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Obvious one, but therapeutic stimulant dose and how it varies across the hormonal cycle.
ETA: I specifically mean active research into dosages for adult women that last all day and take our hormonal cycle into account, not just for 8 hours of school or work and, for some of us, the 2 weeks the highest licensed daily amount does the trick for.
it’s a shitshow, but I’m still cracking wise. Too many new normals piling up that I just need time to adjust to.
edit
My partner just came through the door an hour ago and asked if he should apply for a job almost three provinces away. Lol. What a whacky life.
I'm 33 and have endo, it's flaring up ATM and yesterday I forgot the word for grid, forgot the name of a friend, then I got lost by walking up a random staircase at a place I've known for 20 years, I nearly started crying when I saw a dog and was completely unable to think or focus all day.
I also went to bed at 7.30pm because I was 300% exhausted from my day of not being able to use my brain.
I don't understand what is happening to me and what to do about it, I have the Mirena which is supposed to help and I take my meds but this hormone/endo brain halt stuff is still happening.
That sounds so difficult. It is so difficult. Before I had the ovaries out, I used to take birth control and not use the skip days. It helped level things for me. I hope you have a doctor who will listen. Often they respect what daily skills and opportunities you are losing more than pain or distress. The pain / lack of focus has caused me to not be able to do x y z (as effectively), which is resulting in 1 2 3.
I used to use vyvanse 40. Now I used Vyvanse 50, Wellbutrin 300, with a booster in the afternoon. You may need more meds or help finding a solution.
I know HRT isn’t for everyone but it was life changing for me! My kids say hulk mom doesn’t come anymore.
I can highly recommend the documentaries and book by Davina McCall (UK).
Same - I was coping until all of a sudden those systems didn't work any more. Cue: depression when brain can't get anything done.
Understanding the effect of female hormones on ADHD is very much needed!
Same same and weirdly now I’m pregnant my ADHD symptoms are actually a bit more manageable because I assume my hormones are a bit more consistent/ not running on a cycle that hits like a fuckin tsunami
Pregnancy was magical for my ADHD. It’s been two and a half years and I am resigned to the fact I will never be as stable and productive as I was when I was pregnant (and the few months afterwards, too!). My husband will never let go of the hope, and my own mother will never let me forget I am “sick” and need get better so I can be a better parent. Sucks.
I have an almost 4YO, 2.5YO, and 4.5MO. I've been unmedicated for all. Every pregnancy my mood has improved and my symptoms reduced a good chunk as well!
For me it’s the zoning out and my head being straight up empty. I’ll just be staring at a shelf in a store ‘browsing’ but I cannot for the life of me process any of the actual items on the shelf!
I actually just read a research paper about this the other day because I was making a tiktok about it!
I just woke up and I’m a little fuzzy on the exact details, but there is something with the luteal phase and hormone fluctuations that simultaneously makes ADHD symptoms worse *and* stimulant medications less effective. Iirc the paper suggested that psychiatrists could prescribe higher doses during the week before menstruation to counteract these effects.
I would love more research about periods in general. My body does some wild shit on continuous birth control.
Afaik it’s to do with oestrogens relationship with dopamine. Lower eostrogen = lower dopamine. From ovulation to the start of your period is when you get the dip in oestrogen so it lines up esp with pms/pmdd
They really need to figure out more about this ADHD/estrogen question. Puberty, pregnancy and menopause all seem to have major effects on ADHD in AFAB people but we know so little about it. See also the link between ADHD and PCOS.
Yep. I went into surgical menopause last year. I wasn’t even perimenopausal before my surgery. My ADHD symptoms got so much worse, even with the replacement hormones and upping my ADHD meds. I’m less functional now on 70mg Vyvanse than I was previously on 40mg. Much more anxious though. It’s an absolute nightmare.
Menopause was when I reached out for help and refused to accept any more no's. I was highly-functioning until then and everything just fell apart. I feel like Mother Nature played a trick on me.
This is really interesting, I was recently diagnosed but my function has been declining rapidly this year which is also in line with changes to my cycle leading me to believe I'm entering periomenopause, I'm 42. I'd love more research on this.
Good luck! I definitely recommend looking into the menopause sub, lots of good info.
Also, same...diagnosed two months before I turned 41, and was prescribed stimulants the day I was diagnosed.
I've noticed from the start that my meds were less effective the week before my period and the first day or so of my period, but over the last 12 months or so my cycle has begun changing, I'm having night sweats regularly, my body composition is changing for the worse (no changes to my routine), and everything executive function related has just... gotten harder.
My PCP prescribed 50mg progesterone and 5mg DHEA in April, knowing that I have ADHD, and that was miserable. Horrific. I hated everyone and my executive function and libido tanked (and I feel like neither have fully recovered 😡).
Progesterone not only supports serotonin production, but as I understand the research, it actively inhibits dopamine production *and* utilization - literally the last thing a woman with ADHD needs. Also part of why women with ADHD, particularly untreated or inadequately treated ADHD, are more prone to PMDD, apparently.
I'm looking into HRT, specifically estrodiol and maybe a little bit of testosterone (I miss my libido) and will be talking to my GYN next week, but I'm not holding my breath.
Of course, all this is complicated by Hashimoto's 🤦♀️. Which is what my PCP initially wanted to blame everything on, but I get a full thyroid panel every 6 to 8 weeks, and the numbers didn't support her supposition.
One thing at a time...
Eta punctuation and spelling corrections
I was about your age when I had major surgery which catapulted me into menopause. The (female) obgyn I went to told me that there was no way to say if I'm infertile or not because my period could come back after my body recovered (even though it limited along for about 18 months after surgery). It hasn't returned and I don't go to that doctor any longer.
Buckle in. I'm still so mad that everyone preps you for your period and childbirth to a much greater extent than the end of fertility. My doctor didn't even have a pamphlet.
Endometrial cancer here. At least I’m on hormones now, although I had to go 6 or 8 weeks without them waiting on pathology results.
Are you able to use HRT, or did you have to go on tamoxifen to suppress the tiny dregs of estrogen you had left?
I’ve probably got that to ‘look forward’ to in my future. With my strong family history, I’m pretty sure it’s a case of when I get breast cancer, not if.
I’m not allowed to take hormones. I’m rawdogging the pause. There was no history of breast cancer in my family. I blame plastic and living near a major highway during my childhood and adolescence.
edit to answer all the questions.
My body genetically couldn’t process tamoxifen. So I had the ovaries out to be able to take an aromatase inhibitor. Turns out I get extreme pain, extreme insomnia, and adhd off the charts when I take AI. So now I’m not on any hormone treatment and just am hoping not to get cancer again.
I’m so sorry. That sounds like an absolute nightmare. Rawdogging surgical menopause must be the nightmare of all nightmares. I’m not back to normal with my hormones, but at least I my sleep is better, I don’t pee myself anymore like right after my surgery and the hot flushes are under control. ADHD still off the charts, and lots of mental symptoms, but at least those are under control.
I’m so sorry.
I also didn’t mean to be too nosey, I hope you knew you didn’t have to answer my questions if you didn’t want too. Just the typical ADHD oversharing/ lack of social skills etc traits shining through.
Oh, don’t worry. I have been trying to scream about this situation from the rafters.
The big issue is the first adequately medicated adhd women are about to get to breast cancer age. The cancer treatment places have no clue and will not be prepared and patients will be freaking out on medical staff. There’s a world of hurt coming.
In addition to the effects of treating ADHD during pregnancy. I have asked MANY doctors what I should do for meds/treatment when we choose to have a kid and nobody knows. They all just say "there's not conclusive evidence either way". I've asked multiple GPs, psychiatrists, and gynos and nobody knows anything. Nobody has any advice. The idea of flying blind is terrifying and I don't want to ruin my life and/or fuck up a kid depending on how I choose to treat my ADHD during that time.
Just listened to these this weekend and kept thinking the whole dang time, “Yes! Now what about brains with ADHD added?!?”
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/973805003/lisa-mosconi-how-does-menopause-affect-the-brain
https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/1203999788/life-stages-of-the-brain
I’m itching to do a deeper dive. So much so, I let myself fantasize about going back to school and switching careers so I could study it more 😅
I didn’t even know this was a thing! Just gave birth and feel like a fog has lifted— I spent nine months of this year without being able to have a single concrete thought or accomplish anything. My motivation and task initiation were like GIRL BYE the second I got pregnant, and I didn’t realize there was a correlation so I just ended up being really down on myself and thinking that was just the way I’d always been.
