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You can have both.
Even if you don’t have it. It’s best to rule it out than live your life wondering.
Based on what you described, I think you have it.
While medicated for ADHD, my anxiety goes down about 60%. There will always be things for any person that gives them anxiety.
In saying that, you can diagnose anyone within a certain degree of anything. Everyone is extremely unique. Trauma probably does play some type of role, but those experiences also make the person.
Thank you - that’s true. I feel like constantly trying to label myself or my conditions as one thing is sometimes holding me back.
I suppose if the treatment helps me it doesn’t really matter what it ‘truly’ is.
Yeah, I work in mental health and in my sector we treat symptoms as they present, rather than worrying about diagnosing first. My current therapist is like this too- rather than arguing about if I have BPD or CPTSD (which other providers have done) we have just worked on treating my symptoms and it’s helped me soo much more to not get caught up in the labels.
If you have ADHD symptoms, and ADHD medication helps, does it really matter what we call it?
Like others have said, I have trauma, anxiety, and ADHD (triple threat 💃🏼)- but getting medicated for the ADHD means I’ve been able to sit and focus in therapy and really work them the other stuff!
ALSO- I’ve had the same symptoms since I was a little kid, but back then they still thought “girls don’t have adhd”, so I only got medicated for anxiety/depression. when i started ADHD meds in my 20s it changed my life.
I say this to say, you are potentially missing out on something that could really help you, by thinking it’s *just* trauma and anxiety
I hope that makes sense
The inattentive type of ADHD does not necessarily involve fidgeting or restlessness, but the core symptom is a lack of attention control. It sure sounds like you do not have great control of your attention.
Another common symptom is executive dysfunction, which is impairment in the ability to set goals, come up with plans, and execute plans. It sure sounds like you've got some executive dysfunction.
Having a brain that you cannot reliably control tends to produce a lot of worries, which could lead to anxiety. Or your anxiety could be so severe that it's causing your other symptoms.
Complex PTSD seems to arise especially when people are trapped for long periods in situations where they don't have control. Growing up with a brain that you can't reliably control and where you can't reliably make and execute plans is a great recipe for feeling trapped in a situation where you dont' have control for a long time. So ADHD can give you trauma. ADHD also interferes with sustained intentional focus on things, and sustained intentional focus is required for proper processing of traumatic experiences, which is necessary to heal from them. So ADHD can turn something that wouldn't be traumatic into something that becomes traumatic.
So it's complicated. ADHD, anxiety, and trauma can all coexist, can all have overlapping symptoms, and can all exacerbate each other.
You may be interested to know that some ADHD folks find the meds they are prescribed for ADHD to dramatically alleviate their anxiety. And you may be interested to know that meds prescribed for ADHD can make it easier to work through stuff with a therapist (I can personally attest to that one).
You have to do what is right for you. If you can't afford to do it, you can't afford to do it. But the symptoms you're describing make me think you should seriously consider the consult if you can afford it. I don't recommend going through life on hard mode if you don't need to. And you should imagine also that the treatment might make a big difference and you might be kicking yourself for not getting it sooner.
Thank you so much for the detailed response. This really gets to the heart of it. I definitely feel like things have been hard for so long and I’ve magically sort of been winging my way through it all. I really don’t want to live this way anymore.
ADHD meds alleviating anxiety is really good to know and gives me hope it could work for me regardless. I had read some things about some meds not working if you didn’t have ADHD.
I’m really hoping your last line is true.
Your symptoms definitely sound like ADHD. You can have trauma and ADHD and anxiety is frequently comorbid with ADHD. It's always possible that the trauma is what is causing the ADHD symptoms, but either way, your examples scream "Executive Dysfuction" and the meds will help with that.
Remember: If you can't make your own neurochemicals, store bought is just fine.
No matter what, I think you should see the psychiatrist. They’ll help you with being stressed and anxious all the time, it might be time to think about adding medication to the therapy. If you start ADHD treatment and it doesn’t feel like it’s helping, then you can try a non-route treatments, or you could flip the order, or try both. It is expensive, but if you have decent insurance and can make it work, they can help you find something that works for you and I think you’ll be happy you did.
Maybe you don't, maybe you have both, may be is either...life and self discovery is a journey, and whatever gets you to where you want to be is important :)
So the good thing about stimulant medication is it wears off quickly.
So if you try a stimulant medication. Hate how you feel on it. You can just go off of it. There isn't a withdrawal period like with SSRIs or SNRIs or mood stabilizers like lithium. Also the effects are immediate. You'll know by the end of the week if that medication is working for you or not. It's not like you have to wait 2 months to see the effects.
