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ADHD Ptsd and adhd: which is it and where to start??

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baystate

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I was diagnosed with ADHD 10 years ago after my wife; a psychotherapist insisted that I go to a neurologist. I told her that I had been told I had PTSD many years before, and she insisted I did not have it. After a few questions from a neurologist, I was put on stimulants. Fast forward 9 years, I had the same feeling I have had most of my life and same attention issues and took a couple of self-evaluations: both indicated high likelihood for PTSD. I told my wife who then told me that there was no-doubt that I had PTSD (her specialty) and when she told me the opposite, it was before I opened up about my childhood traumas. She added that she was surprised that I was as high-functioning that I am today (I call it a front). That was confirmed by my therapist – but I only recently started to accept this “label”. Now that I accept PTSD, I wonder if I ever had ADHD or if it is PTSD. Either way, I want to get treatment. Does anyone know of therapies that involve both (whether it is ADHD or PTSD, I need to learn how to manage my feelings and not let them keep me numb and distracted). I know about counseling, but is there coaching, coping skills, books, anything to get me started?
 
I hope your wife isn't as dismissive of her patients... Ouch. Not a good trait for a trauma therapist to have, especially since most of us who have been traumatized have been dismissed at one point or another and we seek validation.

No advice on the ADD bit though. Welcome. (Don't worry, we won't dismiss you.)
 
I have ADD and PTSD. My therapist said I've probably had PTSD since I was a kid, when the trauma started. I took meds for ADD as an adult and they were helpful. I noticed that when my PTSD got worse, so did the ADD. I've stopped the meds, under the support of a doctor, because I wanted to know what my "baseline" is and the link between when the PTSD and ADD getting worse is even more strong. My therapist says the hypervigalence of PTSD can look a lot like ADD. She thinks I have both - but the nice thing is that when the PTSD is better, so is the ADD. The difficult thing is that people without ADD/ADHD will focus better on stimulants - it's a hard thing to sort out. I continue to struggle with the same questions you are.
 
I too have the double diagnosis ADHD/PTSD and asked myself if I actually have both since they resemble on another a lot. I totally agree with you and it's exactly the same with me that when my PTSD gets worse so does my ADHD. I have also asked myself the question if I actually have ADHD. I honestly think it will be impossible to find UNTIL more research on the topic(s) have been made and this won't happen until/after people like us asks this question, in those terms its highly important.
 
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Thanks for all your replies! I have slowly accepted the diagnoses of PTSD - I had some traumatic events this past week after my niece reached out to me for help from her abusive father - which meant I had to stand up to one of the very people that abused me (he is much older). I have been a mess - it is so hard to describe. It is both physical and mental - it would be totally out of body if my body did not hurt so badly (heart racing, nervous stomach etc...) I always thought that after my mother died (I loved her - but she was a huge trigger because she did not know how to help me) that my PTSD would go away. Did not happen.

And no Joeylittle, I don't think that the stimulants have helped and not I wonder if they may make my PTSD worse? I mean, if my heart is racing and I am in complete panic for a week following a trigger, common sense would tell me it is not good to be on a stimulant? At the same time, I am afraid to lose my job if I cannot focus - so I am trying to find treatment for both. I need to understand all this - it is not enough to be told I have PTSD and xyz is normal - I want to know more about it, how it affects attention and more importantly, how to manage it!
 
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Sounds like you should heed your instinct and try eliminating the stimulant. I'm no doctor but they are generally a very short titration. It might be a good opportunity to go shopping for your own new psychopharmacologist... Maybe your therapist can make some recommendations?
 
They are very different illnesses... PTSD for one requiring a specific type of traumatic event, whereas ADHD requires no such event and is neurological by default, and isn't formed due to a traumatic event. Many symptoms of disorders overlap, but it does not mean you have lots, because all the factors must be weighed to ascertain the most correct.

To be perfectly honest, if your wife is a psychotherapist and she is saying you don't have PTSD, then chances are, you don't have PTSD. Why? Because she is literally around you to be the best judge of your character, with knowledge of what to look for.
 
