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Delet3r t1_j637vz7 wrote

Reply to comment by legomolin in Childhood abuse may alter brain function in adults. Study found people who experienced abuse during childhood (but not adolescence) experienced altered functioning in the brain for systems associated with perceptual processing and attention. by MistWeaver80

Pretty sure they've shown that abuse doesn't cause ADHD.

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TheNWTreeOctopus t1_j63p0yr wrote

Who is they? Honest question. I've been doing research on links between generational trauma and anxiety/developmental/learning disorders. Every part of a mother's environment and internal state effects their children. Sure, abuse doesn't cause ADHD. Depending on who and when the trauma is inflicted but it sure seems like it can contribute to it on a biological level.

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Delet3r t1_j63qksc wrote

Don't remember exact studies. I've just googled it a few times and everything I find says "ADHD not caused by abuse".

Even anecdotally, I know plenty of people who dealt with abuse, but don't have ADHD. Anxiety and depression but not ADHD.

ADHD is an executive function disorder which also is what happens when people are under extreme stress. It's why ADHD is often mistaken for anxiety etc.

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legomolin t1_j640c9p wrote

A causal effect doesn't need to be 100% to still exist. Not saying it is causal, just don't think it's fully known yet.

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legomolin t1_j64035p wrote

Do you have any references that abuse can't cause ADHD?

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legomolin t1_j63zs9o wrote

I'm definitely all ears for sources on this. As far as I know there is a clear two way association between ACE and ADHD in longitudinal studies, but the size of an eventual causal effect is still very much unknown. The symptom overlap with childhood trauma is big and ADHD is a diagnosis that's defined symptomatically.

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Delet3r t1_j6408a2 wrote

My kids showed signs of ADHD super young, and we were the "don't spank kids it's abuse" type family. Our parents kept telling us to spank them, leave them alone at night to sleep etc.

We weren't perfect but definitely not abusive.

Edit:

https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/adhd-and-adverse-childhood-experiences#:~:text=Because%20of%20their%20traumatic%20nature,%2C%20hyperactivity%2C%20or%20emotional%20outbursts.

ADHD is often REPORTED as ADHD by parents, but misdiagnosed.

ADHD is executive function disorder, similar to high levels of stress. That's why parents confuse stressed kids with ADHD kids.

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