run in families, for conditions such as Sickle Cell Anemia and Cystic Fibrosis, and for women who might be at risk for having a child with a chromosomal abnormality. However, I wouldn't send a sample of your saliva or cheek swab for psychiatric or behavioral conditions, along with a check for hundreds of dollars, just yet.
Where I find genetic testing sometimes useful is in determining the appropriate dose of Strattera, a medication used to treat ADHD. Genes determine how rapidly a person's liver enzymes break down Strattera. People who metabolize Strattera slowly will have higher than expected blood levels of a particular dose of Strattera, along with increased side effects, and people who rapidly metabolize Strattera have lower than expected blood levels corresponding to a poor response. I might have to use very small doses of Strattera for someone who is a slow metabolizer to achieve the appropriate response without significant side effects, and large doses for someone who is a rapid metabolizer to achieve therapeutic blood levels.
ADHD is highly heritable. If one parent or a sibling has ADHD, additional children have about a 30 percent chance of inheriting it, which increases to 50 percent if both parents have ADHD. However, I don't find genetic testing useful for ADHD as it only determines the probability of developing ADHD, not whether someone has ADHD. What you would do for a child at risk of developing ADHD would be good for every child: providing structure, a nutritious and balanced diet low in sugar and high in omega-3 fatty acids, plenty of exercise, and teaching them how to plan and organize their time for schoolwork and activities.
A child with a 30 percent chance of developing ADHD has a 70 percent chance of not developing it. Will genetic testing increase a parent's worry and change the way they interact with their child? Will everyone involved be so alert for signs and symptoms of ADHD that the child is at increased risk for getting a diagnosis when they don't have ADHD? ADHD most likely results from multiple genetic factors and the child's interactions with the environment. There is no genetic test that will diagnose ADHD, and the information provided by available tests tends to make little difference. Many internet sites are misleading, promising diets or nutritional additives that will avoid the use of medications. Someone should always check with their physician or genetic specialist prior to ordering self-administered genetic tests.
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22 Comments:
This statement is from your ADHD MEdications and Treatments article. "ADHD is highly heritable. If one parent or a sibling has ADHD, additional children have about a 30 percent chance of inheriting it, which increases to 50 percent if both parents have ADHD".
This statement is ridiculous and misleading. ADHD is a set of behaviors. Behaviors are learned not inherited.
ADHD is not learned! A child or adult cannot learn how to NOT pay attention to everything. Perhaps if you had a child that has trouble with this, you would understand. My 9 year old has such a problem with paying attention that if affects every part of her life. She faces everyday problems that you would take forgranted. No person that is affected with this disorder has asked for it and struggles with it in every aspect of their life. It is frustrating for the child and the family. Understand what you are talking about before you make suck a naive comment.
To add to the prior comments, ADHD is not simply a "set of behaviors". The "behaviors" you see are symptoms of the condition, which is due to the brain working in a different way.
I would encourage you to learn more about ADHD if it affects you or someone you know.
ADHD is diagnosed through a set of behaviors...period. Behaviors are learned, can be modified or completely changed. Adults and children can learn HOW to pay attention.
Do children and adults have issues with attention and others symptoms on the list of behaviors....of course. However, many doctors in this country believe now that ADHD is not a disease or disorder.
I know all about this "disorder" and understand completely what I am talking about. Just because I have a differing opinion doesn't make me naive or not educated.
Everyone faces issues and problems...it's what you do with oneself. Turn frustrations into accomplished challenges.
I have had my doctor tell me that I would never be able to walk a block...rather than be frustrated...I proved him wrong. I don't take anything for granted. Life is out there. I wanted to "grab" as much of it as possible.
My child had/s many learning issues. I looked for creative solutions and I didn't live a label. My child is now becoming an accomplished musician, an awesome soccer player and is doing great.
Not all behavior problems are ADHD and it is not the behavior that makes them ADHD. I think if you had a child with "ADHD" you would reconsider what you have written. ADHD is not a behavior problem, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain and when a child or adult has not been taught to "work through" the frustrations is when it becomes a behavior problem. Maybe you should spend some time with child who have ADHD and then rethink your opinion.
ADHD/ADD is a topic with which I am all too familiar: I am an elementary school teacher, and my family has a strong history of not only ADD, but narcolepsy and bipolar as well. We are all pretty high functioning, academically, as our family culture is to regard "disorders" as a condition, not an excuse.
