ADHD, autism or complex trauma? [pdf]
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Complex trauma can mimic ADHD and autism, complicating diagnosis and treatment.
The author, a psychiatrist, notes rising interest in adult ADHD/autism diagnoses, partly driven by social media and destigmatization. Childhood trauma impairs executive function through brain changes, and pre-existing neurodivergence may increase trauma risk. Symptoms like dissociation and hypervigilance can mimic neurodivergence, but ADHD/autism require symptom presence in childhood. Psychostimulants lack evidence for trauma-caused executive dysfunction and may worsen PTSD symptoms. More research is needed on treating executive dysfunction in complex trauma without childhood ADHD/autism.
What commenters are saying
Commenters highlight the diathesis-stress model for decomposing innate vs. environmental causes. One notes that trauma and neurodivergence often co-occur, with high rates of dissociation (e.g., DID) in neurodivergent populations. Another criticizes the article for potentially dismissing ADHD/autism in traumatized people. A counterpoint: many who self-diagnose after social media videos may be wrong, but the underlying distress is real. A dissociative disorder sufferer says dissociation is sometimes adaptive but mostly maladaptive.