Is it ADHD or trauma?
Could your ADHD be rooted in unresolved trauma?
Over the past two decades, the prevalence of ADHD seems to be increasing. While we are still learning approximately what portion of the general population may be characterized as “having” ADHD, it can be argued that the rising prevalence has more to do with increasing awareness of the experience and thus more success by folks in the medical and mental health professions, as well as by parents and individuals, in identifying it (as opposed to there actually being a net increase in the number of people with ADHD).
That said, ADHD is one of a number of mental health diagnoses that may find themselves being identified in an individual, while trauma or PTS(D)* often goes undiagnosed (other “co-morbid” diagnoses often include anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and bi-polar disorder). The potential danger is that, if one’s symptoms are diagnosed as ADHD but the symptoms themselves are rooted in unresolved trauma, treatment and interventions for ADHD may fail to alleviate the symptoms, or cover the root cause.
The National Institute of Mental Health characterizes ADHD as having “difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).” When one compares this description with some of the characteristics of PTS(D) – hypervigilance, irritability, problems with focus, memory, and attention, sleep issues, and a big startle response – one might see that they seem to share what could be described as an activated nervous system.
One of the ways in which our nervous systems respond to overwhelming experiences is to keep us alert all the time (vigilance), watching out for potential danger – what Stephen Porges termed neuroception – and to keep our mind-body is a state of heightened arousal (not to be confused with sexual arousal). It basically means you find yourself alert, scanning the environment from one thing to the next, switching attention often, and sometimes feeling difficulty in physically staying still or at ease. It can also include the experience of easily being distracted or startled, difficulty staying “on task,” and difficulty relaxing and winding down (which may also impact one’s ability to both fall and stay asleep). While this list of possibilities is not exhaustive, it might explain the scenario in which someone thinks they are having issues with focus, concentration, and so forth, and believes it’s “because” of ADHD, when it could be that the symptoms of ADHD may be undiagnosed PTS(D).
I want to be clear that I am not saying one does not or cannot have ADHD and also have PTS(D) – it just may be that the experience of ADHD is rooted in unresolved trauma. If one has unresolved trauma and is experiencing the symptoms of PTS(D), it might be helpful for an individual to see their experience of ADHD as a symptom as opposed to the cause (or, as opposed to thinking there is no cause, it’s just something wrong with their brain). This knowledge can be empowering for those who may be struggling with issues of self-esteem, feeling as if most people are fine but for some reason their mind-body is “broken.” I want to loudly, strongly, lovingly assert the idea, the possibility, that 1) it is not your fault, and 2) you are not broken.
If one has unresolved trauma, it might be helpful to see their experience of ADHD as a symptom as opposed to the cause.
Trauma is one of the most common experiences of human existence. It affects hundreds of millions of people currently living, and arguably into the billions. But it often goes undiagnosed because of the tendency to focus on the most “in your face” symptoms – things like ADHD, depression, anxiety, and so forth.
If you or someone you know, including a child, is struggling with the symptoms of ADHD or has been diagnosed with ADHD, and there is the possibility of unresolved trauma also being present, I encourage you to speak with a mental health or medical provider and explore the idea. You may find that getting to the root and healing the impact of the trauma may in fact have a positive impact on the symptoms and experience of ADHD as well. If trauma is at the root, helping one’s mind-body to feel safer, less activated, and less like it has to constantly be watching out for danger, may also help increase focus and concentration, get better sleep, feel more relaxed, and even increase one’s success at school, work, and in relationships.
*When I write about post-traumatic stress, I either put the “D” in ” ()” like this: PTS(D); or I don’t use it at all. Why? I don’t like pathologizing mental health struggles. There’s a significant shift afoot in the broader field of psychology in which the “medical model” (in which the DSM lives) along with the labeling of mental health struggles as “disorders” and “illnesses” is evolving towards a (somewhat simpler) model in which these “disorders” are seen as natural outcomes of impairments to integration and shifts in autonomic state, primarily due to life experience (e.g., insecure attachment with a primary care giver before the age of 3, or a diagnosis of a terminal illness). When it comes to trauma, this newer perspective sees the development of post-traumatic stress as a natural outcome of overwhelming experiences. It’s the body-mind-soul-spirit’s way of attempting to complete the processing and integration of experiences that are too much to handle at the time they occur.
#mentalhealth #ptsd #trauma #adhd #add #traumahealing #polyvagal
