Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone has any links, etc. about the possible relationship between ADHD and long-term trauma. I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, when my internist put me on a low dose of Paxil a few years ago because I was really struggling--shortly after starting Paxil, I would get scared while driving because I wasn't paying enough attention, was almost missing appointments, and my general organization skills kind of fell apart,. My internist felt that the Paxil was eroding a lot of the stress responses I'd developed to overcome ADHD (frequent checking, lists, etc). He gave me a questionairre about ADHD, things like listening and ability to sit still, the regular stuff. By the time he got back, I had doodled all over it and answered "yes" to a lot of the issues. I always thought I was just spontaneous and creative, which is true, but there might be a bit more to it.
After going off both the Paxil and ADHD meds for a few years, I'm now trying just the ADHD meds and feel like it helps, although I hate taking any medication because of side effects, but also because I hate feeling broken, and like I need medication to help. It's not a forever solution for me, but things are really extra hard right now, so if the meds help me make better decisions and not get distracted as much, I'm okay to try it for awhile if it helps me heal more productively and experience less frustration. I want to find more whole/therapy based ways to overcome it, but the reality is that this is not going to happen today, or soon. I can take steps, I am taking steps, but it's not an overnight process even if I want it to be. So, meds.
I was wondering how many of you struggle with ADHD-type issues, and if anyone has links or articles about the relationship between ADHD and long-term trauma. The symptoms for PTSD and ADHD are starkly similar in many places, which makes things confusing for me. I don't want to take medication for something I don't have, but I also don't want to Not take medication if it actually is helpful. (Also, yeah, I pretty much do have ADHD. I just hate having another thing wrong with me, and I feel like "what if that's just my personality?" But then listening to my partner will be excruciating, and I'm like, yeah. ADHD.)
Thank you!
Hi Scout,
This is an old thread but I'm just beginning to look into ADHD and what I thought was my "creative" personality too and down to trauma. Looking back on my life, I think I've been able to organize it in a way so that it didn't really become apparent until I started digging into methylation and realized that a lot of people with methylation issues have ADHD. Now I'm thinking that maybe my inability to focus etc could be ADHD as I lived in a "preADHD era" when I don't think diagnosis was as prevalent.
There are also studies linking ADHD to trauma. As I see it, trauma can "give us" impaired methylation pathways and also help express impaired epigenetic pathways that we may have inherited. Apparently, there can be overlap between trauma and ADHD.
Arguments before and against if it's inherited and some of the overlap:
https://drgabormate.com/adhd/
https://medium.com/fourth-wave/yes-adhd-is-genetic-a1867ec0ebf4
It's definitely and interesting discussion and maybe shifts some of weight of "it's me."
dolly
edit: just posted some links that might be more what you were looking for here:
https://cptsd.org/forum/index.php?topic=14736.msg121046#msg121046