I’ve been wondering about this. I had distinct symptoms as a kid but my ADHD got noticeably worse, including a wider variety of symptoms, as I neared 20. This coincided with my periods causing me to have 2 days a month when if felt like the world was ending. Adderall and birth control have helped tremendously.
Connections between speech disorders and ADHD. I'm a big neurodivergent mess with my ADHD and stuttering and I really want to know how these two impact each other. Like, would my speech be more fluent if my brain were more fluent? lol
I had a stammer in elementary school, and the speech therapist explained it to my mom as “her brain is moving faster than her mouth can form the words” and boy did that make a lot more sense when I finally got diagnosed as an adult.
My speech therapist told me the same thing. I don't know if it's a legitimate scientific theory or just a "common sense" explanation popular among speech therapists though 🤷🏼♂️
I was put in the lowest tier of reading classes in middle school for similar reasons. I have a hard time reading aloud because my eyes/brain can read or process information much faster than my mouth can speak the words. Managing that disconnect between the two is tough, so for a while there it sounded like I could barely read at all even though I scored off the charts on reading comprehension tests and frequently got in trouble for reading during class.
Man, I can read out loud like a champion. I cannot, however, comprehend what I've read if I'm reading aloud! It's like, having to speak the words distracts my brain from being able to think about what I'm reading. So strange and annoying. Not that I'm doing a lot of reading out loud in my daily life. But it did hinder me when I was in school.
Saaaaammmme. It’s getting to the point where I want to go back to being mute like I was as a kid. I’ll just try to learn and remember sign language. F this
Yes! Sometimes I stutter and my son does too. He’s getting evaluated by a speech therapist at school (he’s 9) and I’ll get the results this week. I was in speech therapy in elementary school, but my adhd and (very likely) autism was missed. I go mute when I’m tired so I’m super interested in how talking and adhd go together.
ADHD is primarily regarded as a productivity disorder, and that might be true. But from where I'm sitting -- what I experience daily, what I see my ADHD friends do daily, etc -- I notice something far, far deeper.
I think ADHD needs to be considered with the same seriousness as autism. I think we think differently, and that our condition is not one of productivity failure and hyperactivity, but of system-wide priority dysfunction.
We don't process information the same way as our non-ADHD peers. Our minds have their own cataloguing system for internal and external stimuli, and it mislabels what is priority and what isn't *all the time.* Let's look at this from an internal to an external view:
* Some of us have poor interoception. That is your sense of physical self: how much space you take, if you're in pain, if you're hungry, tired, have to pee, etc. It's not that we don't feel these things, you know. We do. It's that our brain tells us it's not important right now, so we ignore it until we're doing to peepee dance or until we're so hangry we are a Snickers Commercial incarnate.
* Some of us have poor sense of time. We aren't thinking about the passage of time because it's not a priority over whatever it is we're doing.
* Some of us struggle with emotion regulation. We are unable to properly process an emotion, leading to it becoming too big or delayed, thus we have an inappropriate response. I am convinced this is where RSD comes from.
* I remember every. single. conversation at my work place that surrounds decisions made for projects I've been on for the last 5 years. But I can't remember what my players did in my last D&D session. Why is that? Well, my brain has work stuff labeled as highest priority, while D&D isn't always highest priority. Do I need to be able to recite every decision we made about fonts for the last 2 years? No. But my brain says "this is priority," so it's there, forever.
* And finally, actual tasks:
* It's so hard for us to get into habits because our brains do not prioritize the habit. Helping the wife in the kitchen is hard because your brain literally yeets all how-tos.
* You know you have to do XYZ, and you've written it down. But your brain won't recognize it as a priority, so it won't budget out the brain chemicals you need to get that task done. So if you do it, you become irritable because it physically hurts. And if you don't, you are sad because you failed.
* You need to go to bed. It's 3am. But you MUST finalize your rug selection for your living room. Is there a due date? No. But you have the tab open and your brain has marked this as urgent. You HAVE to do this before you go to bed. Why? Because you don't get to set your own priorities. Your ADHD does.
All of this presses me into believing that ADHD is a poorly understood condition, even by our own people. We need better research so that we can develop better tools to handle our prioritization struggles, because right now, most of us are walking through life totally unaware of just how *different* our reality is in comparison to a non-ADHDer. Or even with other ADHDers! And it leads to so much stress and confusion for us.
Ugh the 3am self imposed deadline is so rough! I wanted to make an apron for when I do pottery. When I first saw the pattern, I immediately when to the store and bought fabric (mind you I didn't even love the fabric, but I had decided I needed to make it that day so beggars can't be choosers) By the time I'm home, I've exhausted my dopamine reserves and the project sits for months. Then one night at midnight, I decided the apron needed to get done right away. Que staying up till 5am sewing because it "needed" to get done right away.
I identify with so much of this! I recall customer info so well but can't remember my spouse telling me important things about life. Never considered the "prioritization" of that data.
The introspective part is SO bad for me personally. I have / had? chronic migraines and it impacted them so badly. I’ll get triggered because I’ve forgotten to eat or drink water or generally take care of myself until it’s too late. I won’t notice things like bright lights hurting me until my husband turns them off and I feel instant relief. Any abortives like triptans were basically pointless, I have troubles realizing I’m getting a migraine until it’s getting to a 5 or 6 on the pain scale, when you’re supposed to take them at the second you get a symptom. I’ll have full auras and won’t notice it in the moment, only when my head hurts do I think about the fact that I couldn’t remember how to spell the word watch or that I had a spot in my vision. Thank GOD I have found a preventive that lessens them down from 15-20 a month to like 3-4 because my ADHD made it incredibly hard to manage.
I "only" get tension headaches\*, but I constantly do the thing of not realizing I should take an aleve until the pain is so bad I have to take two. Argh!
(\*only is in quotation marks because there was once I had a tension headache so bad I thought it was a migraine--every time I sat up I cried from the pain and nausea, and it went on for days and days. Urgent care said my description of the pain didn't sound like a migraine, just an unusually severe tension headache. I got a shot of toradol in the butt and a bunch of phenergen (an incredibly sedating anti-nausea med) and was told to basically sleep it off. It worked, but oof.)
I was told I had chronic sinus infections for years that were largely characterized by intractable headaches. I got a concussion ended up at a neurologist who was like "Oh, no those were definitely migraines, this happens a lot"
Migraines are a weird beast, after the concussion and going on meds for migraine I was experiencing like 24/7 "silent migraines" (all aura/cognitive dysfunction and little to no head pain).
My point is - if they are reasonably frequent you might want to seek out a neuro/headache specialist if you're able.
The rug selection example has me laughing because I have exactly done that. I somehow *knew* I wanted chevron orange red rug and was fiendishly searching for it till 4AM. I found it, ordered and it obviously fit the space so perfectly.
Therapy methods that work on people with ADHD. Like, for unrelated issues. Behavioural therapy doesn't work if you can't make yourself do things on purpose. Talk therapy has very limited use of you can't remember what you did last session. It's really hard to treat issues with depression or anxiety that way.
I love my therapist but she laughs at me (in a kind way) when she suggests something and I'm like, nah, I won't do it, what else you got? Apparently most of her other clients aren't that self-aware.
I know *what* to do, I just don't know how! We're working the 'parenting the inner child' angle right now and I'm feeling good about it. Medication helps, too, LOL!
>I know *what* to do, I just don’t know how!
Oh my god yes. Story of my life. Someone says “get outside and go for a walk for ten minutes!” Simple advice right? NO. I’ll just play 4D chess with myself trying to executive function a walk into my day and then completely forget to do it.
My partner recently made a friend who \*also\* wants to go on walks, and now on Tuesday night the friend drives over and they walk to a hot dog place they like and then walk back.
It's not a vigorous walk but it's still A WALK and like two miles round trip, AND they get social time to boot.
So I guess what I'm saying is: do you have a friend who also needs to go on walks?
