Why trauma and ADHD can look similar
I’ve heard of many people express concern in adulthood about having undiagnosed ADHD. This disorder is a popular one in our society, as the average person has some vague understanding of the symptoms. However, there are a lot of misunderstandings and misdiagnoses related to ADHD. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of how ADHD symptoms can overlap other mental health diagnoses, and you’ll learn what you can do to diagnose it.
ADHD symptoms can be similar to trauma
Many people with ADHD will say, “I can’t concentrate. I can’t sit still for too long. I feel distracted all the time.” Symptoms of ADHD can include impulsivity, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, and social isolation, to name a few. But guess what…these are the exact symptoms people who have experienced trauma report. People who have experienced a trauma can have a difficult time focusing. They might be fidgety and may find themselves struggling in social settings. Adults who experienced trauma in childhood can still report these types of symptoms decades after it happened. As you might imagine, diagnosing ADHD when someone has also experienced childhood trauma could be difficult. Does the person have ADHD, or are their symptoms related to a trauma response? This is often the difficult distinction that must be made by psychologists or other mental health providers when diagnosing ADHD.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder
A neurodevelopmental disorder means the symptoms would have been present in early childhood due to the way the brain’s neuropathways were formed. Even if an adult never received a diagnosis of ADHD in childhood, the symptoms would still have been present. If an adult is seeking an ADHD diagnosis, a psychologist (or other mental health provider) would need to do a thorough investigation to understand whether these symptoms were also present in childhood, or if these symptoms could be better explained by anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition.
ADHD and mood
The impact ADHD has on one’s mood can be profound. Someone with ADHD might express difficulty managing their emotions. They might feel as though they have mood swings, or periods of sadness or excitement. However, there are plenty of other diagnoses that could also impact someone’s mood. Even if a person is expressing hyperactivity, poor concentration, mood instability, they still might not been criteria for an ADHD diagnosis. A psychologist can help to sort out what mood symptoms are present, when they began, and how they manifest as it relates to a diagnosis.
What can I do?
The best approach to diagnosing any mental health disorder is to visit a mental health provider. If you are looking at ADHD specifically, special testing can be done to determine if the symptoms meet diagnostic criteria. The testing can take several hours and will also include an extensive interview. It’s not as cut-and-dry as people might believe, so seeking a consultation with a mental health provider is a great start.