ABSTRACT
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood and adolescence, and it is highly related to criminal and delinquent behavior. It is the most heritable of behavioral disorders and is basically a condition of chronic brain under-arousal. The focus is thus on treatments that increase the activity of excitatory neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, or on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation that “trains” synaptic pathways to be more responsive to approach/avoid cues. ADHD is more problematic when paired with conduct disorder (CD) or oppositional defiant disorder, which it is at least 50% of the time. ADHD-CD children have been termed “fledgling psychopaths.” I also look at environmental factors and at environments and circumstances in which some endophenotypes of ADHD provide adaptive advantages.