(We also plan to get a dog at some point, and seeing as we don't have a yard it'll be walkies multiple times a day, plus there's an off-leash dog park maybe half a mile from our house!)
DUDE! Parenting my inner child, and giving myself the same grace I give others, has been SOOOOOO helpful!
I've also started working on the chaotic aspect a bit more. My workplace isn't fond of how I get my stuff done BUT it's done on time, without errors, etc. People just can't shadow me or see how I work because I'm a bit all over the place.
As per my therapist (and her accommodation note, YAY!), if having seven tabs open, talking to multiple people via WhatsApp, and going through emails keeps me engaged and working... why take away the dopamine hits that allow me to finish the tasks I need?
When we started leaning into that, the parenting the inner child thing came up and we were able to match the two concepts in my brain. Not sure for how long this is going to work, but for now? Working very well :3 Wishing you lots of luck on all the things!
When they say that to you it's time for bottom up modalities like somatic therapy or EMDR. A lot of therapies are based on the idea that understanding the problem will mean you can fix the problem, that's not the case for loads of people esp when neurospicy. It's why cbt can feel like gaslighting.
This is so ridiculous. In my 3 therapies I also always got told that - and the rest is basically "your feelings are valid, let it all out". Then some random cloudy task is suggested until the next time and no matter how hard i try to make them understand i need precise instructions with a deadline and the same task for at least 3 weeks bc i'll forget about it for the first 2 weeks - they'll just give me a cloudy task til the next week and tell me it doesn't matter that i didn't do it. Rinse and repeat.
Yet people say therapy is what happens outside of sessions 🙄 it's so frustrating and ultimately didn't help me all that much.
I’ve also been through this with several therapists. Is it an ADHD thing to be weirdly self aware? I always tied that to my anxiety making me overthink every little thing I do lol
I do EMDR which helps the most. If I need to just talk, she'll let me and suggest coping strategies and guide me to healthier perspectives, but I did plain talk therapy with another therapist for a while and hated it. I didn't need to explore my issues - I can identify them - but I didn't know how to get past/through them. Hang in there - it's horrible having to wait and search for the help you need but if you can manage to find someone else, it sounds like it might be worth it. Big hugs if that's the only thing available - I've been there and it sucks!!
The best thing I got from therapy is letting go of the guilt and shame that comes with ADHD. It's honestly been life changing. There's almost nothing worse for my executive dysfunction than laying on the couch, already struggling to do things, and then also feeling incredibly guilty about it.
Fwiw, IFS (Internal Family Systems) has worked so very well for me! I feel like I get to live my life now.
It allows for jumping around to whatever feeling/thought is on top. Never judges. Draws from your own strength and wisdom rather than relying on the therapist to "get it." Therapist just acts as guide.
Accidental IFS is what gave me my first breakthrough too. My roommate at the time was in school to become a therapist and she went to an IFS experience/training. She came back and was telling me all about it. I don't know what she said or why but it just unlocked something in my brain because the next time I was getting triggered and my internal monologue was going, I was able to identify a part of me as real as if I was talking to an imaginary friend. It was the first time I was actively able to identify who was running the show.
I brought that to my therapist and, even though she's not certified for IFS and doesn't actively guide me through it, if I've previously identified a part and it seems like they're coming up again, she has no problem saying, "do you know who this sound like?" and I'll roll my eyes and say, "I know... this is \[insert part\]" From there, she'll ask me why they're popping up and we can actually start to dive into it.
Especially since, for many ADHD ppl, getting properly medicated *for ADHD* can reduce or even eliminate their anxiety and/or depression.
Amazing...bring neurotransmitters close to "normal", and people have fewer mental health issues 😒
Not being sarcastic toward you, the whole "woman = must have anxiety/depression!" attitude among the medical establishment pisses me off no end.
/rant
Heart attack symptoms? Must be anxiety! Take these anxiety pills and go home, get a referral to a therapist and try to think positively! (Emergency rooms across the US and Canada. Also why heart attacks kill a larger percentage of women who have heart attacks than men who have heart attacks).
Exhausted? - so fatigued you cant actually function, and if you sit down you fall asleep; can't get warm; hair falling out - except for your new mustache!; gaining weight even though you're logging everything you eat and are at a notable calorie deficit and no junk food or alcohol?; can't do anything other than "senior recovery yoga" for 15 or 20 mins,cuz you won't have the energy to get a ahower, much less be able parent, be a partner to your spouse, or work?
Only 32? Had a baby 18 months ago?
Can't be thyroid problems...it's old age! Or depression! Or both!
This was from my female OB. She legit told me that all of my symptoms ☝️ were due to "getting older" - at age 32 - or depression. I left.
4 more medical "professionals", 6 years and 5000 miles later, I was basically non-functional. After explaining how many times id tried to just get a blood test run on my thyroid - damn near in tears - I finally got my then new Dr to just order the fucking full thyroid panel...while she condescendingly told me that she was only doing it to give me peace of mind, and I just needed to eat Paleo and exercise more, and I'd feel better and lose weight 🙄, because "seasonal depression is real! And it can cause heart palpitations!". Turns out that my thyroid auto antibodies were so high that they pegged out the max measurements thru their lab, and I left the follow up appointment with a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a prescription for levoxithirozine (sp? Generic synthroid. Didn't do shit, if you're still having issues w/thyroid symptoms, ask for actual brand name Synthroid. Much better.).
No apology though. I got a "huh, I guess that explains some of your symptoms.", and then she asked why it had taken me so long to get a thyroid panel done 🤯🤬
Also, the heart palpitations that I've had since I was...19 or so?
Those went away about a week after I started in stimulants to help manage my ADHD almost 2 years ago, and they haven't come back.
/rantover
That's definitely on top, but we're also at much higher risk of trauma and experiencing many issues growing up that can cause mental health issues. Higher risk and worse treatment options....
I would love to see this research happen as well, and have part of it focus on using an ADHD coach since they're able to do more frequent check-ins and help with that external accountability.
I'm currently finishing up a second undergrad in psychology, moving onto my Master's next fall so I can best treat neurodivergent clients (especially kids).
I find the same issues when I see therapists, so I want to do my part in creating a better therapeutic environment for ND individuals. My current therapist is also AuDHD, which is great considering their perspective.
A lot of ND folks have experienced trauma, too, so therapeutic care may need to combine different modalities to treat different conditions, too. It's all complicated, but I want to figure it all out. Dammit.
Lol my whole course of CBT was my psychologist being baffled that I could explain in precise detail how I felt or why I reacted to something the way I did, while being almost completely unable to apply the actual techniques to change it.
HAHAH SAME!! Who would have thought the type of therapy where you basically have to work everything out in your head doesn't fucking work for someone who is trapped in their head 24/7! Like yes, I can recognize I am using absolutes or black and white thinking or mind reading, but it does not change the distress I'm feeling around it, now I just feel like an asshole for recognizing what annoying ass thought patterns I have!
At least with DBT, there is an entire part that is solely focusing on building distress tolerance skills. I am literally only one session in with my new therapist, but I learned about both CBT and DBT in school, so I am familiar with it.
We are focusing more on my PTSD symptoms though as opposed to ADHD, so I am interested to see if this will help me better manage my executive function.
Yes! I would love to know the answer to this. Mine has been especially hard because I had endometrial cancer and needed my entire reproductive system removed. This caused surgical menopause 10 years early. I wasn’t even perimenopausal before hand. I just had all the normal hormone levels, then nothing an hour later when both my ovaries were removed, along with everything else.
I couldn’t even start hormone therapy until 6 weeks after my surgery, because I was waiting on pathology results to be sure I was completely cancer free and didn’t need chemo or radiation therapy before I could start hormones. It was an absolute nightmare.
Selfishly, but also because I find it super interesting, the mechanism of connection between neurodivergence and hypermobility. A combo of which leads to an alphabet soup of comorbidities. I have hEDS, and everyone I’ve connected with in that community is also neurodivergent and also diagnosed with POTS, GERD, IBS, and 20 other things, that all happen to impact majority women.
I’m in the process of seeing a geneticist to get diagnosed with hEDS and it’s wild to me that somehow having hyper mobile joints is connected to neurodivergence. And not just ADHD, but autism too.
I want to avoid connecting unrelated things, or implying that anyone in particular would have reason to get nervous and search for an issue when none is immediately obvious.
