A difficult diagnosis. Controversies around PTSD and ADHD

The article touches on the diagnostic problems faced by psychologists, pedagogues, and psychiatrists who try to determine the psychopathology of the difficulties in the behaviours of children. The current study focuses on the analysis of the clinical picture and the genesis of the disorders occurring as a result of an extremely stressful event (PTSD) and also attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These disorders are full of diagnostic uncertainties when occurring in children. The analysis of the two disorders is based on the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5. The analysis of their etiology is based on the data concerning the functional characteristics of central nervous system. The article is summed up by an attempt to name the elements necessary for the differential diagnosis of the two disorders.