Differences between ADHD/ADD and PTSD

Is there much of a difference between these conditions?

Also, can it sometimes take years for someone to exhibit symptoms of PTSD?

Hi E,

I am not a doctor, but I do have ptsd.

I think the symptoms are there, sometimes they go unnamed for sometimes. unless you remain in a situation that is making you suffer ptsd to begin with.
Then I think you can stay in survival mode until it is safe enough for you to show symptoms of any stress.

just my humble opinion.

str

Symptoms of ADHD

fidgeting with hands or feet
difficulty remaining seated
being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
difficulty awaiting turn in games or group activities
blurting out answers before questions are completed
difficulty in following instructions
difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
shifting from one incomplete task to another
talking excessively
interrupting or intruding on others
not listening to what is being said
forgetting things necessary for tasks or activities
engaging in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences


Symptoms of PTSD
sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you
impaired concentration
impaired learning ability (eg through poor memory and inability to concentrate)
hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia)
exaggerated startle response
irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts
panic attacks
hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical
obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause
feelings of nervousness, anxiety
reactive depression (not endogenous depression)
excessive levels of shame, embarrassment
survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others
a feeling of having been given a second chance at life
undue fear
low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence
emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy)
feelings of detachment
avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience



PTSD is caused by trauma, so there is a big difference between ADHD and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

As in terms of time when symptoms can occur, I think it is different with everyone.

Alright. I am going to get a look at whether or not I have PTSD.

One of the challenges I am facing is that when you experience these symptoms which are internal, how do you prove them? I have no proof of my experiences but the memories are like that atomic flash that went off in your life and those five years are like permanently burned into your scalp. How do you prove those since they are all internal without someone saying you are an attention getter?

I do fidgit with stuff when I am sitting down - I'll flip my cell phone in my hands, play with a pencil, etc...

Sometimes when some is talking with me I will not even notice they are saing anything to me and be thinking about a past event/

I elementary school I was a scrawny kid who got pushed, shoved, etc... I would swear back at the kids when they would do this stuff. My parents never taught me those important social skills when I was growing up so I never developed those necessary social skills.

I loved LEGO< Role Playing Games, my atari 2600. I didn't have a lot of friends but always had things to keep me busy. I never was into sports. I usually was quiet in schools and kept to myself. I will obsess about playing on my computer for hours on end drawing maps or building models for wargames.

People are diagnosing with ADD but I am beginning to think that I am being misdiagnosed and

When I do this stuff, I tend to keep myself so busy that I cannot think about things that are painful for me in my past because it keeps my mind busy and active. It is when I am at work or just resting that I end up "thiking" about the past and then those memories come back, and I will end up becoming anxious, etc...