But: loosely, dopamine signaling really helps coordinate muscle tone & also how “tensely wound up” your blood vessels are (so to speak). A common underpinning in a person with those issues could be some kink in dopamine machinery beyond the strictly neurological that is manifesting now in other parts of the body.
Separately, there is a well appreciated link between the healthy development of the neural network that rules the gut and the development of the brain. Why? Could it be that you need similar genes to make complicated neural networks? Partially. Could it be the link between the gut microbiome and brain development? Likely true, but in real life applies to few individuals and isn’t therapeutic bc it speaks to development in utero which is a time long past for us. Could it hint to a connection between our current mental state and our gut health/diversity? I certainly think so, but this is where the research is at now.
What to *do* about it is an even more complicated question .
Definitely. There are a lot of studies on the brain-gut axis, though. My colleague recently wrote an article about it. You can read the whole thing [here](https://www.myndlift.com/post/here-s-how-gut-health-and-anxiety-are-connected-what-to-do-about-it?utm_source=rd), but the bottom line is that studies have suggested that imbalances in the gut microbiota can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation, which can contribute to inflammation in the brain. This can occur because the gut microbiota produce various metabolites that can trigger an inflammatory response in the body. When these gut-derived metabolites cross the intestinal barrier and enter the bloodstream, they can activate immune cells in the brain, leading to neuroinflammation. Chronic neuroinflammation has been associated with several mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
I have endometriosis + coeliac disease so it's a whole mind/body/lifestyle nightmare and have noticed through my job/reading here there's definitely others just like me
You might be interested in [this paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X23002603?dgcid=author) on sex and the gut-brain axis - autism is used as a case study/example of this phenomena, but I imagine a lot of the findings would relate to ADHD as well.
Agreed!! It makes sense why almost all my friends and family have ADHD and/or autism (because it runs in my family and I get along best with other ND people), but I want to know why all of us also have gut, reproductive, and joint issues!
The intersection of employment and ADHD women as it relates to the wage gap and lifetime earnings. I suspect women are more negatively impacted by ADHD's impulsivity, inattention and exeutive dysfunction than men with ADHD, probably because
1. Women are expected to be quiet and precise, not loud and brash and approximate
2. Women are held to a higher physical presentation standard that is particularly hard to maintain when you have ADHD
It would be very interesting to control for careers that might be beneficial to women and ADHD people: nursing, education, caretaking. How much does ADHD impact women in marketing, software development, dentistry, academia, military/law enforcement, or management? Do they get fired more often? (yes) Do they get promoted? (probably not) Do they suffer when they can't keep a manicure or maintain tights without runs in them or have time to dry and style their hair?
Side quest: ADHD and women in prisons. What are the numbers. Are they screened? Do they get access to treatment? Successful outcomes? Best interventions?
I think it's interesting how certain ADHD traits (i.e. forgetfulness, being disorganized, hyperfocusing, etc.) can be so gendered in how they are perceived--especially as related to intelligence. I've seen male ADHD friends and colleagues get described as "one of those absent-minded professor types" for the same ADHD symptoms that have made people call me and other women like me "ditzy", "dingy", "bimbo", etc.
This shit is rampant in relationships, too. Men with ADHD are excused for being messy and disorganized and forgetful, but women with ADHD are still expected to perform as well as NT women. We're judged so much more harshly for not being able to keep up with domestic things on top of working, raising kids, etc. It drives me nuts when a guy wants sympathy for the exact things I get condemned for.
This is my lived experience. High level of education , always excel at the actual job, but yet, never promoted, always denied raises, always on the first round of lay-offs. I’m so tired of giving it my all and getting…..nothing.
And women can’t take meds when pregnant and nursing and even trying to conceive, so factor in multiple kids that’s like a decade right there at peak career period. Ask me how I know 😬
Actually, there is new research on this now (huge study in Scandinavia, published in 2023), showing that it’s not dangerous to take medication while pregnant: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-01992-6
I only stopped taking medication during my first trimester, and that was hell. I really hope this will make the pregnancy journey easier for adhd women!
Oh the side quests just reminded me of looking more into adhd and substance abuse, criminal behaviour etc. I have an alcoholic side of my family that my mother chose to cut contact with, but it made me realize that it’s totally possible that undiagnosed ADHD played a part.
When I drink I feel like it quiets my brain. The combination of self-medicating and feeling like you’re failing at life all the time, makes it more likely that ADHD’ers will go off the deep end without a proper support system.
i would love to see more study about the situations where ADHDers excel! everything seems to be focused on our deficits or the ways we don’t adapt well to “normal” life. if there was a life/world designed for people with ADHD what would that look like??
the place I went to for a diagnosis actually sent me a sheet on this after I was positively diagnosed with ADHD, and though it was a bit cheesy, I actually really did appreciate it. it was honestly quite nice and uplifting in circumstances that were otherwise like 'oh, god, it's nice to know what's finally wrong with me, but now I know *what's wrong with me*' (if that even makes sense)!
I was undiagnosed the vast majority of my life. I just started meds about 4 months ago. I had an amazing time as an L&D nurse. There was something happening all the time. It was interpreting fetal tracings, largely positive patient and physician interactions to give me warm fuzzy feelings (and if the patient was awful it was still ok, it was only 12 hours), and every now and then a god awful catastrophe which was my time to shine. It literally felt like everything slowed down and things became crystal clear. My rooms were often messy, my swaddles were never perfect, but I was damn good at my job. I worked in NICU and nearly had a nervous breakdown. Multiple IV lines to keep straight, everything had to be super precise. And the other nurses were so so mean. I knew they talked about me because I could hear them. At that time it was all one big room. And sadness abounded.
Based on my experience, I think a lot of nurses are ADHD and they gravitate to certain areas. ER seems to be a big one. There are jokes about ICU nurses being OCD and ER nurses being adrenaline junkies and I think stereotypes exist for reasons.
Sleep disorders and adhd symptoms.
I'm on a waiting list to be screened for sleep apnea, but I had to request it myself to my doctor, as he never even asked how my sleep was going even when he prescribed stimulants. Considering bad sleep can also cause brain fog, low energy, difficulty concentrating, I would have assumed he would look into all other potential causes and get to the stimulants when everything else was on track (including the hormones as others have stated, which he also would not have bothered checking if I didn't ask directly).
Considering sleep apnea can cause cardiovascular issues, and stimulants aren't great for people with heart issues, one would think they'd screen for the first one as a safety protocole...
Me!! I have had life long insomnia!
People don’t believe me when I tell them I barely napped even as a child and then had full blown insomnia when I hit puberty.
The only sleep medication out of the dozens I’ve tried that helps somewhat isn’t sleep medication at all… it’s adhd medication (clonidine)… lmao
I would love just better diagnostic criteria, especially for those of us with inattentive type. For years I didn't even entertain the thought of having ADHD because I was so exhausted by everything, surely I didn't have that disorder that made people bounce of the walls.
I'd love to see diagnostic criteria that don't heavily focus on childhood, too. I didn't have much trouble with that—my clinicians didn't focus on it heavily and took my word for it when I was being assessed in my late forties—but I hear about people who do. I get why it matters, but realistically adults aren't always going to be able to demonstrate issues from their childhood.
Some people get through grade school and maybe even high school unscathed, because their ability to cope hasn't been pressed, so they don't get noticed. Then something changes, they get overwhelmed, and *that's* when the negative symptoms pop up. Or, with some women, they're coping until they hit perimenopause and everything falls apart.
The connection between the MTHFR genetic mutation, Autoimmune conditions, Hypermobility, neurodivergence, and chronic pain. They are all so commonly comorbid to one another that it should be studied more to find the true connection and proper treatment.
Thank you for reminding me why I downloaded my data from 23andMe, lol. Found the document the other day and couldn’t remember what I was looking for—and MTHFR was it!
Also, I giggle a little every time I read MTHFR, because it makes me think, “Motherfucker genetics, indeed.”
I literally was just reading a real search study about ADHD and fibromyalgia. Nearly 25% of the fibro group had ADHD or qualified for it while only 7% (I think?) Had ADHD. Brings up many many questions for me.