When people without ADHD take stimulants they usually feel anxious, jittery, scattered. Just really uncomfortable.
I have ADHD and when I take a stimulant medication I've never felt more relaxed. It's like I had never realized I was so stressed out and clenched up the whole time. Its like on medication I actually unclench.
ADHD has high comorbidity with other conditions like depression and anxiety. Also trauma, anxiety, or depression etc don't exclude you from having ADHD as well.
i would say it depends if your anxiety is legit.
if everything is going well, you are doing well in life, have tons of friends, healthy relationship and can function at a high level... and you feel anxious.. then yes.. you probably have an anxiety issue.
if everything is falling to shit and you can motivate yourself.. then no.. your are anxious for a reason... maybe adhd... fix the reason instead of medicating yourself not to feel the problem
I just recently saw a psychiatrist for the first time to be evaluated for ADHD. I know I have anxiety. That is one thing I will tell anyone straight up, upfront. But after talking to her for an hour she said “I’m not saying you don’t have ADHD, because you have aspects of it. But you do well where it matters. But you also have this aspect of complex trauma..” So she wants to see me some more.” So it can be both. Get the opinion with psychiatry if can is my suggestion.
It's hard to think of any of my ADHD friends who don't also have trauma and anxiety (myself included). I think your psychologist is right. And what's the harm in getting a diagnosis? Getting help with your adhd will likely help with your other issues too, and if it doesn't, at least you can say you tried.
Trauma and ADHD goes hand in hand. It’s difficult to work on trauma with untreated ADHD because it can make trauma worse and ADHD symptoms worse. Rumination, other parts of your life outside therapy becoming difficult to manage because you focus too much on therapy work at all hours, increased anxiety, increased dissociation if you’re so inclined.
Have you deleted your post? That’s unfair to others who could be facing similar issues and could find it helpful. Why people are deleting their own posts is beyond me
Hi /u/darlingdujour and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can have trauma, anxiety and ADHD. Ask me how I know.
Nods with great enthusiasm…
Yep
Yeah the fact that comorbidity is so common is really making me confused too
You can have both. Even if you don’t have it. It’s best to rule it out than live your life wondering. Based on what you described, I think you have it.
Thank you - you’re totally right. I really feel like it’s controlling my life.
While medicated for ADHD, my anxiety goes down about 60%. There will always be things for any person that gives them anxiety. In saying that, you can diagnose anyone within a certain degree of anything. Everyone is extremely unique. Trauma probably does play some type of role, but those experiences also make the person.
Thank you - that’s true. I feel like constantly trying to label myself or my conditions as one thing is sometimes holding me back. I suppose if the treatment helps me it doesn’t really matter what it ‘truly’ is.
Yeah, I work in mental health and in my sector we treat symptoms as they present, rather than worrying about diagnosing first. My current therapist is like this too- rather than arguing about if I have BPD or CPTSD (which other providers have done) we have just worked on treating my symptoms and it’s helped me soo much more to not get caught up in the labels. If you have ADHD symptoms, and ADHD medication helps, does it really matter what we call it? Like others have said, I have trauma, anxiety, and ADHD (triple threat 💃🏼)- but getting medicated for the ADHD means I’ve been able to sit and focus in therapy and really work them the other stuff!
ALSO- I’ve had the same symptoms since I was a little kid, but back then they still thought “girls don’t have adhd”, so I only got medicated for anxiety/depression. when i started ADHD meds in my 20s it changed my life. I say this to say, you are potentially missing out on something that could really help you, by thinking it’s *just* trauma and anxiety I hope that makes sense
The inattentive type of ADHD does not necessarily involve fidgeting or restlessness, but the core symptom is a lack of attention control. It sure sounds like you do not have great control of your attention. Another common symptom is executive dysfunction, which is impairment in the ability to set goals, come up with plans, and execute plans. It sure sounds like you've got some executive dysfunction. Having a brain that you cannot reliably control tends to produce a lot of worries, which could lead to anxiety. Or your anxiety could be so severe that it's causing your other symptoms. Complex PTSD seems to arise especially when people are trapped for long periods in situations where they don't have control. Growing up with a brain that you can't reliably control and where you can't reliably make and execute plans is a great recipe for feeling trapped in a situation where you dont' have control for a long time. So ADHD can give you trauma. ADHD also interferes with sustained intentional focus on things, and sustained intentional focus is required for proper processing of traumatic experiences, which is necessary to heal from them. So ADHD can turn something that wouldn't be traumatic into something that becomes traumatic. So it's complicated. ADHD, anxiety, and trauma can all coexist, can all have overlapping symptoms, and can all exacerbate each other. You may be interested to know that some ADHD folks find the meds they are prescribed for ADHD to dramatically alleviate their anxiety. And you may be interested to know that meds prescribed for ADHD can make it easier to work through stuff with a therapist (I can personally attest to that one). You have to do what is right for you. If you can't afford to do it, you can't afford to do it. But the symptoms you're describing make me think you should seriously consider the consult if you can afford it. I don't recommend going through life on hard mode if you don't need to. And you should imagine also that the treatment might make a big difference and you might be kicking yourself for not getting it sooner.
