ABSTRACT
A psychodynamic understanding of the ADH syndrome may thus contribute to the discovery of the idiosyncratic psychic histories of these children. The literature review by K. Szymanski and colleagues explored the questions whether or not trauma is a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and whether or not ADHD could be seen as masking symptoms of trauma. Szymanski and colleagues identified trauma as a risk factor for ADHD claiming that the traumatic exposure substantially impacts a child’s ability to regulate his/her affect. The Frankfurt Effectiveness Study has offered differentiated insights into the biographical development of fifty children diagnosed as suffering from ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. Between 2003 and 2006 the Sigmund Freud Institute, in cooperation with the Institute for Psychoanalytic Treatment of Children and Adolescents, conducted the Frankfurt Prevention Study. However, the tension between empirical knowledge about ADHD versus knowledge gained from clinical experience remains.
