What about…

The sounds are killing me 🥹

You just summed up 2026.

These pics are by Chelsea Jade Neil

The former. Upside down cat on top of a dog snout.

Like @yucandu@lemmy.world said, it would need to be an fMRI, which is primarily used in research as far as I know. And while it alone could not tell you definitively “this person has ADHD,” it could help rule out other conditions (like TBI, which can also present similar to ADHD). Ultimately, your doctor is right that a standard MRI cannot diagnose it.

I like to combine the checklist with interviews (like DIVA, Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults) and computerized continuous performance tests, like QBTest. Of course, there is also a lot of observation and sometimes even asking humorous questions, like “Do you have The Chair^TM at home?”

The Chair^TM

Great question! To my knowledge, they are just starting to look into it, but with PTSD specifically, not CPTSD. There is this case study (n=1) and this pilot study (n=32) that show promise. They are recruiting people for more testing.

Preliminary evidence shows that it does help - and it makes sense. If cognitive deficits from PTSD are a result of an impaired executive function, then stimulants would help with those particular symptoms, much like in ADHD.

Here’s the thing though - the US healthcare system still doesn’t even have CPTSD as a diagnosis, so there is not too much research happening on the topic here. Considering how ADHD (especially in women) is also very understudied, there are so many variables we just don’t know or understand.

If you are interested in novel treatments of PTSD, I also recommend looking into blue light therapy. There is some promising results showing a reduction in symptom severity within 6 weeks of daily 30-min blue light exposure in the morning. Here is a systematic review that looks at 4 studies.

I would be down with that as long as it’s a viable way to diagnose (I don’t know enough off the top of my head about it).

Basically anything other than self-report and the clinician’s opinion would be nice.

I just started saying “guess you’re not going to heaven with that opinion” and walking away while their face gets red, steam starts coming out of their ears, and they start proving to you why they are the chosen ones.

For some reason it really bugs them.

Especially in women, like by a lot.

In my professional experience, it can be hard to tell between ADHD symptoms and CPTSD symptoms. The checklist is not a great way to diagnose people. We usually do a lot more assessments, I also use a computerized test to measure reaction time and error commission.

I wish we (therapists) at least had the option to order an MRI or recommend a doctor orders one in difficult cases (I can do the latter but they will just laugh at me).

Fetterman don’t need no stinking blackmail, he’s got brain damage.

He is conveniently one inch above the height cutoff.

Welcome to the club! The club of opossum posting because the world is bleak and life is short and opossums be opossuming.

If you aren’t subscribed to !opossums@lemmy.world you should be ☺️

Omg, would he be making that adorable krkrkrkrkrkr sound? I had a cat growing up and she would do that while looking at birds.

Edit: Story time because I can’t resist. I had this cat when I was living in Russia in a tall rise on the 9th floor.

And one time, she was sitting at the window, making that krkrkrkr or ekekekek… thankfully I came close to see what she was doing.

She saw a pigeon on the windowsill outside and jumped after him. I grabbed her and pulled her back in.

She would have fallen if not for that. We never kept the window open again. But…

She caught a whole-ass pigeon and dragged it, while it was bleeding and flapping its wings, all the way to the bathroom.

There, she hid behind the toilet and made those VOOOOOOOOOO sounds at us until we were finally able to catch her and get the bird out (sadly didn’t survive).

My cat went straight up feral that day.

I do believe that for him, the beating will continue post-mortem. You know, double tap and all that.

You’re onto something:

https://lemmy.world/comment/22286349