ADHD is a physical disorder linked to brain size, not just bad behaviour, scientists say

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Differences in the brain sizes of people with ADHD, compared to people without the condition, suggest that it has a physiological cause, researchers say. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:07am, 16 Feb 2017Updated: 8:59pm, 16 Feb 2017

People with ADHD have slightly smaller brains than those without the condition, according to a study released Thursday which suggested it is a physical disorder and not just bad behaviour.

The largest analysis to date of the brains of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder found “structural differences” and evidence of delayed development compared with non-sufferers, researchers reported.

“The results from our study confirm that people with ADHD have differences in their brain structure and therefore suggest that ADHD is a disorder of the brain,” said the study’s lead author, Martine Hoogman of Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.

“We hope that this will help to reduce stigma that ADHD is ‘just a label’ for difficult children or caused by poor parenting,” she said in a statement.

The use of drugs to treat ADHD has led critics to suggest that the condition is an excuse for parents to medically subdue poorly behaved children. Photo: Shutterstock

The results of the study, which involved 1,713 people with ADHD and 1,529 people without the condition, were published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Most often diagnosed in children, ADHD is blamed for severe and repeated bouts of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsiveness that can cause problems at school or home.