Is it ADHD or Trauma?
I’ve had countless clients tell me that they feel they’ve developed late-life ADHD. Although ADHD usually manifests in childhood, these women report no ADHD symptoms until after they endured years of unrelenting yet cyclical abuse. Now they feel uncomfortable within their own bodies, and they’re unable to focus. Thoughts flutter here or there yet rarely land on one topic for longer than a few seconds, and they feel scattered and distracted. Yet sometimes they’re also hypervigilant, and can focus too much on certain things—such as their spouse’s behavior and betrayals.
Is it possible to suddenly develop ADHD as an adult? According to the DSM-5, in order to receive a diagnosis of ADHD, several symptoms must be present before the age of 12. When an adult is diagnosed with ADHD, it’s generally believed that the condition was always present, but went undiagnosed in childhood.