Was It ADHD, BDP or Was It Trauma?
A Personal Story: Misdiagnosis and Misunderstanding
My sister was misdiagnosed with ADHD.
She wasn't hyper. She was overloaded. The kind of overloaded that comes from emotional scanning, perfectionism, and living in a system that didn’t recognize the signs of chronic survival mode. But no one called it CPTSD. No one recognized the signs of a nervous system that had never known what calm actually felt like.
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Instead, she got a label that said, "Your focus is the problem. Your brain is disordered." When in truth, her brain was brilliant. It just never got to rest.
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That misdiagnosis shaped her view of herself. She had endured COVID—low energy, brain fog, emotional vulnerability—but no one made the connection. On top of that, she was holding down a high-pressure job that was a lot her nervous system to handle.
She wasn’t broken. She was overwhelmed. And no one stopped to ask why for years.
The Hidden Diagnosis: CPTSD Still Isn’t Official
To understand the invisibility of CPTSD, we have to talk about the DSM-5.
The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) is the handbook used by clinicians in the U.S. to diagnose mental health conditions. It shapes everything from insurance coverage to access to care.
But here’s the problem: CPTSD isn’t listed as an official diagnosis in the DSM-5. While it is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the ICD-11, it remains overlooked in the American psychiatric system.
That means many people dealing with the effects of long-term trauma are misdiagnosed—or never diagnosed at all. Their experiences get filtered through terms like ADHD, anxiety, or mood disorders, while the core trauma remains unaddressed.
And here's the part that still blows my mind: CPTSD isn’t even formally recognized in the DSM-5.
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That means millions of people are walking around with symptoms that get labeled as ADHD, BPD, anxiety, or depression—but their root trauma never gets addressed. Especially in women, especially in high-functioning people, especially in workplaces that reward burnout and punish sensitivity.
ADHD vs. CPTSD vs. BPD: What’s the Difference?
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurological condition that affects executive functioning, focus, impulse control, and attention. It is not caused by trauma, though trauma can exacerbate it. Many people with ADHD have vibrant, fast-moving minds that are wired for nonlinear thinking, creativity, and high stimulation. They often struggle in environments that demand quiet, stillness, or conformity.
CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a nervous system response to prolonged emotional, psychological, or physical trauma. It’s often rooted in childhood environments where safety, consistency, and attunement were missing. CPTSD can mimic ADHD symptoms—like distractibility, emotional reactivity, and difficulty completing tasks—but these behaviors stem from a threat-saturated nervous system, not a dopamine deficit.
The overlap is real. But the origin stories are not the same.
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BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) is a complex mental health condition that affects emotional regulation, self-image, and interpersonal relationships. It can stem from early trauma, attachment wounds, or environmental instability, and is often misunderstood or misdiagnosed—particularly in women.
BPD may show up with symptoms that overlap with ADHD and CPTSD: impulsivity, mood swings, emotional outbursts, and a deep fear of abandonment. But where ADHD is neurological and CPTSD is trauma-rooted, BPD reflects a patterned relational wound—a chronic struggle to feel secure, safe, and stable in the presence of others.
Too often, BPD becomes a catch-all label for people (especially women) who are overwhelmed, expressive, and emotionally reactive—but may in fact be carrying deep, unacknowledged trauma. We don’t have to flatten these conditions into blame. We can hold nuance and meet each one with curiosity and care.
What ADHD Deserves: Compassion, Not Blame
Let’s be clear: ADHD is real. It is not a moral failing. And people with ADHD are not lazy, broken, or dramatic. Many have internalized shame from school, work, or home environments that punished their differences rather than accommodating them.
If we’re going to be trauma-informed, we need to be ADHD-informed, too.
And we need to stop saying things like "bouncing off the walls" when we really mean "someone’s trying to find their regulation point."
Trauma in the Workplace: When Systems Misread Survival
Let’s talk about work.
When someone with a trauma-impacted nervous system enters a high-pressure environment, their coping mechanisms often look like distraction, disorganization, emotional reactivity, or tuning out. But what if we reframed that?
What if HR teams, managers, and team leads were trained to recognize the brilliance of a neurodivergent mind—not just tolerate it? What if we adjusted workstyles to match nervous system realities?
- Flex time for emotional regulation
- Noise-controlled workspaces
- Trauma-aware communication
- Weekly decompression, not just productivity tracking
The problem isn’t that neurodivergent minds can’t work. The problem is most workplaces haven’t done the healing required to lead with compassion, clarity, or flexibility.
Does Workplace Power Shift Help People with ADHD?
Absolutely. While the framework is trauma-informed, many of the tools in Workplace Power Shift also support those with ADHD:
- Boundary-setting scripts that reduce overwhelm and decision fatigue
- Techniques to protect emotional energy and minimize distractions
- Advocacy strategies for requesting workplace accommodations
- Legal language for navigating retaliation or non-compliance
- Mindset tools that reduce internalized shame and help reframe workplace worth
Because ADHD and CPTSD aren’t the problem. Inflexible systems are.
What You’ll Take Away from Workplace Power Shift:
- A clear understanding of how trauma and neurodivergence show up in the workplace
- Frameworks like DEAR MAN to set powerful boundaries with confidence
- A map for navigating toxic personalities, bias, and manipulation
- Legal awareness to protect yourself from retaliation or discrimination
- Daily rituals and strategies to help empaths and deep processors stay grounded
- Tools for documentation, exit strategy, and reclaiming personal power
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This isn’t about fixing yourself to fit the system. It’s about knowing how to spot the dysfunction—and lead yourself through it with power.
Download it today if you’re done being drained, blamed, or misunderstood.
Getting the Right Diagnosis and Treatment Plan
By looking at the whole picture, not just the behavior. Whether you're living with ADHD, carrying trauma, or simply overwhelmed by systems that never saw your brilliance, clarity is possible. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Questions to Ask Your Provider
Getting clarity starts with the right questions. Whether you're seeking a diagnosis or reassessing an existing one, consider asking:
- What’s the difference between ADHD and CPTSD symptoms?
- Could my environment or history of stress/trauma be affecting how my brain is functioning?
- What role does emotional regulation play in these conditions?
- What treatment options would support my nervous system, not just my focus?
- How do we explore a trauma-informed approach if that hasn’t been addressed?
These aren’t confrontational—they’re empowering. They signal that you're paying attention to root cause, not just symptom management.
Treatment Paths: ADHD, CPTSD, and BPD
For ADHD:
- Medication (such as stimulants) can be life-changing for many, especially when paired with coaching or therapy
- Support with executive functioning, task structure, and sensory accommodations
- Behavioral coaching, body-doubling, or tools that help externalize internal processes
For CPTSD:
- Somatic therapies like EMDR, SE (Somatic Experiencing), or IFS (Internal Family Systems)
- Nervous system regulation tools and trauma-informed coaching
- Relationship repair work and self-trust rebuilding
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For BPD:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is considered the gold standard
- Support groups, emotion regulation skill-building, and long-term therapy focused on relational patterns
Each condition is navigable. What matters is that your treatment reflects your truth, not just your labels. We appreciate you exactly as you are and are proud to support you on your healing journey.
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