SCHOOLMARM
That being said, we do use medication as necessary, with the first line of attack being the behavioral ones: diet, exercise, structure and occasionally counseling. Behavior often doesn't fix it all, medication can't fix it all, but compensatory strategies are possible.
As a teacher who is expected to multi-task, I am stressed and exhausted by what is almost impossible for me. On the other hand, my ability to hyper-focus makes me a really, really good tutor is getting a concept across. Evolutionarily, the ADD "wiring diagram" may have fitted us for special survival skills.
Students come to me with labels of "possible ADHD" and in my experience I find one third are purely behavioral (too much TV, too little structure), one third are mixed (enough diet and behavioral intervention, and developmental growth will probably suffice), and at most one third really need medication. Gifted females with the inattentive-type are not at all rare in this group.
As a teacher I can't legally recommend anything to parents, but in discussion I can offer my experienced opinion that most children should have at least a year or so of a trial of structure, diet and other behavioral interventions before trying medication. When medication is needed, though, it's like giving 0-10-10 to an orchid that has been miserably clinging to life for years and suddenly it's blooming!
I also believe there is "pseudo-ADD" or acquired functional ADD from too much early TV. Neurological alterations severely affect the ability to focus, both with listening and reading skills. This is a growing problem, and in sixty years of TV, this has influenced generational family culture, too. When I call a conference for a student in trouble, and the parent comes in, falls off the chair, fidgets, looks out the window, tells a school history similar to the child's, I just feel like sighing and giving up. But I don't. I start by sharing my spiel, as above ... P.S. I don't find that sugar is an issue, except as an insulin roller coaster. But giving kids too much junky food is symptomatic of family culture in need of overhaul.
Inherited or not, a condition of any kind is one that needs to be dealt with. Without some kind of treatment, (behavioral, counseling, support group, medication), or knowledge of treatment, "crazy" applies to all people who have ANY kind of disorder. The use of this word, should be left in the comic books of the past.
In all ways, it does come down to education. However, the education that parents may use to "label" their children, has helped many adults who have ADHD, learn, that it's not just for kids anymore.
I understand from School Marm's point of view. She sees children all of the time of whom she does not believe has this particular problem. With so many children to deal with every year, this must be a challenge for teachers everywhere.
Ignorance, on the part of worried parents as far as their child's behavior is concerned, does not make them wrong. It just makes them parents, who care enough to want to educate themselves for the sake of their child's future well-being.
I do not like "labels" as they neatly file someone into a certain category. We all are definite unique individuals.
However, I would not ignore a child's mental condition anymore than a Pediatrician would ignore a child's physical condition.
I thank God for specialtists in a field. Even though there are so many specialists, in so many fields, our body is a wonderous thing. No one person can be an expert on all of it.
Poted by...an extrememly hyper "crazy" person who knows it, and can now help herself because of it.
(Commonly known as a person with "bipolar disorder type 1", who sometimes "hallucinates", but thankfully is too "busy" to want to dwell on it, but educated enough to be aware of it.)
TOO MANy SOLEMN PEOPLE ARE POSTING.
All disorders are distressing, frustrating, infuriating, depressing etc. but there are good things about them too.. POSITIVE realities. If you educate yourself to the PROS as well as the cons, we might all become more content within ourselves.
As adults and as children.
Hello,
I want to first say,"Thank You" to the person who finally informed the person ADHD/ADD is not a behavioral issue but a chemical imbalance in the brain. I encourage people who do not have child/children or is an adult with this disorder learn more about it before speaking out. I am an adult with ADHD/ADD and I have a 10yr.old daughter with the same condition but we have no behavioral issues but do have ADHD/ADD behaviorals in our life. Take time to research more on ADHD/ADD.
