Dr. Sonia Morris:

There is a correlation between the experience of trauma and diagnoses of ADHD. ADHDers are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences. However, there is correlation and then there is causation. There is intergenerational ADHD and often that is undiagnosed. The difficulties of lack of diagnosis have been outlined well by our colleagues, with regard to self-medication and coping through substance misuse, which then leads to cases.

We know there is a strong genetic component with ADHD. It is neurodevelopmental and begins before birth in the womb so you are born as an ADHDer. Different childhood experiences, like traumatic brain injury, can look like ADHD but are quite different. Research is ongoing. There is a lot unknown about neurodivergence in general and the underlying causes. There is more to find out and huge studies in genetic mapping are going on worldwide. There is scientific consensus that the main contributors are genetic factors. There are environmental risk factors as well for presentation but whether those factors relate to how ADHD presents, as opposed to whether ADHD is present, requires more research.