> http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-document...
> Diagnosis: ADHD-or Is It Trauma? Hyperactive, yes. Attention problems,
> check. But it's not ADHD.
> By Maia Szalavitz for MSN Health & Fitness Medically Reviewed By:
> George T. Grossberg, M.D.
> ...In Chemtob's 9/11 study, even children who saw people jump from the
> towers tended not to have  lasting problems. But preschoolers who had
> experienced multiple traumatic events were 16 times more likely to
> have attention problems-and 21 times more likely to be overly
> emotionally reactive and/or to show symptoms of depression and anxiety-
> than children who had not had such experiences.
> But, if other studies of similar children are a guide, many of these
> severely affected children would probably not meet criteria for post-
> traumatic stress disorder. Studies following children with known
> trauma exposure find that they are much more likely to suffer other
> anxiety disorders or depression than classic PTSD.
> Indeed, despite the high prevalence of potentially traumatizing
> experiences, less than half a percent of the children followed in the
> North Carolina study could be diagnosed with PTSD. However, 40 percent
> of those who had had such experiences qualified for at least one
> diagnosis, often depression or anxiety disorders.
> As a result, many traumatized children whose behavior has clearly been
> affected by their experiences aren't diagnosed with PTSD-or diagnosed
> at all. Chemtob notes that "virtually none" of the children in his
> study were getting any kind of treatment, despite symptoms severe
> enough to warrant it.
> page 2
> ...Trauma can also produce what's known as a "dissociative" reaction.
> When a threat is physically inescapable, the body prepares for injury
> by slowing heart rate and breathing. The brain is flooded with
> endogenous opioids-the brain's own painkillers-which cause numbness.
> In extreme cases, the person feels like he has "left his body" and is
> watching events from outside.
> A sight, sound, smell or memory can trigger a return to this state.
> "Children may space out and appear to be daydreaming," Putnam says.
> "They lose contact with reality and become involved in an internal
> world. Teachers see a child who is never paying attention. They still
> have their math book out when the teacher has moved on to history."
> Many children who are diagnosed with ADHD, Putnam believes, may
> actually be suffering from trauma. "There is probably a significant
> group of kids with traumatic hypervigilance or dissociation that
> interferes with attention and increases arousal and activity levels,"
> who are misdiagnosed, he says.
> What's worse, children suffering trauma symptoms actually have higher
> than normal levels of neurotransmitters like adrenaline and
> noradrenaline (norepinephrine), according to Putnam. These same
> transmitters are raised even further by stimulants like Ritalin that
> are commonly prescribed for ADHD.http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-document...

> http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-document...
> Diagnosis: ADHD-or Is It Trauma? Hyperactive, yes. Attention problems,
> check. But it's not ADHD.
> By Maia Szalavitz for MSN Health & Fitness Medically Reviewed By:
> George T. Grossberg, M.D.
> ...In Chemtob's 9/11 study, even children who saw people jump from the
> towers tended not to have  lasting problems. But preschoolers who had
> experienced multiple traumatic events were 16 times more likely to
> have attention problems-and 21 times more likely to be overly
> emotionally reactive and/or to show symptoms of depression and anxiety-
> than children who had not had such experiences.
> But, if other studies of similar children are a guide, many of these
> severely affected children would probably not meet criteria for post-
> traumatic stress disorder. Studies following children with known
> trauma exposure find that they are much more likely to suffer other
> anxiety disorders or depression than classic PTSD.
> Indeed, despite the high prevalence of potentially traumatizing
> experiences, less than half a percent of the children followed in the
> North Carolina study could be diagnosed with PTSD. However, 40 percent
> of those who had had such experiences qualified for at least one
> diagnosis, often depression or anxiety disorders.
> As a result, many traumatized children whose behavior has clearly been
> affected by their experiences aren't diagnosed with PTSD-or diagnosed
> at all. Chemtob notes that "virtually none" of the children in his
> study were getting any kind of treatment, despite symptoms severe
> enough to warrant it.
> page 2
> ...Trauma can also produce what's known as a "dissociative" reaction.
> When a threat is physically inescapable, the body prepares for injury
> by slowing heart rate and breathing. The brain is flooded with
> endogenous opioids-the brain's own painkillers-which cause numbness.
> In extreme cases, the person feels like he has "left his body" and is
> watching events from outside.
> A sight, sound, smell or memory can trigger a return to this state.
> "Children may space out and appear to be daydreaming," Putnam says.
> "They lose contact with reality and become involved in an internal
> world. Teachers see a child who is never paying attention. They still
> have their math book out when the teacher has moved on to history."
> Many children who are diagnosed with ADHD, Putnam believes, may
> actually be suffering from trauma. "There is probably a significant
> group of kids with traumatic hypervigilance or dissociation that
> interferes with attention and increases arousal and activity levels,"
> who are misdiagnosed, he says.
> What's worse, children suffering trauma symptoms actually have higher
> than normal levels of neurotransmitters like adrenaline and
> noradrenaline (norepinephrine), according to Putnam. These same
> transmitters are raised even further by stimulants like Ritalin that
> are commonly prescribed for ADHD.http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-document...