[Adult ADHD and borderline personality disorder: A pilot study on differences in attachment and early traumatization].

UNLABELLED: Adult ADHD and borderline personality disorder: A pilot study on differences in attachment and early traumatization

Objective

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood and borderline personality disorder (BPD) share commondiagnostic criteria.The present study examined how ADHD in adulthood can be distinguished from BPDregarding attachment style and traumatic experiences.

METHOD: The sample consists of N = 30 persons with 50% (n = 15) ADHD patients and 50% (n = 15) BPD patients. The patients were asked to fill out different questionnaires to investigate the criteria for specific symptoms.

RESULTS

The results show that most of the patients are insecurely attached. In addition, 80% of both the ADHD and BPD sample claimed traumatic experiences in their childhood or adolescence. Most frequently, patients reported traumatisation following emotional neglect and emotional abuse. No group-specific differences concerning traumatic experiences and the individual attachment style were determined.

CONCLUSION

The etiological factors attachment style and traumatic experiences are not suitable for differentiating ADHD in adulthood and BPD.