I would agree with anyone who has come to the conclusion that ADHD is hereditary. ADHD is not a condition and it's not a set of learned behaviors either. It is a disorder that has an underlying cause. ADHD has run a rampant course through several generations of my family. I've lived it and observed its course in my siblings and my children. I've seen it cured through diet and good sensible parenting. If you have a child with this and you choose drugs to treat it, this disorder will follow that child through life and interfere with the quality of life. In my family we have Celiac Disease. This is caused by gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. When gluten reaches the small intestine the body creates antibodies that attack the villi in the small intestine making it impossible for the small intestine to absorb nutrients from food. Celiac is the underlying cause of many diet-related diseases that are killing us in this country. One thing Celiac affects is our ability to think clearly, focus, and concentrate. It can cause irritablility, mood changes, and hyperness. We would all be more aware of what is damaging the health of our loved ones if there wasn't a lot of money to be made by the government, the drug companies, and the medical profession, to keep us all sick and needy.
Hi, I was reading everyones comments and to the person who thinks that its just a behavioral thing oh my are you so wrong. I did everything before I took my son to the Dr. Was trying to take every other route but then my son was facing expulsion from 1st grade. I took him out of school over winter break and took him to the Dr. I started him on Vyvanse before school was to start back up and he was on a contract at the school, for his actions. We did our regular visits to the Dr. and now he is doing so well in school, before he was high on the charts now he is where he should be and able to focus. He is extremely ADHD. And I know that there are people out there who do not believe in medicating their children, but what I have to say about that is that if your child is as advanced as mine is you will reach a point of lack of options. I did and now we can a norm, while at school and at home.
I would try everything else under the sun moon and stars before I even thought about giving a child a drug for anything. Especially a "mental ilness" that has no scientic test what-so-ever. Mental ilness is just a stupid saying for somethings wrong. There are no scientific tests because there are no germs or bugs involved.
So "medicating" a child is a lie because the "medication" is just a way of drugging someone into acting a certain way, or more to the point NOT acting a certain way because he/she's too busy being under the effect of some drug. None of these medication cure a person. Yet there are plenty of alternatives that seem to cure such "conditions". I simpathize with parents that have a hard time dealing with kids hyperactivity, not consentrating etc, but keep looking and ensure all the basic dietry basics are in first and then look at changing other aspects of the childs life.
Drugging kids with "ADHD" drugs is just the same but far more harmful in the long run, as taking panadol for a sore tooth. Find out why the tooth is sore and fix it, dont just take panadol for the rest of your life to "medicate your condition".
You obviously do not have a child with ADHD, I have 3 boys all ADHD, this is somrthing they inherited from thrir father. And while I make my children take responsiblity for the actions and behaviour I also know that with out the medications they are on they would not be as productive as they are! They have a disease not an excuse to misbehave!
I have ADD and it is not esey. im 22 and i was 6 or so when they and by they i meen the school sade i had it. my mom had me tested and my Dr. sade yes she does have it every year it gets bader than be for. they have up'd my dos year after year. i finly gave up 2 yeas a go i got tyred of fighting it. i find it hard to hold a job talling people so i keep it from thim..and yea it is in heritable my dad has it and his dad had it! i went thour school in a little room kapt from the rast of the kids so i had no chans of havin fany friend or lerning what kids my age chould know. i taght my self most of it.. and you with the 9 year old keep loving her and tell her every day..and if she has a brother or sister help thim yunder stand her , my sis hates me cause she was for gotin about in the family because mom and dad were to bissy keeping me out of jail..
I'm 19 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD/ADD swhen I was 6. When I was about 13, I had had enough of the medicine- being frustrated I couldn't lead a "normal" life like everyone else and decided to get of the medicine. I wound up regretting this decision , and each subsequent decision in which I decided to not take the pills. I am now a sophomore at university, and I had struggled horribly my freshman year because I could not afford to fill a script. Anyway, now that I have a stable insurance plan, things are better than ever!
I would like to point out, that in those times that I was angry at being "cursed" with this condition, I did learn of some benefits. For instance, I tend to be super aware and perceptive of situations. Because ADHD naturally (and albeit, forcibly sometimes) makes me pay attention to EVERYTHING around me (notice how I choose not to use the term 'distracted') there's not a whole lot that can get passed me.
In retrospect, I DO wish my parents would have tried out different behavioral methods rather than drugging their child in response to a problem, but hey, no one's perfect. If anything good can come from my upbringing, it's that I can learn from my parent's mistakes and hopefully give my kids a life I was never privileged to have.
