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ADHD, autism or complex trauma? [pdf]

228 points · 265 comments · skeptical1884

  1. E-Reverance · · focus · HN ↗
    > A diagnosis of ADHD or autism in adulthood often leads to incredible relief and grief in processing all the moments of being blamed and shamed for what was assumed to be a lack of effort, laziness and/or defiance.

    This is definitely a factor for me when I tried to get diagnosed (which failed lol), because my parents whom caused my trauma would obviously refuse to blame themselves for my emotionally stunted development

    1. b800h · · focus · HN ↗
      I find this fascinating. "Relief and grief", but one way or another, you were always in trouble or being blamed for being "you".

      The thing we call ADHD is just one phenotype amongst thousands. Every behaviour has a cause, and anyone out there who has been through a childhood with traumatic experiences and feelings of guilt and inadequacy need to understand that they don't need to be told that they have the currently-fashionable condition in order to forgive themselves.

      This sounds flippant, but I don't mean it to be: What if I said that this happened because you had Mercury in Taurus? The point is here that nothing is your fault. Conversely, everything is; this mirrors the free-will vs predestination paradox.

      1. 0x20cowboy · · focus · HN ↗
        > you were always in trouble or being blamed for being "you".

        And the solution in the article is: how do best make them conform, and “do a bunch of work on themselves” so they are not like themselves, but more like the average.

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