Trauma Troubles Can Lead to ADD/ADHD Misdiagnosis

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Indexed  August 1, 2010

While it is quite common for children to be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, parents are often shocked at the number of conditions that display almost identical symptoms. Take for instance one of the latest discoveries… that hypervigilance caused by traumatic experiences can strongly resemble ADD / ADHD . For many this comes as a surprise, since most people may not even realize that their  child has been exposed to a traumatic event. However, studies show that by age 16, nearly 70% of children have been exposed to at least one disturbing, traumatic experience such as a car accident, natural disaster, death of an immediate family member, or child abuse. Traumatic events greatly affect different parts of the brain , leading to a number of abnormal behaviors. While children may not suffer from full-blown post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of a traumatic experience, they may have attributable symptoms that may cause a “flight or flight” response of fear in association with movements, noises, or other stimuli—but which may appear to resemble ADD/ADHD symptoms such as distractibility, inattention, aggression, increased activity, or dissociate behavior.    See the complete post here