This has been a subject of interest to me for a long time.
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD are almost identical to many other issues, and often result from childhood abuse or neglect, along with a chaotic home environment. These symptoms are very much like insecure attachment and have developmental implications.
The fact that people refer to ADD/ADHD as a neurological disorder rather than a mental disorder leads to misconceptions. All mental disorders are neurological, because the brain is affected. ADD/ADHD is a mental disorder because the diagnosis is in the DSM--which is the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders". It's therefore classified as a mental disorder. So the distinguishing by some seems to cause more confusion.
Sometimes children who have problems in school, such as concentration and trouble paying attention, poor performance, is the result of an unstable home environment, subject to poor parenting, etc. This children are diagnosed with ADHD/ADD and prescribed medications. Since the medications help, and will help people with these symptoms regardless if they have ADD/ADHD or not, nothing else is done. That is sad, but perhaps better than no intervention.
Later, these symptoms can appear with CPTSD/personality disorders. Childhood neglect and abuse can lead to later cognitive problems just like ADD/ADHD-impulse control, lack of focus/concentration, dissociation that manifests as inability to pay attention, motivational issues, anxiety, risk-taking/poor decision-making, overstimulation of the nervous system, and overall emotional dysregulation.
What happens is that psychiatrists treat these symptoms as ADD/ADHD instead of addressing the underlying root problems. Treating symptoms is pretty much what they do, regardless of etiology. It can be helpful for some, but sometimes at the detriment of addressing the underlying issues. This can hurt the patient, who later discovers they have multiple problems that were never addressed; many times these are the relational issues that go hand in hand with CPTSD/insecure attachment/personality disorders.
Lastly, the issue of heritability comes into play. Insecure attachment and personality disorders are passed down from parent to child; it's a cycle that gets repeated if the underlying cause of the symptoms remains unaddressed. That's one reason it's important to get an accurate diagnosis from an experienced psychologist rather than relying on a psychiatrist alone. IMO, psychotherapy is very important and should always be considered with potential ADD/ADHD when possible.
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