If you identify as a woman and are navigating the unique challenges of ADHD while building your professional journey, we’d love to hear from you.

This 5-minute anonymous survey aims to better understand your challenges, interests, and needs. Your insights will help shape solutions designed to truly support and empower the community. Thank you for being part of this important conversation. Your perspective matters more than you know!

Boys, girls, women, men and non-binary folk all have unique challenges with ADHD. However, since I identify and have lived experience as a woman, this is a good space for me to explore our particular challenges.

The recent increase in adult ADHD diagnoses has been in a large part due to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. The penny often drops for them as they look at the “symptoms” checklist and see themselves described. As well, COVID inspired more adult diagnoses as adults struggled with unexpectedly being forced to work from home; working around children and/or working without some of the structures that previously made everything “doable”.

Statistically, girls are being diagnosed with ADHD at 12 years old, compared to boys who are diagnosed on average at 7 years old. That means that girls could be missing out on 5 years of treatment (more on this below) that has the potential to change the trajectory of their lives. Early intervention is shown to prevent further mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. CADDAC (Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada) has a policy paper on this. Unfortunately, 46% of women are misdiagnosed with another mental health condition disorder before being diagnosed with ADHD.

It is critical for girls and women to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. Currently, the gold standard of treatment for ADHD is had four elements (and not necessarily in this order):

1. Medication
2. Counseling (including ADHD informed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – CBT)
3. Coaching
4. Exercise/Physical Activity

Numbers two and three above should include education about ADHD (including your “personal” version of ADHD and how it shows up in your life), executive functions, emotional regulation, social and cultural expectations of women and the impact of hormones at different life stages.

Resources:

ADHD Roadmap Coaching – Hey that’s me! 😉

ADHD Women’s Centre

Linda Roggli Self-described ADD Diva

Dusty Chipura Focus on pregnancy and ADHD

Stephen Hinshaw, Researcher on Women and ADHD, Author, Advocate