They are very different illnesses... PTSD for one requiring a specific type of traumatic event, whereas ADHD requires no such event and is neurological by default, and isn't formed due to a traumatic event. Many symptoms of disorders overlap, but it does not mean you have lots, because all the factors must be weighed to ascertain the most correct.

To be perfectly honest, if your wife is a psychotherapist and she is saying you don't have PTSD, then chances are, you don't have PTSD. Why? Because she is literally around you to be the best judge of your character, with knowledge of what to look for.

Anthony, I think that you read my post incorrectly or perhaps I was not clear. I have been diagnosed by two psychologists with PTSD. My wife, who is also a psychologist who specializes in PTSD & Trauma, did not know of the abuse I suffered because I never told her or anyone else. She felt I had anxiety and ADHD due to my inability to focus and other issues. I started talking about it after she became pregnant - mostly nonchalantly - more about how I did not want to make the same mistakes my parents made and how I would always protect my child - basically talking about the type of dad I wanted to be. She asked me more about it and I opened up more and more. She wanted me to go into therapy and later told me that after I started talking about my past it all "clicked" for her and that she has no doubt that I have PTSD. I did not know how severe the abuse was - but I knew I would never let my children be subjected to it. I have a medical background and I had a hard time believing that some event or "trigger" would essentially turn me back into that scared child - but the symptoms have gotten worse - so I read more about it from the perspective of brain chemistry etc..., I now know that PTSD is real - I always assumed that it was only for combat vets - not an adult who was abused as a child. My post was based my question about attention/ADHD - I was diagnosed years ago and I wonder now - do I actually have it or was it undiagnosed PTSD? I was curious to hear if others have been considered "ADHD" or were ever misdiagnosed? My wife is my wife and not my therapist, so she can't be objective - she does not know.

Anthony: essentially I am struggling with this and I want help - but my issue have started to effect my marriage, so my wife is not supportive. In fact, she is quite harsh.
 
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ADHD is not often confused for PTSD, because they aren't even close symptomatically speaking. Bipolar and PTSD have a lot of cross-over symptoms, but not ADHD and PTSD.

I agree that your wife wouldn't be able to be objective due to an emotional bond, however; being a psychotherapist, she would have good insight to your behaviour and symptoms. If she knows your past and agrees with a PTSD diagnosis, then I'm unsure why you really want to focus on ADHD being mentioned in your past, when chances are even if you do have ADHD, it has nothing to do with PTSD symptoms. Hypervigilance (PTSD) is different from hyperactive (ADHD). Whilst PTSD has attention issues as a symptom, there is a difference between a symptom and attention as an irreversible brain issue which is ADHD. PTSD attention issues are cognitive based on trauma, where ADHD is cognitive based on physiology of the brain, typically occurring from birth.

If you have ADHD then it would have been present prior to trauma. If you believe this only presented after trauma, then I would discard it as professional misdiagnosis and stick with the PTSD diagnosis, meaning you can improve your attention issues with cognitive training exercises and reducing your traumatic impact upon the brain.
 
I concur with Anthony. I have both ADD/ADHD and PTSD.

I did do free-flow stream of consciousness therapy with Dr. Peter T, Oas who authored a solid book on ADD/ADHD ( Dead Link Removed ) for a year and a half. Basically his technique helped me to learn how to slow down my thoughts enough to verbalize them. I nixed sugar and most of the caffeine as they both increased my symptoms. Using his techniques I retested in low but normal range after a few years post therapy.

I didn't find out I had PTSD until later. Anthony is correct that you can improve attention issues with cognitive training exercises.

My medical doctor, who didn't know I was being treated for ADD/ADHD or PTSD... did note "COSA" (Co-occurring Stimulating Activity) on my medical record. So clearly I'm not completely flying under the radar, but it was evidence I needed at the time that there was something neurological that was observable to professionals that was definitely going on). There are some of us here with both.

I'll think on it, short on time today but see if I can come back with any other book suggestions.
 
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