Trying to be fair, I would like to mention a complaint I have about the effects of the medication. Despite it greatly helping me academically, I still sometimes feel like an outcast amongst peers because it had a way of mentally maturing me... faster, let's say... than others. But now that I'm older and in a more structured, academic-based environment, I have a ton of close friends that I can now rlate to. Just a word of warning, though- this little set-back made adolescence especially difficult. Please consider yours, and your child's, options before opting for a decision that will change their life.
Don't give up hope! I can't emphasize enough to just use patience and understanding with your kids. Let them know that ADHD is not a crutch, but try to work towards it's advantages.
I would first like to say if you don't personally have experience with ADD ADHD ODD or anything for that matter you are not qualified to make a comment. I am so tired of people, celebrities, religious fanatics spouting off like they are qualified to tell people that they don't need medication because its all in their head. WELL DUH!! When you have a 3 year old who has been kicked out of every preschool in town you might have a problem. Learned behavior I don't think so. Putting locks on the top of all your doors by the time he is 10 months old because there is nothing he cant get out of and then bungee cording the chairs to the table so he cant push them around and use them as a ladder. And yes up and over a six foot fence at eleven months old learned behavior I don't think so, he never saw me do any of that. Too much TV he never sat long enough to watch TV. My Son is a beautiful Handsome 15 year old now. He is 5'11 and 190# I don't think the many medications have stunted his growth any but we do still struggle with homework and getting through every day.We have had many DR.'s counselors and school administrators to deal with or help us along the way(unfortunately with the schools it was mostly deal with)I think he held the school record for detentions and ISS or referrals 2 years ago. But we keep him active in sports all year long and he is extremely talented in this area. I would also like to mention that he could probably take apart your engine and put it back together for you. You may never find your tools again but that's all part of the "DISSORDER DEASESE CHEMICHLE IMBALANCE OR BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM" or what ever you want to call it. His actual diagnosis is ADHD and ODD no not OCD ODD is oppositional defiant disorder. Yes he is finally in "normal kids classes and close to passing all of them" which is pretty good considering they wouldn't even teach him for two and a half years. Last year he had a teacher who really cared about him and saw his potential and fought really hard for him.Thank God. This has been the longest 15 years of my life but I wouldn't change them or him for anything in the world. So thank you to the remarkable teachers out there,there are some very special people. I know I couldn't do it. So I guess what I want to say is fight for your child,you know them better than anyone,keep them in school active in sports and busy its so easy for these special kids to fall through the cracks and get involved with the wrong crowd because they are more accepting than the "normal kids" I believe Thomas Edison was considered non teachable by one of his primary school teachers. There is hope and yes medicine...
I would first like to say if you don't personally have experience with ADD ADHD ODD or anything for that matter you are not qualified to make a comment. I am so tired of people, celebrities, religious fanatics spouting off like they are qualified to tell people that they don't need medication because its all in their head. WELL DUH!! When you have a 3 year old who has been kicked out of every preschool in town you might have a problem. Learned behavior I don't think so. Putting locks on the top of all your doors by the time he is 10 months old because there is nothing he cant get out of and then bungee cording the chairs to the table so he cant push them around and use them as a ladder. And yes up and over a six foot fence at eleven months old learned behavior I don't think so, he never saw me do any of that. Too much TV he never sat long enough to watch TV. My Son is a beautiful Handsome 15 year old now. He is 5'11 and 190# I don't think the many medications have stunted his growth any but we do still struggle with homework and getting through every day.We have had many DR.'s counselors and school administrators to deal with or help us along the way(unfortunately with the schools it was mostly deal with)I think he held the school record for detentions and ISS or referrals 2 years ago. But we keep him active in sports all year long and he is extremely talented in this area. I would also like to mention that he could probably take apart your engine and put it back together for you. You may never find your tools again but that's all part of the "DISSORDER DEASESE CHEMICHLE IMBALANCE OR BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM" or what ever you want to call it. His actual diagnosis is ADHD and ODD no not OCD ODD is oppositional defiant disorder. Yes he is finally in "normal kids classes and close to passing all of them" which is pretty good considering they wouldn't even teach him for two and a half years. Last year he had a teacher who really cared about him and saw his potential and fought really hard for him.Thank God. This has been the longest 15 years of my life but I wouldn't change them or him for anything in the world. So thank you to the remarkable teachers out there,there are some very special people. I know I couldn't do it. So I guess what I want to say is fight for your child,you know them better than anyone,keep them in school active in sports and busy its so easy for these special kids to fall through the cracks and get involved with the wrong crowd because they are more accepting than the "normal kids" I believe Thomas Edison was considered non teachable by one of his primary school teachers. There is hope and yes medicine...
