By James Wiley, MD, FAAP It surprises people when I tell them that ADHD is a lot like Type 1 Diabetes, but it is.  Both have a genetic component and factors other than genetics. In ADHD, we know that low birth weight or early exposure to visual media may increase the risk of diagnosis. Whereas with diabetes, experts think a viral type infection may unlock the genetic tendency to the disorder. Both diabetes and ADHD result from chemistry problems. In diabetes the pancreas slowly quits making insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. While in ADHD, the brain’s neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) like dopamine and norepinephrine, are under activated. If both disorders are genetic chemistry problems, doesn’t it make sense that we would treat them both with chemistry? No one argues that a body lacking insulin would be treated by doctors… Read More »