ADHD Is Different for Women

As a child, I showed signs of what we now know was my ADHD, but back in the 90s, not enough research was done to understand that girls and women experience ADHD differently. As a result, it was thought to be a boy's disorder, and that it faded with time.

This is all incorrect. As many of us grew older, we began to develop coping skills, but in a world increasingly full of distractions, living with ADHD has become more difficult than ever before. This has led to an increase in the diagnosis across the board, among people of all genders and all ages. I was diagnosed at forty-one years old, and as I have aged, my symptoms have grown increasingly difficult to cope with. As the speaker in this talk says, the strategies work until they don't.

I've learned what masking is and when and how I've been doing it. I've learned why these things I struggle so hard with are things I struggle withーand that it doesn't mean I'm a failure or a bad person.

Starting on medication and learning about ADHD has been nothing like what I expected. I'm still fine-tuning things and learning more and more, but what I've learned and experienced since my diagnosis has been nothing short of miraculous.