This statement is from your ADHD MEdications and Treatments article. "ADHD is highly heritable. If one parent or a sibling has ADHD, additional children have about a 30 percent chance of inheriting it, which increases to 50 percent if both parents have ADHD".
Very interesting to read some of these comments! Other people are far too easy to judge, but unless you are closely connected with a person with ADHD you really don't fully understand. My own family are certainly NOT fully aware of the daily struggles, upset anger etc we face. Our son is 15 and very hard work. We take each day as it comes as you never know what events will occur. At the moment we are seeing DRs, Youth Offending Officers, Mental Health councellors and awaiting a court apperance. Our son can't help the things he does, he is ill. My message to other parents is keep strong I know how hard it is but you have to be there for them no matter what.
For the first poster:
Hi
I grew up in a strict Catholic household. I had to wake up early, go to bed early. There was no junk food allowed in the house, no soda, no candy, no cookies...My mother made sure I ate healthy. I was part of the cross country and track team for 5 years. I was told to not disrupt the teacher or act up in class, so I didn't. I was very quiet growing up and I always did my homework....even if it was at the last minute. I learned to read at a young age, I loved to read and I was really fast at it. I did very well all thoughout high school, took college courses at the same time, and graduated with a 3.7 gpa.
I got to college and started noticing signs. I'm a junior in college, a very serious student. But I can't read anymore. I literally cannot read a seven page artical in less than 2 hours. I have to go back, re read it...and have the painful knowledge that I never really obtained the information. I can read something over and over again, and all I accomplish is the fact that all I did was look at the words.... and none of them made sense to me.
You can introduce yourself and I will forget your name within 30 seconds, I never used to be like that. You can talk to me for 10 minutes and I won't make sense of your words....I can't put puzzles or patterns together.
I thought I was a patient person, and I am a very patient person...what I didn't realize is that my body wasn't patient. I used to walk around for 3 hours a day because I was anxious.
I'm trying medicines now, and I've noticed immediatly.....
I don't want to obsessively pace the room anymore, my anxiety went away, my body can sit through a 4 hour studio class without being shaky or jumpy. I've started to be able to comprehend words again. MY SHORT TERM MEMORY IS COMING BACK.
How would anybody explain someone forgetting a person's NAME within a few seconds, when they have never done anything like that before?
I went from being a straight A student to getting D's in classes...within a matter of a couple of years. This is why I developed anxiety.
Point being, only an uneducated swine would say that ADHD is a set of LEARNED behaviors. How do you learn the PHYSICAL behaviors of ADHD?....
I suppose that you're going to say that alzheimer's and dementia are learnend behaviors too, right?
Alzheimer's and ADHD are hereditary in my family.... what if ADD/ADHD are just different forms of Alzheimer's disease? Do you believe that autism and dyslexia are learned behaviors as well? How about turrets syndrome...Is that a learned behavior?
So many here said unecessary things. Uneducated things. Unless you have struggled first hand with the disability called ADHD, you shouldn't even say anything. Can I tell a blind man how to find his way, when I am a sighted person? No, however, if I educate or inform myself perhaps, I can teach the blind. But, I still will be teaching as a sighted individual. As a mom with ADHD, who is very hard working and bright, I am disappointed with the judgementalism I see in the world for people who have an invisible disability. I have never been lazy or dizzy. Educate yourself about ADHD; you will then have a knowledgable opinion from the inside as opposed to a viewpoint from inside your own mind.
So interesting to read the various comments and observations on ADD/ADHD - again, the key to dealing with this condition is knowledge, understanding, COMPASSION and getting the facts right. There is no cure, it does not go away, it is inherent and a very real condition but it is manageable - it just takes research and a true understanding of the vast medications and/or herbs on the market available for this condition.
I don't know why people that do not have children that have ADHD or have it their self should post anything on here. Until you have had to deal with it first hand on a daily basis, you can't feel sympathy for anyone because you don't know what thay are going through. Learn more before you start throwing neagativity to the rest of us who deal with it daily.
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