Operator Syndrome and ADHD: What Veterans Need to Know
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Operator Syndrome (OS) is an emerging clinical term describing a set of debilitating symptoms common among special operations and high-intensity military veterans. Though OS has long been attributed to chronic combat stress, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and repeated blast exposure, there is increasing evidence that a silent contributor— undiagnosed adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—is frequently overlooked. This paper explores the symptom overlap between ADHD and OS, discusses comorbidity with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and argues for a paradigm shift in how clinicians assess and treat cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues in combat veterans.
