Excerpt from articale on PTSD:

PTSD officially entered the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III in 1980 and was classified as one of the anxiety disorders. The syndrome is described as a response to disturbing, often life-threatening events such as combat. It is marked by memories and nightmares of the trauma, flashbacks, angry outbursts, poor concentration, insomnia, irritability and more.

Delayed onset or exacerbated PTSD is not widely recognized, but it's real.

URL for full story:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/hsn/20031111/hl_hsn/ptsd60yearslater&e=2

No particular trauma in my past, and my symptoms are more towards inattentive/hyperfocus, bad memory (and comorbidities towards social probs, anxiety, sensory overload), nothing to do with aggression (although I quickly get frustrated, I usually "keep it bottled up").

I have to agree though that traumatic experiences can often cause symptoms similar to AD/HD but I don't think someone with good knowledge and a good understanding of both problems could possibly be tempted to misdiagnose the two.

For starters AD/HD has to be present from childhood not have a sudden onset after a trauma (unless that trauma involves brain injury).

Trauma can happen as children. Abusive homes, homes with high levels of hostilities, are an example. There can be many other ways children are traumaitized, witnessing violence, victim of sexual molestation, loss of a loved one or a parent, etc. In any of those situations the effects of trauma would also be present since childhood.

I have found that misdiagnosis is quite common. Depression is often the diagnosis for many people with ADD. I can see ADD being confused with a number of other diagnosis because the symptoms of memory loss and loss of concentration are so common to other diagnosis. I was misdiagnosed for most of my life until I was diagnosed with ADD at age 38. I was also diagnosed with PTSD, and I find it interesting that both carry remarkably similar symptoms. This may explain why I improve in my ADD symptoms as I continue going through therapy, via Psychodrama meetings. Its quite probable in my case, that the two act upon each other to create the symptoms I experience. Relieving one probably brings relief to the other cause. However, I feel the effects of PTSD are really taking a back seat these days, after 3 years of Psychodrama. The symptoms of ADD are still a part of life, but not nearly as bad as they were.

My suggestion is that people not attribute 100% of their symptoms to one single source; ie, ADD. It excludes the possibility of mitigating factors that may exaccerbate the degree of the symptoms. It also allows too much relief of responsibility. Even with ADD we have a responsibility, I feel, to do our best, to find out best mode of functioning at our peak, to follow our own prescribed course of action, rather than sit around being depressed and suffereing low self-esteem as the world rotates and grows older around us. No, I vote for action, self-responsibility, doing whatever is necessary to get off the old can, and to get off the old bandwagon that ADD accounts for all. I also vote for looking at comorbid conditions. I also have sleep apnea, which when untreated, leaves me in an ADD stupor. So all things considered, more than one treatment has been necessary for me to live a productive happy life.

Thats why I am demonstrating the possibilities of comorbid conditions, misdiagnosis, etc. Getting to the bottom of the condition(s) is the bottom line. And doctors are not necessarily on the ball; they too have their favorite pet diagnosis they like to use for everything; it happens all the time, and they often fail to make multiple diagnosis; why should they.... when they can get away with allowing everything to fall under the umbrella of one pet diagnosis.

I've had to be quite proactive in getting my own state of wellness up out of the gutter. The answers didn't just fall in my lap. I advocate that everyone be proactive and not rest until answers seem like they really do make sense.

Sincerely

Jon

I have ADD, OCD, part Aspergers & PTSD. The PTSD really bought/brings out the autism in me. It doesn't feel anything like ADD and the difference between the two is that ADD is permenant at PTSD is not (well I hope it's not). I'm more irritable and clumsy and distracted. While dex works on ADD, antipsychotics work on PTSD. PTSD sucks worse than ADD. I'm wondering when it's going to end.

Tudorose, I find that my Asperger's traits cause me more trouble (I thin) than all my obvious ADHD together.

People, even ADHD people, are not so very forgiving or understanding of Apserger's like behaviors and perceptions.

I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was 16 and ADHD at the age of 27. I pretty much know how to make ADHD work to my advantage unless something or someone set's off one or more of my PTSD trigger's then it's downhill from there for awhile.

Some of my experiences include loss of father at 2 1/2, being hit by a car (30 mph), while crossing a street, being hit by a car again, (70 mph), while on a horse, complete fear and real terror of a man in rage, whom did hit me, but not brother and sister, mother attempted to give me away at 9 yrs. old.
These are very real traumas, along with others I won't mention.
But, i'm a real complainer, and talking about these things helps to avoid ptsd?

Originally posted by healthwiz
Delayed onset or exacerbated PTSD is not widely recognized, but it's real.
I think we need to define the term "trauma" in a broader sense for those of us with adhd. For example, merely being told something negative, or being in a very stressful social situation or just running an errand can be traumatic for we ADHD-ers. We don't have the thick skin that others do. Everything can get under our skins sooo easily. Thus our reactions are often disproportionate to everyday occurences, let alone neglect, abuse or punishment.
I came across the term Prolonged Adaptive Stress Syndrome (PASS) while doing some research on a Dr. Katherine Benziger. She indicates that those of us with ADHD certainly fit the diagnosis for we spend most of our lives operating against type. In other words, stuggling to be who we could be and living as someone we are not. The stress for us is not in the past but ongoing.