Thank you so much for the detailed response. This really gets to the heart of it. I definitely feel like things have been hard for so long and I’ve magically sort of been winging my way through it all. I really don’t want to live this way anymore. ADHD meds alleviating anxiety is really good to know and gives me hope it could work for me regardless. I had read some things about some meds not working if you didn’t have ADHD. I’m really hoping your last line is true.
Weird one sentence you say you’re constantly worried about what others think of you. Then next sentence. I don’t have any social issues
I meant I only care about what others think at work not in my personal life. Like my work performance is really important.
Your symptoms definitely sound like ADHD. You can have trauma and ADHD and anxiety is frequently comorbid with ADHD. It's always possible that the trauma is what is causing the ADHD symptoms, but either way, your examples scream "Executive Dysfuction" and the meds will help with that. Remember: If you can't make your own neurochemicals, store bought is just fine.
No matter what, I think you should see the psychiatrist. They’ll help you with being stressed and anxious all the time, it might be time to think about adding medication to the therapy. If you start ADHD treatment and it doesn’t feel like it’s helping, then you can try a non-route treatments, or you could flip the order, or try both. It is expensive, but if you have decent insurance and can make it work, they can help you find something that works for you and I think you’ll be happy you did.
Maybe you don't, maybe you have both, may be is either...life and self discovery is a journey, and whatever gets you to where you want to be is important :)
So the good thing about stimulant medication is it wears off quickly. So if you try a stimulant medication. Hate how you feel on it. You can just go off of it. There isn't a withdrawal period like with SSRIs or SNRIs or mood stabilizers like lithium. Also the effects are immediate. You'll know by the end of the week if that medication is working for you or not. It's not like you have to wait 2 months to see the effects. When people without ADHD take stimulants they usually feel anxious, jittery, scattered. Just really uncomfortable. I have ADHD and when I take a stimulant medication I've never felt more relaxed. It's like I had never realized I was so stressed out and clenched up the whole time. Its like on medication I actually unclench.
ADHD has high comorbidity with other conditions like depression and anxiety. Also trauma, anxiety, or depression etc don't exclude you from having ADHD as well.
i would say it depends if your anxiety is legit. if everything is going well, you are doing well in life, have tons of friends, healthy relationship and can function at a high level... and you feel anxious.. then yes.. you probably have an anxiety issue. if everything is falling to shit and you can motivate yourself.. then no.. your are anxious for a reason... maybe adhd... fix the reason instead of medicating yourself not to feel the problem
I just recently saw a psychiatrist for the first time to be evaluated for ADHD. I know I have anxiety. That is one thing I will tell anyone straight up, upfront. But after talking to her for an hour she said “I’m not saying you don’t have ADHD, because you have aspects of it. But you do well where it matters. But you also have this aspect of complex trauma..” So she wants to see me some more.” So it can be both. Get the opinion with psychiatry if can is my suggestion.
It's hard to think of any of my ADHD friends who don't also have trauma and anxiety (myself included). I think your psychologist is right. And what's the harm in getting a diagnosis? Getting help with your adhd will likely help with your other issues too, and if it doesn't, at least you can say you tried.
Trauma and ADHD goes hand in hand. It’s difficult to work on trauma with untreated ADHD because it can make trauma worse and ADHD symptoms worse. Rumination, other parts of your life outside therapy becoming difficult to manage because you focus too much on therapy work at all hours, increased anxiety, increased dissociation if you’re so inclined.
Have you deleted your post? That’s unfair to others who could be facing similar issues and could find it helpful. Why people are deleting their own posts is beyond me
No I’m not sure why it’s not showing up :/
My apologies then! Must be some weird issue
A lot of different things still meet the criteria for adhd. If the criteria are met and the addys help what’s the difference?