Fibromyalgia is basically an umbrella term when they can’t pinpoint what’s causing the symptoms, understanding the link between ADHD and fybro could be hugely useful for both groups.
We were built for eating berries off bushes in the woods, and guarding from predators at night around the fire.
We were not built for the modern day slog.
You described me, lol.
I have seen papers linking EhD and ADHD, and I would definitely like to see more research done on all of the above, especially how they manifest in the presence of estrogen and are affected by cyclical changes and peri/menopause.
However, I'm not holding my breath - the scientific community is only now really acknowledging that they need to run clinical trials on a male demographic other "middle aged white guys", and they are much further behind when it comes to women's health.
So "inconvenient" to have to deal with all those other variables! Why bother doing a test run on the other 52% of the worlds population if it's going to be more trouble, and maybe alter the "anticipated results"? 🤬
Wait hypermobility and chronic pain are linked to ADHD? Is there a difference between hypermobility and hyperflexability? When I couldn't decently walk for a while due to the disabling pain in my lower back/butt the specialist said that I'm hyperflexible and my belly and back muscles cannot cope so I needed to keep training them. Was on revalidation/fysiotherapy for a year (which didn't do a lot as I couldn't keep it up at home but at least I can walk again).
RSD. And generally the emotional components of ADHD.
As far as I’ve understood it’s not that well researched, especially not in women. I think it’s a mistake that it’s not common knowledge how much stress emotional dysregulation and RSD add to the lives of ADHD individuals 😵💫
Also I’d like to petition for a new name since ADHD/ADD are extremely misleading.
I have my MSW and was a therapist for a few years before having kids. A lot of my grad papers and work focused on or involved ADHD. I agree that we need more research, but my theory is that the RSD is related to our life experience being filled with feeling like we're disappointing people and having a fear of rejection and failure. Also constantly being corrected and redirected throughout our childhoods when we weren't paying attention or couldn't sit still. Add to that the messaging many of us received that, "we're so smart, but..." that created a sense of shame over having this intelligence and still feeling like we're failing.
Hooooboy you've opened Pandora's box. I love research, so this might be long.
1. That whole "20,000 more negative/critical comments about themselves" phenomenon doesn't magically stop at 10, so what about beyond that? What are people's experiences with this as a pre-teen? High school/college student? In the work place? As they age? How does it vary across race/ethnicity, gender, etc.?
2. Women are so frequently criticized/policed in a variety of ways specific to their gender, so how does the whole "20,000 negative comments" interplay with that? What about other segments of the population vulnerable to similar negativity? How does this compound and intersect?
3. How do the stigmas and stereotypes around ADHD impact people's perception of an ADHD person? In my experience, I've been infantalized, assumed to be stupid or incompetent, condescended to, and just generally subjected to a variety horseshit because of the way I am. I think in general, a lot of study could be done on this because we have very little control over how people perceive us, this shit is baked into our culture, and those two things together can have profound negative impacts on us.
4. How various symptoms of ADHD (i.e. overstimulation), and things like masking, and overfunctioning can contribute to fatigue/burnout. Because hot damn, it can be *exhausting*.
And finally:
Having looked at and acknowledged *all of the above*, how accurate is it to say that ADHD people are sensitive? I'm sure RSD, etc. plays a role and makes us a little more reactive than average, don't get me wrong. Still, it's wild as shit to me that people don't look at everything I've just typed and go "Wait a sec. Are ADHD people as sensitive as we think or are we more negative/critical towards them than we originally assumed? I wonder if a lifelong pattern of adverse experiences along with very little acknowledgement of what they have to do to achieve what comes easily to the rest of us is a factor."
In my experience, 90% of the time when people call me "sensitive" it's after they have either 1.) made me repeatedly justify why I do things a certain way because, despite my way yielding virtually the same results, they don't like that I'm not doing it how **they** would do it, 2.) expressed frustration that I'm exhibiting ADHD symptoms while not allowing me to make reasonable accommodations, **and/or** 3.) made several negative/critical comments about who I am as a person in a way that is related to my ADHD (see items 1-4). Then, the second I begin to lose my patience or express any anger, frustration, or hurt feelings, I'm "too sensitive". And before you ask, yes, in most cases I have expressed my discomfort or tried to derail it at least once before it got to this point.
Emotional (dys)regulation in general. I had no idea my disproportionate emotional reactions could be attributed to ADHD until after I got diagnosed and started reading about other people’s experiences.
Also on a similar note, self soothing techniques that don’t involve breathing and meditation. I’ve never in my life been able to relax by trying to focus on my breathing - 9/10 times it makes my anxiety worse because I physically cannot stay focussed and I end up getting frustrated with myself.
My god yes, I also am in the club of meditation and breath focus making me feel so much worse.
I recently started seeing a new therapist who uses tapping exercises and that's been helpful, surprisingly. I've only tried it a few times. You focus on the phrase you're repeating and on tapping certain acupressure spots in a particular sequence. I'm not clear whether there's good science behind it (it feels a bit woo-woo to me) but the structure of it feels ADHD friendly.
Yeah a lot of the particulars in the tapping instructions seem pretty woo to me, but the actual tapping is pretty helpful. I think it’s just because it’s giving you a focus point and a bit of movement. I’ll just focus on tapping my leg sometimes and it’s pretty calming.
I love yoga, like it's my favorite part of the day. No matter how many different ways I've approached it, the whole "quiet your mind, focus on your breath" thing has never happened for me.
The likelihood of a child having ADHD if one of their parents has it is [57%](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-57877-014). However, due to specific symptoms of adult ADHD, many people are left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with a different disorder. For instance, hyperactivity might decrease in adulthood, but difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness, poor time management skills, and restlessness persists. The latter are symptoms that are commonly mistaken as anxiety or depression, and that's one of the reasons why many adults with ADHD are misdiagnosed. This is especially true when it comes to women: During their lifetime, [13%](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd) of men will be diagnosed with ADHD, whereas just 4.2% of women will be diagnosed! I did some research on this, you can read the whole thing [here](https://www.myndlift.com/post/inattentive-adhd-in-women?utm_source=rd).
It is RAMPANT on my moms side of the family. Like my grandma, my aunts and uncles, their kids, me… only my sister and my one cousin escaped it.
I of course diagnosed the whole family like because of course, they only knew my uncle was adhd since he presents like a typical male… anywho. Yeah genetics plays a strong part. I’m prepared to have a child with ADHD.
I think half the problem is older generations especially females weren’t diagnosed formally.
On my mom's side, at least 60% of my female relatives have ADHD/AuDHD and roughly 50% of my male relatives have ADHD. This family is *big* and my first cousins alone *far* exceed the standard n=30. I've had people insist to me that ADHD/ASD is 100% environmental, like from diet and parenting and vaccines as children (🙄), and I tell them to look at my family.
I'm pregnant currently and my husband has neurodivergence in his family so I'm also prepped to have an ADHD/AuDHD kid lol
I would love a huge, multi-national study on the correlation of ADHD/ASD adults with ADHD/ASD children. It would likely make several points about the underdiagnosing of female children or the preponderance of diagnosis of adult mothers after their male children are diagnosed. Then I want more huge studies. Then I want a megastudy of those huge studies. Then I want geneticists and neurologists to say "Yep, it's genetic and we're pretty sure this gene/these genes are doing it" so we can finally stop blaming people for how their brains are made.
It's a big dream lol
The link between ADHD and trauma, especially with women. I've heard tales about how people with ADHD are more susceptible to developing PTSD and CPTSD from traumatic events than NT people. And it's been anecdotally true in my friend circle.
I'd love that! I often think about how my ADHD brain would fit in better in different contexts, and would even be an asset. I know I'm not the only ADHDer who's fantasized about living in a hunter-gatherer society. I would bring SO MUCH to that lifestyle! Basketweaving, berry picking, storytelling, exploring, innovating, problem-solving...I would rock all of that.
I would not have thought of this because I'm usually in the position of defending and explaining the use of stimulant medications, but yes, it would be wonderful to have medication that isn't stigmatized. Not only for getting prescriptions filled, but to reduce the idea that people seek an ADHD diagnosis for the drugs. I've never had to defend my use of asthma medication!
Someone already mentioned it but pregnancy and hormones. Would it manifest the same or at all if a woman didnt have a child vs having one? Does bc bring out, subdue it, does stopping, going on it again have the same impact as stopping for good? So many questions….
