E45 - ADHD in women, adult diagnosis - The Hidden World of Women

2022-07-11

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Why are we hearing about more women being diagnosed with ADHD as adults? Why were they not picked up and diagnosed in childhood? What does ADHD look like in women? ADHD looks very different in girls and women to the stereotype of the naughty boys who are disruptive and destructive, always in trouble and doing the wrong thing. It can look like fidgeting, hyper focus, or an inability to concentrate, overachieving or zoning out. It can look like 200 different hobbies (often the supplies are just gathering...

Why are we hearing about more women being diagnosed with ADHD as adults? Why were they not picked up and diagnosed in childhood? What does ADHD look like in women?

ADHD looks very different in girls and women to the stereotype of the naughty boys who are disruptive and destructive, always in trouble and doing the wrong thing. It can look like fidgeting, hyper focus, or an inability to concentrate, overachieving or zoning out. It can look like 200 different hobbies (often the supplies are just gathering dust). It can look like DOOM piles (did not organise, only moved), it might look like anxiety or depression, it might be sensory seeking or sensory overload or it might be….oh look a butterfly!

There are three categories of ADHD; hyperactive-impulsive, inattentive and combined so it really can look very different in different people.

In this episode I spoke with Angela, a qualified and successful health professional, who talked about her process of being diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. Angela spoke about how ADHD impacts her executive functioning which is the skills required to facilitate the behaviours required to plan and achieve goals. Angela also spoke about her history with anxiety and depression in the past and questions whether they were actually symptoms of the self-criticism and downward spiral of negative and degrading commentary that constantly ran through her mind that came from the undiagnosed ADHD. Angela also speaks about some of the strategies that she uses to support her functioning and how her life has changed for the better in the six months since diagnosis.

In the episode Angela spoke about some resources:

How to ADHD on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/howtoadhd

ADHD WA: https://www.adhdwa.org/

ADHD Australia: https://www.adhdaustralia.org.au/

Angela has also put together a list of resources that will be published on the Women’s Health and Wellbeing Service https://whws.org.au/ blog in the next week.

Thank you Angela for sharing your story so openly and sharing about your experiences so far on your journey to diagnosis and how far you have come.

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