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Researchers have found a causal link between maternal nicotine use during pregnancy and a child having ADHD (Full text). The new study also hints-but doesn't prove-that nicotine-replacement products used during pregnancy, such as patches and gum, could pose the same risk to children.
In this large cohort of children followed up to 8 to 14 years of age, we found that both maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy were associated with an elevated risk for ADHD, based on hospital diagnosis, medication, and hyperactivity/inattention scores. The association was consistently stronger for maternal smoking than for paternal smoking and was also found for mother's use of nicotine replacement during pregnancy. These results suggest a causal effect of smoking (and nicotine) during fetal life or other factors related to maternal nicotine dependance. The findings for paternal smoking could reflect an effect of passive smoking but may also be a result of social or genetic confounding
(Score: 4, Informative) by DrMag on Tuesday July 22 2014, @04:58PM
This is correct; I have a good friend who is a psychiatrist that treats people who suffer from (true) ADHD, and know his son (who is an extreme case of ADHD) very well. It is indeed a real condition; it's a neurological problem where synapses don't quite work the way they should. Think of it as latency issues and dropped packets in the brain.
It is also treated as a blanket description of every distractable person out there, and that's not good. Medicating everyone just cheapens the attitude of people toward a real condition, and prevents people from getting the help they really need. Then everyone acts all surprised when someone does something bizarre, reprehensible, or tragic. If we weren't so fixated on getting a quick fix to every problem we encounter, maybe we could start doing something about mental health in this world.