Are My Parents ADHD?   Frank Barnhill M.D.
 

"Living With ADHD"
May 2007

“Are my parents ADHD?”
Frank Barnhill M.D.

I can imagine a lot of parents will think this article to be ridiculous or even outrageous. Unfortunately, it’s a well-known medical fact that about 50% of all parents of ADHD kids were also ADHD and still exhibit some or all of the traits even though grown.

While it’s true the largest number of ADHD parents will be the father, don’t write off ADHD mothers just yet. I know of at least a dozen ADHD moms in my practice at this very moment.

How do you find out if your parents were ADHD and “grew out of it”?

Ask your grandparents about your mom or dad’s behavior around ages 5 to 8 years.

Ask your aunts, uncles and great aunts and uncles the same question.

If your great-grandparents are still alive, ask them. I’m sure they can offer a lot of insight into their grandchild’s (your parent’s) behavior.

By asking these key family members, you are being the “behavior detective” just like any good doctor who evaluates and treats ADHD.

What you should not ask is even more important than what you should ask!

·       Do not ask if they were hyperactive or a holy terror.
·       Do not ask if they got on their nerves

Why you ask?

The answer: Because when asked that question, almost 80% of all parents (your grandparents) reported their children as being “hyperactive”. That means you’re not going to get an accurate answer.

          You’ll need to ask questions similar to those doctors ask parents about ADHD kids.    

                             Did mom or dad:
·       Have problems sleeping as a child?
·       Have specific behavioral problems as a five or six year old, such as temper tantrums, biting, cutting their hair, or constantly interrupting others talking?
·       Have problems in school? Did the teacher complain about their behavior?
·       What type of grades did they make? Was there a subject they failed or did poorly in?
·       Did they have a hard time with homework or assignments?
·       Were they ever expelled from school?
·       Were they ever in trouble with the law? Speeding tickets? Auto accidents? Fighting?
·       Did they have a hard time keeping a job as a teen?
·       Did they avoid social occasions?
·       Did they play more than one sport or none at all?

Now once that is out of the way, you can use the following list to decide if your parents are still ADHD:

 
·       Do your parents drink large amounts of caffeine to self medicate?
·       Do they drink a lot of alcohol or smoke dope to “unwind” or “take the edge off”?
·       Do they still get speeding tickets, have auto accidents, or have run-ins with the law?
·       Did they fail out of school or have a rough time after finishing high school?
·       Do they continue to have problems keeping a job or bounce from job to job without good reason?
·       Have they ever been fired from a job because they failed to do assigned work?
·       Do they seem to fail to finish what they start or get distracted and start several small projects around the house without finishing them?
·       Have they experienced an unwanted pregnancy?
·       Have they suffered a divorce?
·       Do they have problems with social relationships and friends?
·       Do they seem to be depressed or anxious even when taking medications for those disorders?
·       Have they been arrested?

If you find that you answer yes to more than five of these last observations, then your parent is probably still ADHD and needs evaluation and treatment.
It would be wise to talk to them about your observations and how much you love them and want to help, and share these lists of ADHD traits with them.

Dr. Frank

drhuggiebear, drhuggiebear.com and contained materials are the copyrighted and/or registered properties of Frank Barnhill, M.D. and may not be reproduced for profit without the express written permission of the author.  All materials may be photocopied in whole for educational use.  For information please contact us at drfrank@drhuggiebear.com.