ADHD and Trauma: A Dissociative Disorder?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ADHD in the Psychoanalytic Consulting Room; Micro-dissociations Suggesting Psychic (Dis)equilibrium in Relation to Trauma
IRAS ID
312299
Contact name
James Norris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 22 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
With requests for ADHD assessments, and evidence of positive diagnosis on the rise (Furman, 2005, Polanczyk et al. , 2007) questions are starting to be asked about a potential for over/mis-diagnosis. Given that there is also increasing evidence for an overlap between some symptoms of ADHD and interpersonal trauma, there is a need to examine a trauma-based alternative to the current neurodevelopmental framework (Daud and Rydelius 2009, Szymanski et al. 2011) as a possibility for some cases. My experiences working within the NHS over the last decade has raised questions for me about whether this diagnostic confusion might be attributed to ‘micro-dissociations’, (Loewenstein, 1991) which I further develop to describe seconds-long dissociative episodes, which I have witnessed in both children with dissociative disorders, as well as children diagnosed with ADHD. These moments of possible dissociation are often triggered by thinking about things symbolically linked to trauma, in particular domestic violence. It is my theory that, for some people, the inattentive form of ADHD may be more accurately diagnosed as a dissociative disorder in response to this trauma. This project will attempt, through the use of clinical material from children diagnosed with the inattentive form of ADHD and who have experienced violence in their early years, and an operationalised description of such micro-dissociations, to demonstrate this link directly. It will do so by offering a year of weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapy to four such children and observing the treatment with reference to the operationalised determinant definition.Summary of Results:
The study found positive results in two areas. Firstly, it found evidence that, in children who have experienced domestic violence, periods of inattention and forgetfulness were trauma-related dissociation, and not always symptoms of ADHD. Secondly, it showed that psychoanalytic psychotherapy positively impacts these symptoms and reduces either their severity, and/or frequency.REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0201
Date of REC Opinion
3 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion