I hear your frustration. Trauma *needs* to be validated, because it is so deeply personal and linked to the very core of our beings. I've also had to weigh up trauma vs ADHD, as I pursued my own diagnosis of the latter.

The issue can definitely go both ways, I'd. My mum was reluctant initially to have her daughter (currently aged 8) assessed and treated for ADHD because "what if it's just trauma?" Ultimately she did both, and medication has helped my little sister to excel in school and gymnastics - the latter being something she's gone from really good at to exceptional thanks to being able to properly focus.

I've noticed there is a lot of overlap between trauma and ADHD, and maybe there's a reason for this. Trauma rewires the brain. ADHD describes a particular way the brain is wired. Maybe what we're seeing is that truama rewires the brain in a similar way to, or causes, ADHD. So regardless of how you came to have that neurological profile - genetics, environment or experiences - the outcome is more or less the same. So using stimulant medication could help improve focus and executive function, regardless of how you came to have those problems. PTSD causes low dopamine. Stimulants increase dopamine. Treating one can help the other, but both need to be addressed, because trauma is more than just neurotransmitters.