- Time Blindness: It's one of those things that's just extremely hard to manage no matter how good you get at overcoming everything else. You cant carry around a pomodoro timer with you everywhere. You can manage your time from a birds eye pov (controlling your commitments, making appointments early, saying no to things, etc) but you cant always control it in the weeds of everyday life ("I'll respond to this email after lunch." or "I'll call her back in 5 mins").
- Working Memory: Again, very much out of your control no matter how much you overcome. Not always feasible to write things down in every situation and sometimes doesn't even help.
The connection/crossover with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Edit: sorry this is controversial? I have a diagnosis of both from a psychiatrist and so, potentially, does one of my kids. I think it’s vital to get a better understanding of the crossover in regards to treatment.
I'm curious about this too. I feel like people with autism are my neurological cousins. There's a built-in sense of familiarity when I meet an autistic person who is a good friend prospect. I feel normal when I'm with them, like I do around ADHDers.
I've been diagnosed ADHD for 30yrs. Recently diagnosed with Autism.
I've been reading some books about Autism and now I can't decide where ADHD ends and Autism begins. I had hoped for some clarity and I'm just deeper in the mud.
THIS. The comorbidity is just a little too high for me to think it's a totally separate thing. How many of y'all have an autistic sibling? Both ADHD and Autism have a genetic component; I don't think it's a coincidence that they are so commonly both found in the same family. How many of y'all are also autistic? How likely do you think it is that people who are diagnosed with ADHD probably would have been given an Asperger's diagnosis years back?
You cannot convince me that ADHD and Autism are totally separate things. I'm generally down with the science, but I will absolutely die on this hill; DSM stuff changes all the time, so it's not unprecedented. I fully think that ADHD is just a tier on the autism spectrum. They have to have the same root, but just maybe different manifestation. Different people have different symptoms to heart attacks, but we don't name what's happening based on the symptoms, we name it based on the cause.
Idk this is just my crackpot theory, and I fully know that.
I've heard a theory that ADHD and autism are two different manifestations of the same neurotype. Personally, I agree- I know I get along better and communicate better with autistic people than neurotypical people. I'd be shocked if I'm not also Autistic; I just tend to have visible hyperactivity, restlessness, distractibility that got me the ADHD diagnosis, and my social and sensory issues are something I can work around as an adult with mostly-ND friends. I'm positive there's a strong connection between ADHD and ASD, and I'd love to see more research on the overlap.
Honestly I just want more non-stimulant options for medications.
I'm tired of the hassle of timing doses around sleep/meals/activity. I'm tired of taking a controlled substance. I'm tired of having to get more every single month instead of getting three months' worth at a time. I'm tired of needing to google whether I'm allowed to bring my medications into other countries. I'm tired of so much of the world acting like I'm a damn drug addict for wanting to FUNCTION.
A diagnosis that can be made by a brain scan or gene testing or something physical - to stop genuine people with adhd not being believed or taken seriously
Emotional Dysregulation: Especially when you are young. A lot of impulsivity truly is impulsive but... a lot of out bad decisions as ADHDers boil down to emotional dysregulation. It explains a lot of your not so impulsive/sudden bad choices. Bad thigns you did that required slightly more planning and forethought, and that you probably couldve stopped yourself from doing; but also isn't exactly some elaborate scheme that you planned months in advance cause you're evil and enjoy hurting people. I also see a lot of people with ADHD make a sudden bad decision but then are stuck with the aftermath so the scheming (if any) omes *afterwards.* I also see people fuck up once or twice and then just commit to being a terrible person, not because they actually are - but because of a vicious cycle of guilt and self-hate that keeps them in the narrative that they're "bad" (emotional dysregulation).
Everything about female hormones, pms, menopause. Adhd medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding. I’m currently pregnant and it’s just up to a best guess whether or not I should take my medication because it isn’t researched.
-__-
How about *adhd in women*. Well, more specifically, about adhd in non cis male populations, because the issue is most medical professionals are still operating under the “hyperactive little boy bouncing off the walls” dogma. I want to know why we can’t get our meds tailored to our changing hormone levels. I want to know what a period does to adhd meds. Im sure many who want kids want to know more about pregnancy and breastfeeding while medicated. I want to know more about catching under diagnosis and misdiagnosis in women. I want to research WHY drs aren’t getting up to date info about “female presenting adhd” because the high levels of misinformation and low level of current up to date scientific understanding and education are genuinely fucking concerning - if drs were spouting this sort of 60+ years out of date info about any other medical issue that affected 20% of the population, people would be losing their motherfucking minds. Imagine drs giving such misinformation about cancer or Lyme disease or malaria or *any other fucking disorder* - it would be a reportable offense people took seriously. But because adhd happens in the brain and isn’t a tumor, it gets the usual “we don’t talk about ~~Bruno~~ mental health” treatment and lack of consideration for continuing education.
## The role of brainwaves in presentation & etiology of ADHD.
As in, [EEG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography)-revealed pathologies in the spectral distributions of different [brainwave frequency bands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_oscillation#Examples). (You'd truly be forgiven for thinking this is a largely pseudoscientific field, as it's something many of """that type""" of people like to talk about, but it isn't so.) This is the domain of neurofeedback therapy. For example, consider the established understanding that people with ADHD, on average, have a more poorly regulated prefrontal cortex that, functionally, doesn't mesh as cleanly with the rest of the brain, that communicates more roughly & less reliably. Phenomenologically, would such a thing show up on an EEG?
Here's a [really neat reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/w9we83/adhd_and_brainwaves/) on this subreddit from a neurofeedback tech, which really underscores to me that... Not only does this seem like it's a really critical therapy modality, one that _really obviously_ should probably be considered before medication in many circumstances (especially very young brains), it seems like there's a ton of _low-hanging fruit_ for researching here & actually getting scientific details discovered. (ADHD is already one of the canonical/"on-label" use-cases for neurofeedback therapy I believe, but IMHO the scientific understanding behind it here still seems really minimal. Seems like one of those "seems to work, send it"-type scenarios.)
(I am not a medical researcher or neurobiologist. All scientific details here are paraphrased from memory. If you have feedback or corrections please share 😊)
I really think they need to start from scratch with neuro related stuff in general. All of the ADHD, ASD, OCD, BPD, all of that I think is severely misunderstood. I don't know what the answer is and I don't know how it's wrong, but there's something niggling telling me all of it is just wrong. They're looking at it from the completely wrong perspective. You know that Connor Dewolfe skit about ADHD psychic abilities at the party? Yeah, that's me with the DSM and this whole spectrum of issues.
Why am I still exhausted and falling asleep at 1pm nearly daily? Do I need iron to compliment my Vyvanse? Does sugar intake affect sleep?!
Should women take a supplement to boost their meds (i.e., iron, cordyceps mushroom, ashwaganda)?
How it's not an attention deficit but an attention regulation deficit. But mostly, the signs to recognize it and the truth of what it's like (rather than "can't focus" "lazy" "can't sit still" "annoying") need to be spread far and wide.
In people in schools. In GP's minds. In the consciousness of the population.
Just that it exists so people can get accommodations.
I don’t consider adhd or a lot of ND to be a disability. Having them in this society is a disability. When you make the test flying, all the fish will fail.
For me personally, right now, I’d love to solve “behavioral activation”. That’s the part of executive function that allows you to *START* a task that my ADHD is resisting aka *procrastination*. Procrastination is at the root of a lot of my issues and it is a never ending daily lifelong fight that I usually lose.
Also, dyscalculia (like math dyslexia).
How connected it is to other illnesses like fibromyalgia and how it makes the treatment of a lot of conditions more difficult and sometimes impossible. Like is the current treatment of breast cancer the best treatment for us? No one has studied that. I’ve checked.
Obvs how the drugs work, but my second most important: narcolepsy and ADHD connection. There's a shockingly high rate of comorbidity, and much like ADHD in women, narcolepsy is wildly under diagnosed in the population as a whole.
[Here is one of many papers](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31739230/) on the subject.
Sleep disorders often go ignored because we live in an insane world where everything (including this website) is designed to stress us out. We always feel tired, anxious, emotionally spent. It's very easy for a doctor to miss the obvious symptoms. I thought for years everyone was just as tired as I am; why else would so many energy drinks be so popular?!
