The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett Most Replayed Moment: Is Modern Parenting Causing ADHD? Your Decisions Shape Your Child’s Mind!
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Dec 27, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, psychoanalyst Erica Komisar explores the alarming rise in ADHD diagnoses and how modern parenting may influence this trend. She highlights the impact of childhood stressors, such as divorce and daycare, on brain development and behavior. Erica emphasizes the importance of nurturing environments and offers practical parenting advice to help regulate stress in children. Delving into the balance between medication and therapeutic approaches, she urges parents to consider all options before making decisions.
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ADHD As A Stress Response
- Erica Komisar argues ADHD is often a stress response, not a static disorder of the brain.
- Early-life stress activates the amygdala prematurely, producing hypervigilance that resembles ADHD.
Critical Early Amygdala Development
- Komisar explains the amygdala should remain quiet until ages one to three to prevent chronic stress wiring.
- Early activation enlarges the amygdala and under-develops the hippocampus, leaving no effective off-switch.
Prioritise Parent Guidance First
- If a child gets an ADHD diagnosis, first seek parent-guidance therapy rather than immediate medication.
- Explore family dynamics and psychosocial stressors as the likely root causes before medicating.