ADHD OR PTSD(trauma response)???

In a lot of podcasts, talk shows, tiktoks etc people seem to always link ADHD with a childhood trauma.

Me being diagnosed with severe ADHD and no childhood trauma, it really caused me to wonder if I was blocking out something.🥲 I thought I had a great childhood. I feel my parents did their best. I honestly have no major complaints about my parents or childhood besides the unavoidable struggles in that relationship. A lot of my “traumas” started in my teenage years. I struggled because they were mostly self inflicted. So I kept wondering why I was reacting this way, why do I keep getting in these situations, when I had “no reason” to be acting this way.

❤️‍🔥We know is ADHD is classified as a neurodevelopment condition. Meaning the onset occurs during the developmental period (typically early childhood) and has a STRONG genetic component. As a neurodevelopmental condition, ADHD is considered an INNATE neurodivergence, meaning a person is BORN with it.

❤️‍🩹PTSD is also considered a form of neurodivergence. However, this is an ACQUIRED neurodivergence (meaning it is situational and can be resolved through treatment). At this point, the person may return to their neurotypical baseline.

Note: ADHD, on the other hand, is considered an innate neurodivergence meaning it is present from birth and a core part of a person's identity. Treatment helps but will not resolve it.

🧠So PTSD IS DEVELOPED. While you are BORN with ADHD. Trauma brains(even physical brain injuries) and ADHD brains are similar but the difference is one is devolved.

However, ADHD makes a person more vulnerable to experiencing difficulties and developing PTSD after a traumatic event and can intensify PTSD symptoms. And trauma may activate ADHD in those genetically predisposed to it. It’s complex.

(there’s more, bear with me☺️)

👉🏽While present from birth, ADHD may not be noticeable until life get harder for them. For example, when a person starts highschool/college or their workload becomes more intense or after the birth of a child. Many children (especially girls) develop sophisticated compensatory strategies to offset areas of struggle. (This was me!! I masked and adopted sooo many ways to cope.) In these cases, it may be even later in life that the person's ADHD is recognized, therefore causing them to struggle even greater leaving them more susceptible to experiencing traumas.

🧐There are various theories about how ADHD neurobiology may make us more vulnerable—from having less flexible nervous systems to difficulty regulating attention to more intense sensory experiences, impulsive behaviors and sensory encoding of the trauma.

- Similarities between the two include difficulty with focus and concentration, hyperarousal, difficulty regulating emotions, and more. Both conditions impact executive functioning, attention and focus, and sensory processing.

While they have different origins, they are hard to distinguish and are often easily mistaken for the other because they present so similarly.

To figure out whether it is PTSD vs. ADHD ooor ADHD and PTSD:

* Consider the timeline

* Routinely screen for both (with caution)

* Identify causes of inattention

* Focus on the distinguishing features

* Focus on ADHD-Inattentive traits

🩵I hope this helps if you were like me…trying to figure out what childhood trauma could make me act this way when it was just ADHD brain the whole time.🩵

#adhd #adhdadult #adhdinwomen #ptsdawareness #traumahealing #mentalhealthjourney #adhdawareness #traumahealingjourney #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthcreator @Lemon8 Wellness