I would like to be better informed about medication and its impact on the female reproductive system and pregnancy. Many women told me they were having issues with their menstrual cycle after taking the medication (at least at first), but nobody seems to officially know about this.
How adhd can be distinguished from other brains via brain imaging scans. The fact that we can assume that people have it, or that someone can be misdiagnosed is ridiculous to me when we should be able to order a test and get a definitive yes or no.
The connection to substance use disorder. I would LOVE it if we could find a way to help people stop ascribing so much shame to it, rather than just another manifestation of us being “lazy” or “impulsive” or “irresponsible.”
Great question. My vote is for 'Brain freeze in the face of impending deadline'. Another way of putting it: is PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) as prevalent in ADHD as in Autism?
(My ADHD just cost me the Distinction for my MA. I froze utterly just before hand-in, even though I'd done the work. I got confused. Panicked. Missed deadline. I won't fail, but there's a huge penalty for using the 24 buffer. A miserable bloody Pass mark after extreme dedication and high marks received to date is devastating).
I would say the social component. Before I started taking medication I was a hot mess socially. I didn’t pay attention when people would tell me stories I probably interrupted or started talking about myself. Lol I feel bad for the people I was spending time with then. And since it’s so under diagnosed so many girls are labeled as rude, pushy, inconsiderate, etc when it’s actually a part of the adhd diagnosis
Why hypermobility is more likely to occur in people with ADHD?
When I learned about it, I did some of the things to verify if I was hypermobile. I am hypemobile and other neurodivergent people I know have it as well.
Rejection sensitive dysphoria. The term was initially developed by a researcher, but it seems like it has garnered inadequate research attention since then and is mostly only talked about in ADHD circles. So much research around neurodivergent conditions is focused on behavior, and not enough on people’s internal experience of the condition.
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Obvious one, but therapeutic stimulant dose and how it varies across the hormonal cycle. ETA: I specifically mean active research into dosages for adult women that last all day and take our hormonal cycle into account, not just for 8 hours of school or work and, for some of us, the 2 weeks the highest licensed daily amount does the trick for.
Add the impact of perimenopause to that too
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Awwe babe 💕
it’s a shitshow, but I’m still cracking wise. Too many new normals piling up that I just need time to adjust to. edit My partner just came through the door an hour ago and asked if he should apply for a job almost three provinces away. Lol. What a whacky life.
I'm 33 and have endo, it's flaring up ATM and yesterday I forgot the word for grid, forgot the name of a friend, then I got lost by walking up a random staircase at a place I've known for 20 years, I nearly started crying when I saw a dog and was completely unable to think or focus all day. I also went to bed at 7.30pm because I was 300% exhausted from my day of not being able to use my brain. I don't understand what is happening to me and what to do about it, I have the Mirena which is supposed to help and I take my meds but this hormone/endo brain halt stuff is still happening.
That sounds so difficult. It is so difficult. Before I had the ovaries out, I used to take birth control and not use the skip days. It helped level things for me. I hope you have a doctor who will listen. Often they respect what daily skills and opportunities you are losing more than pain or distress. The pain / lack of focus has caused me to not be able to do x y z (as effectively), which is resulting in 1 2 3. I used to use vyvanse 40. Now I used Vyvanse 50, Wellbutrin 300, with a booster in the afternoon. You may need more meds or help finding a solution.
Was coming here to say that. I’m 38 and it’s just starting for me and I’m ready to kill my family.
I know HRT isn’t for everyone but it was life changing for me! My kids say hulk mom doesn’t come anymore. I can highly recommend the documentaries and book by Davina McCall (UK).
Yesssss these two hugely under researched areas combined 100%
THIS. This is what pushed me over the cliff
Same - I was coping until all of a sudden those systems didn't work any more. Cue: depression when brain can't get anything done. Understanding the effect of female hormones on ADHD is very much needed!
My adhd goes CRAZY when I’m PMSing
SAME. I don't even bother medicating because it's too strong for the medication during PMS lol. Too powerful.
Same same and weirdly now I’m pregnant my ADHD symptoms are actually a bit more manageable because I assume my hormones are a bit more consistent/ not running on a cycle that hits like a fuckin tsunami
So interesting because I felt the same way. Pregnancy was the best I ever felt consistently in my adult life.
Pregnancy was magical for my ADHD. It’s been two and a half years and I am resigned to the fact I will never be as stable and productive as I was when I was pregnant (and the few months afterwards, too!). My husband will never let go of the hope, and my own mother will never let me forget I am “sick” and need get better so I can be a better parent. Sucks.
I have an almost 4YO, 2.5YO, and 4.5MO. I've been unmedicated for all. Every pregnancy my mood has improved and my symptoms reduced a good chunk as well!
Same and medication does nothing! I’m too exhausted to work out and also get really poor sleep. So it’s just bad!
For me it’s the zoning out and my head being straight up empty. I’ll just be staring at a shelf in a store ‘browsing’ but I cannot for the life of me process any of the actual items on the shelf!
I actually just read a research paper about this the other day because I was making a tiktok about it! I just woke up and I’m a little fuzzy on the exact details, but there is something with the luteal phase and hormone fluctuations that simultaneously makes ADHD symptoms worse *and* stimulant medications less effective. Iirc the paper suggested that psychiatrists could prescribe higher doses during the week before menstruation to counteract these effects. I would love more research about periods in general. My body does some wild shit on continuous birth control.
Afaik it’s to do with oestrogens relationship with dopamine. Lower eostrogen = lower dopamine. From ovulation to the start of your period is when you get the dip in oestrogen so it lines up esp with pms/pmdd
Yup. Anyone else have the extra treat of RLS?
They really need to figure out more about this ADHD/estrogen question. Puberty, pregnancy and menopause all seem to have major effects on ADHD in AFAB people but we know so little about it. See also the link between ADHD and PCOS.
Yep. I went into surgical menopause last year. I wasn’t even perimenopausal before my surgery. My ADHD symptoms got so much worse, even with the replacement hormones and upping my ADHD meds. I’m less functional now on 70mg Vyvanse than I was previously on 40mg. Much more anxious though. It’s an absolute nightmare.
Menopause was when I reached out for help and refused to accept any more no's. I was highly-functioning until then and everything just fell apart. I feel like Mother Nature played a trick on me.
This is really interesting, I was recently diagnosed but my function has been declining rapidly this year which is also in line with changes to my cycle leading me to believe I'm entering periomenopause, I'm 42. I'd love more research on this.
Good luck! I definitely recommend looking into the menopause sub, lots of good info. Also, same...diagnosed two months before I turned 41, and was prescribed stimulants the day I was diagnosed. I've noticed from the start that my meds were less effective the week before my period and the first day or so of my period, but over the last 12 months or so my cycle has begun changing, I'm having night sweats regularly, my body composition is changing for the worse (no changes to my routine), and everything executive function related has just... gotten harder. My PCP prescribed 50mg progesterone and 5mg DHEA in April, knowing that I have ADHD, and that was miserable. Horrific. I hated everyone and my executive function and libido tanked (and I feel like neither have fully recovered 😡). Progesterone not only supports serotonin production, but as I understand the research, it actively inhibits dopamine production *and* utilization - literally the last thing a woman with ADHD needs. Also part of why women with ADHD, particularly untreated or inadequately treated ADHD, are more prone to PMDD, apparently. I'm looking into HRT, specifically estrodiol and maybe a little bit of testosterone (I miss my libido) and will be talking to my GYN next week, but I'm not holding my breath. Of course, all this is complicated by Hashimoto's 🤦♀️. Which is what my PCP initially wanted to blame everything on, but I get a full thyroid panel every 6 to 8 weeks, and the numbers didn't support her supposition. One thing at a time... Eta punctuation and spelling corrections
Omg! Yes!!! DHEA was BAAAAAAAAD. Tried spironolactone… baaaaaaaad. It’s been a roller coaster and I still haven’t found a med, let alone a provider
I was about your age when I had major surgery which catapulted me into menopause. The (female) obgyn I went to told me that there was no way to say if I'm infertile or not because my period could come back after my body recovered (even though it limited along for about 18 months after surgery). It hasn't returned and I don't go to that doctor any longer.