Originally posted by velvetcactus

I think we need to define the term "trauma" in a broader sense for those of us with adhd. For example, merely being told something negative, or being in a very stressful social situation or just running an errand can be traumatic for we ADHD-ers. We don't have the thick skin that others do. Everything can get under our skins sooo easily. Thus our reactions are often disproportionate to everyday occurences, let alone neglect, abuse or punishment.
I came across the term Prolonged Adaptive Stress Syndrome (PASS) while doing some research on a Dr. Katherine Benziger. She indicates that those of us with ADHD certainly fit the diagnosis for we spend most of our lives operating against type. In other words, stuggling to be who we could be and living as someone we are not. The stress for us is not in the past but ongoing.

There's the stress that ADHD people just get coz of what we are and then there's PTSD. Having both, I can say there is a massive difference. Years of being told I was all sorts of terrible things, bullying and negative perceptions have affected me BUT nothing blew me away more that having two idiots with sawn-off shotguns robbing the bank (EVERY teller) I was working in. The effects of PTSD on your life are debilitating and even after a year I still can't function anywhere near as well as I could when I was dealing with just the ADHD stuff.

I don't think that 'trauma' is an effective way to describe the everyday experiences of ADHD, not matter how bad they seem - they are nothing compared to what could be.

In terms Of Trauma..like combat or abuse or any violent crime are just a few examples of actual Trauma and when it comes to ADHD and PTSD (since I have both) I can honestly say...The flashbacks I get make my ADHD worse...It's not easy to concentrate when you are having such traumatic memories inside your head and I do get very irritable and and tend to scream....iNside my head if I am around people but in front of people it intensifies my emotional state looks of panic and tears and it's hard to hide...... so I hear more terrible things when other people look at me and laugh or think I am a insane or something,....Just like when my adhd symptoms shine through infront of others.

Know what ya mean Melanie. I really trying to focus on something at work when someone crept up behind me to say hi. I screamed really loud and literally jumped about a foot out of my chair and then started crying and couldn't stop. I scared the cr*p out of most of the people on our floor and the poor girl who was just trying to say Hi felt so bad and was quite shaken up herself. When I had my head down as I was crying I could hear people around me getting worried and saying stuff like, "Oh no you can't do that to her". At the end of it all I felt really humiliated coz of the way I reacted. I don't want to seem that 'different' from everyone else all the time and after a while you start to feel like a nutcase and incapable of being able to function with some sense of normalcy.

The worst part for me though is the after effects of being stressed. I literally can't communicate. I can't make sense of anything that's going on to put a sentence together in my head let alone say it to someone. I had to explain that to my boss today coz I got upset the other day and couldn't talk to him, so he was wondering what was going on.

Awe hun....Hugs I know that feeling and it's no good...we are just like everyone else but we just a little extra stress to deal with...would be soooo nice if ppl got that.

I have ADD and PTSS. PTSS is hard to deal with and makes your whole life even harder to deal with. Almost two years ago the PTSS was triggered. The more time goes by for the most part the less PTS I feel. There are always things that trigger flashbacks. I don't know if the nightmares will ever completely subside. I'm not sure if it ever goes away completely. It does seem to get better over time atleast.

I'm going to have to look into this one a bit further. I want to be prepared for a possible question on whether or not this is relevant for me at my upcoming evaluation with a psychiatrist.

When I was 1 1/2 years old I received a very serious burn from grease that left scars down a good portion of my right side. It is visible on my arm and leg but other than a visual scar it did not affect my growth or long term development in any way. I never have really thought too much of it. My mother reports that during my month long stay in the hospital I was quite happy.

Could PTSD stem from something that happened at such an early age? I really doubt that PTSD describes my situation but I would like to arrive at my appointment with some reasons why I think that ADD is a better fit.

Awe hun....Hugs I know that feeling and it's no good...we are just like everyone else but we just a little extra stress to deal with...would be soooo nice if ppl got that.


I don't know why I feel differently about having ADHD then most the norm but I feel that I so special I was given a gift at conception. :D Takes a lot of work to harness the energy into positive avenues but that's what makes it so fun...it's like an unsolvable puzzle. :p

Going completely on my own journey with ADHD/overfocused/inattentive and PTSD, I know which one causes the most distress, and I know which one is causing which symtoms.

I cannot, in my own case, see where I could mistake my PTSD symtoms for my ADHD symptoms. For me, the two are not even in the same ballpark.

I wish the PTSD symptoms would just go away, but it doesn't work that way. My case doesn't involve one singular event or trauma, it involves several over about a decade, two of which were the witnessing of violent deaths. [I'm not unlucky, I just have no luck]. My actual diagnosis is Complex PTSD, soon to be changed to DESNOS, which simply means someone that underwent childhood abuse, and then as an adult experienced further traumas.

I would like to say I agree with this premise, Jon, but I can't. For me, the two are totally different. Give me double the ADHD any day ;)

lmbo viktoria well said. I know PTSD symptoms as Vik said there is NO mistaking them, I sometimes confuse ADHD symptoms with just being sick or tired. MY PTSD symptoms hit me like a hammer and the effects linger for days sometimes months.

I've found that going off my ADD meds have improved my recovery from the PTSD. I'm less aware and less worried. It's harder to brood on being distressed or feeling bad when you're so easily distracted. It has it's down side though (I understand less of the things that I need to) but now I'm of the opinion that people can take me as I am (air head and all) or get stuffed.

I haven't been through childhood stuff like a lot of you have but I can say that I've spent a lot of the last 2 years wondering if PTSD will ever end. I realise now that it won't go away entirely but the less hypervigilent I am the better.

Give it a go (not taking your ADD meds) - even if it's just for a week. See if it gives you a little bit of relief. I had been feeling for ages like I wanted a break from my life - a break from being me and this was the closest I could get to that.