ADHD in Women

    I chose to watch the TedX video, “ADHD in Girls and Women,” with Martha Barnard-Rae. This topic has become more important to me recently because I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the beginning of the year. I wanted to expand my knowledge to better understand this diagnoses and how it effects women differently. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not usually talked about in women, so I think this video allowed me to better understand myself and this diagnosis. 

    As a person with ADHD, each day is a different struggle that is mentally exhausting. Will I wake up and have a clear mind to remember where I put my name badge and keys? Will I be able to concentrate to complete my test? Will I be able to remember all my due dates? Will I be too overwhelmed and overstimulated to go to a lunch with friends? Every day is a fight with your own brain, and these are just a few questions that I ask myself daily. Barnard-Rae helped me realize that I can still be a confident person with great aspects no matter how many things I forget in day. There is no need to be perfect, but it is a necessity to give your mind and body grace when learning how to work towards having more control. As the speaker mentioned executive function, all of the connections in previous lectures become more clear. Cognitive impairments have a huge effect on daily lives that consist of organization, thinking, planning, prioritizing, impulse control, and completing tasks. 

 

    There is such a stigma tied to ADHD and many misunderstandings that come along with the diagnoses. Before I was tested,  I never would have thought I would be diagnosed with ADHD because I am not a hyperactive person. After going through the assessment, I realized that I did not have to be hyperactive to have ADHD. There are 3 different types of ADHD: Inattentive type, Hyperactive type, Combined type. I learned fairly quickly that I showed traits of both inattentive and hyperactive types. Barnard-Rae described ADHD as not having a deficit of attention but that we have too much attention with less ability to control it. The paperwork clearly showed that something wasn’t working correctly and that many of my symptoms were supporting the diagnosis. ADHD exposes itself in the central nervous system with women, so it presents as headaches, anxiety, stomach aches, and sleepiness. Also, lower levels of dopamine present as being moody, frustration, tiredness, etc. Women in society, have being labeled as emotional, so I think most just learn to push through their feelings or thoughts to just keep going. In this way, we never address the problem because so much is expected out of us in our daily roles. 

 

    There are still so many things that can be learned about young girls and women with ADHD. It was not until 2002 that women had their own long-term study after not being included in any type of research until the late 1990s. After knowing what research shows now, I think we can better help patients in the future that do not quite know what their symptoms mean. Listening to our patients feelings and needs are the only way we can help treat them in a holistic way. I recommend everyone to watch this video. I will attach a link that provides more information on ADHD discussing symptoms, treatments, and lifestyle support to become more educated on this topic. The more we know, the more people we can help. 

 

Additional Link:

https://chadd.org/for-adults/women-and-girls-treatment-for-adhd-in-women-and-girls/

 

Barnard-Rae, M. (2022, May 18). ADHD in girls and women. TEDx Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybk2IzwV6Zg