ebook_ADHD2019_engl.

118 Rohde, Buitelaar, Gerlach & Faraone brakes” (e.g., prefrontal cortex and associated areas) are impaired or immature in ADHD, it is easily understandable that people affected by the disorder will be more impulsive and active. But how inattention is related to inhibitory deficits? To focus attention on the most important issue in a given moment such as a teacher during a class, people needs to inhibit a huge number of other stimuli in the en- vironment that are competing for attention like a classmate fidgeting in the chair or a car honking outside. Even inner thoughts like what to do next are constantly competing for our attention. So, inhibitory skills are essential for focusing atten- tion in one stimulus. However, there are issues for which there is no clear answer yet like: yy Why some people manifest preferentially one set of symptoms instead of the other? yy Why inattention is more frequent than hyperactivity/ impulsivity in females? One current hypothesis is that among the several genes conferring susceptibi- lity for ADHD, groups of them would be related to deficits in inhibitory control or deficits in executive functions. These genes would interact, by mechanisms not understood yet, with another group of genes that might be responsible for the type of symptoms constellation manifested. IS ADHD MY FAULT FOR NOT GIVING ENOUGH DISCIPLINE TO MY CHILD? We, as parents, have a sense of feeling guilty for whatever happens to our children. In the past, mental health professionals helped to make the situation even worst, by blaming mothers for everything in their offspring from autism and schizophre- nia to bad behavior. ADHD is a disorder caused by the interplay of genes and environment that impairs normal maturation/development of some areas of the brain and/or their communication. This idea of parents causing ADHD is a varia- tion of the one already discussed that modern environment causes ADHD. However, as said about the environment, parenting might buffer or accentuate the force of the genes conferring the susceptibility to the disorder. A frequent additional problem here is that ADHD runs in families. Thus, it is not uncommon that one or both parents also have ADHD or had the full syndrome in the past and attenuated symptoms currently. Some investigations suggest that around 30% of the families that search assessments for ADHD in their children have at least one parent with ADHD. 16 In this case, it might be more difficult for them to provide a more structured environment for their children with ADHD. Thus, pediatricians and primary mental health professionals dealing with children should always screen for ADHD in parents when assessing a child with the disorder, as well as