A person with 6 or more of these hyperactivity symptoms for more than six months might be a candidate for an ADHD diagnosis. So, for example, a child would not be diagnosed with ADHD if he or she seems overly active at school but functions well elsewhere. It is not known whether environmental factors can cause ADHD in an otherwise normal person, or whether environmental factors only exacerbate ADHD among those who are genetically predisposed. People with ADHD are often described as messy, disorganized, inattentive, irritable, and aggressive. Because their lives can be frustrating and unrewarding, some ADHD sufferers may become hostile and even violent.
Malnutrition can trigger ADHD, and large numbers of U.S. children are malnourished.
There are roughly 18 million children in the U.S., so these percentages represent large numbers of malnourished individuals. There is considerable evidence that food dyes can worsen the symptoms of ADHD in some children, but government authorities deny the evidence. Ten percent of those studied ingested twice that amount, or 146 mg each day. Subscriptions are free. We would like to continue to provide this service free.