Environmental factors that may influence attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Although there is no evidence that environmental factors cause ADHD, they may influence how the disorder is expressed. For example, although ADHD is not caused by "bad parenting," certain parenting techniques can improve or make worse some symptoms of the disorder. Environmental factors that may influence how ADHD is expressed include:¹

Exposure to lead.
Exposure of a fetus to smoking or alcohol during pregnancy.

References

Citations

National Institute of Mental Health (2003). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (NIH Publication No. 03-3572). Available online: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm.

Credits

Author	Jeannette Curtis
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Mina Dulcan, MD - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Last Updated	April 17, 2008