Impact of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on Criminal Behavior and its Prevention Approach

Today, using the findings obtained in the field of sciences such as psychology and nerve physiology many criminologists emphasize the effectiveness of neurological factors in the occurrence of crimes, seeking to find a link between committing a crime and neurological disorders, such as Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, manifested as a result of functional impairment in the "cerebral cortex of the brain's cerebral nervous system. This stratum is effective in maintaining the "Dopamine" and "Serotonin" at the proper level, which are responsible for the ability to communicate effectively, controlling the impulses, and developing the social skills. Reduction in the function of this part of the brain causes a decrease in the self-control ability, and thus leading to committing the murder as a criminal behavior. Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder includes symptoms such as neglect, sedentary activity, sudden thoughts and tendency to perform risky activities such as substance abuse, careless driving, unprotected sex, etc. In this paper, this disorder was studied as a branch of nerve physiology, from the criminology perspective, as well as its effect on criminal behavior. The results of the study showed that, the cognitive-behavioral interventions and drug therapy can control this disorder and prevent the emergence of antisocial behaviors as its consequences. Please cite this article as: Noori F. Impact of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on Criminal Behavior and its Prevention Approach. Iran J Med Law 2020; 13(51): 113-130.