The Authors describe the ADHD from a cognitive-evolutionary perspective and offer a short review of the main treatment used. The Authors propose an original model of treatment based on the Attachment Theory, in which the therapeutic relationship is the essential core and in which the EMDR treatment is integrated for the reprocessing of the early relational traumas (linked to the attachment history) and of the traumas caused by the ADHD symptoms (for example the school and social problems). The traumatic interpersonal experiences of the early stages of life produce a psychopathological vulnerabilità caused by the difficulties in the emotional regulation of the motherchild relationship. The Authors remind how the symptoms of the Developmental Traumatic Disorder could be easily confused with the ADHD, in which an important post-traumatic dimension can be recognized. Several studies have shown the efficacy of the EMDR therapy for children and adolescents.
Keywords: ADHD; EMDR; Trauma; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Attachment