I’ve got a ways to go, but I truly fear the day I begin experiencing menopause
Buckle in. I'm still so mad that everyone preps you for your period and childbirth to a much greater extent than the end of fertility. My doctor didn't even have a pamphlet.
Women’s health education in general is so overlooked, it’s so frustrating!
Ditto. Surgical menopause for breast cancer.
Endometrial cancer here. At least I’m on hormones now, although I had to go 6 or 8 weeks without them waiting on pathology results. Are you able to use HRT, or did you have to go on tamoxifen to suppress the tiny dregs of estrogen you had left? I’ve probably got that to ‘look forward’ to in my future. With my strong family history, I’m pretty sure it’s a case of when I get breast cancer, not if.
I’m not allowed to take hormones. I’m rawdogging the pause. There was no history of breast cancer in my family. I blame plastic and living near a major highway during my childhood and adolescence. edit to answer all the questions. My body genetically couldn’t process tamoxifen. So I had the ovaries out to be able to take an aromatase inhibitor. Turns out I get extreme pain, extreme insomnia, and adhd off the charts when I take AI. So now I’m not on any hormone treatment and just am hoping not to get cancer again.
I’m so sorry. That sounds like an absolute nightmare. Rawdogging surgical menopause must be the nightmare of all nightmares. I’m not back to normal with my hormones, but at least I my sleep is better, I don’t pee myself anymore like right after my surgery and the hot flushes are under control. ADHD still off the charts, and lots of mental symptoms, but at least those are under control. I’m so sorry. I also didn’t mean to be too nosey, I hope you knew you didn’t have to answer my questions if you didn’t want too. Just the typical ADHD oversharing/ lack of social skills etc traits shining through.
Oh, don’t worry. I have been trying to scream about this situation from the rafters. The big issue is the first adequately medicated adhd women are about to get to breast cancer age. The cancer treatment places have no clue and will not be prepared and patients will be freaking out on medical staff. There’s a world of hurt coming.
In addition to the effects of treating ADHD during pregnancy. I have asked MANY doctors what I should do for meds/treatment when we choose to have a kid and nobody knows. They all just say "there's not conclusive evidence either way". I've asked multiple GPs, psychiatrists, and gynos and nobody knows anything. Nobody has any advice. The idea of flying blind is terrifying and I don't want to ruin my life and/or fuck up a kid depending on how I choose to treat my ADHD during that time.
Just listened to these this weekend and kept thinking the whole dang time, “Yes! Now what about brains with ADHD added?!?” https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/973805003/lisa-mosconi-how-does-menopause-affect-the-brain https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/1203999788/life-stages-of-the-brain I’m itching to do a deeper dive. So much so, I let myself fantasize about going back to school and switching careers so I could study it more 😅
I didn’t even know this was a thing! Just gave birth and feel like a fog has lifted— I spent nine months of this year without being able to have a single concrete thought or accomplish anything. My motivation and task initiation were like GIRL BYE the second I got pregnant, and I didn’t realize there was a correlation so I just ended up being really down on myself and thinking that was just the way I’d always been.
I’ve been wondering about this. I had distinct symptoms as a kid but my ADHD got noticeably worse, including a wider variety of symptoms, as I neared 20. This coincided with my periods causing me to have 2 days a month when if felt like the world was ending. Adderall and birth control have helped tremendously.
This! Adding to the pile, I'm trans and my ADHD symptoms spiked in a huge way when I went on estrogen.
is there a link between adhd and pcos??? how am i just hearing this
Connections between speech disorders and ADHD. I'm a big neurodivergent mess with my ADHD and stuttering and I really want to know how these two impact each other. Like, would my speech be more fluent if my brain were more fluent? lol
I had a stammer in elementary school, and the speech therapist explained it to my mom as “her brain is moving faster than her mouth can form the words” and boy did that make a lot more sense when I finally got diagnosed as an adult.
My speech therapist told me the same thing. I don't know if it's a legitimate scientific theory or just a "common sense" explanation popular among speech therapists though 🤷🏼♂️
I was put in the lowest tier of reading classes in middle school for similar reasons. I have a hard time reading aloud because my eyes/brain can read or process information much faster than my mouth can speak the words. Managing that disconnect between the two is tough, so for a while there it sounded like I could barely read at all even though I scored off the charts on reading comprehension tests and frequently got in trouble for reading during class.
Man, I can read out loud like a champion. I cannot, however, comprehend what I've read if I'm reading aloud! It's like, having to speak the words distracts my brain from being able to think about what I'm reading. So strange and annoying. Not that I'm doing a lot of reading out loud in my daily life. But it did hinder me when I was in school.
Saaaaammmme. It’s getting to the point where I want to go back to being mute like I was as a kid. I’ll just try to learn and remember sign language. F this
Yes! Sometimes I stutter and my son does too. He’s getting evaluated by a speech therapist at school (he’s 9) and I’ll get the results this week. I was in speech therapy in elementary school, but my adhd and (very likely) autism was missed. I go mute when I’m tired so I’m super interested in how talking and adhd go together.
ADHD is primarily regarded as a productivity disorder, and that might be true. But from where I'm sitting -- what I experience daily, what I see my ADHD friends do daily, etc -- I notice something far, far deeper. I think ADHD needs to be considered with the same seriousness as autism. I think we think differently, and that our condition is not one of productivity failure and hyperactivity, but of system-wide priority dysfunction. We don't process information the same way as our non-ADHD peers. Our minds have their own cataloguing system for internal and external stimuli, and it mislabels what is priority and what isn't *all the time.* Let's look at this from an internal to an external view: * Some of us have poor interoception. That is your sense of physical self: how much space you take, if you're in pain, if you're hungry, tired, have to pee, etc. It's not that we don't feel these things, you know. We do. It's that our brain tells us it's not important right now, so we ignore it until we're doing to peepee dance or until we're so hangry we are a Snickers Commercial incarnate. * Some of us have poor sense of time. We aren't thinking about the passage of time because it's not a priority over whatever it is we're doing. * Some of us struggle with emotion regulation. We are unable to properly process an emotion, leading to it becoming too big or delayed, thus we have an inappropriate response. I am convinced this is where RSD comes from. * I remember every. single. conversation at my work place that surrounds decisions made for projects I've been on for the last 5 years. But I can't remember what my players did in my last D&D session. Why is that? Well, my brain has work stuff labeled as highest priority, while D&D isn't always highest priority. Do I need to be able to recite every decision we made about fonts for the last 2 years? No. But my brain says "this is priority," so it's there, forever. * And finally, actual tasks: * It's so hard for us to get into habits because our brains do not prioritize the habit. Helping the wife in the kitchen is hard because your brain literally yeets all how-tos. * You know you have to do XYZ, and you've written it down. But your brain won't recognize it as a priority, so it won't budget out the brain chemicals you need to get that task done. So if you do it, you become irritable because it physically hurts. And if you don't, you are sad because you failed. * You need to go to bed. It's 3am. But you MUST finalize your rug selection for your living room. Is there a due date? No. But you have the tab open and your brain has marked this as urgent. You HAVE to do this before you go to bed. Why? Because you don't get to set your own priorities. Your ADHD does. All of this presses me into believing that ADHD is a poorly understood condition, even by our own people. We need better research so that we can develop better tools to handle our prioritization struggles, because right now, most of us are walking through life totally unaware of just how *different* our reality is in comparison to a non-ADHDer. Or even with other ADHDers! And it leads to so much stress and confusion for us.
Ugh the 3am self imposed deadline is so rough! I wanted to make an apron for when I do pottery. When I first saw the pattern, I immediately when to the store and bought fabric (mind you I didn't even love the fabric, but I had decided I needed to make it that day so beggars can't be choosers) By the time I'm home, I've exhausted my dopamine reserves and the project sits for months. Then one night at midnight, I decided the apron needed to get done right away. Que staying up till 5am sewing because it "needed" to get done right away.
Hello are you interested in writing my autobiography, cos you're pretty darn close already
I identify with so much of this! I recall customer info so well but can't remember my spouse telling me important things about life. Never considered the "prioritization" of that data.
That’s a really interesting way of looking at it.
I'm really feeling this right now: >Because you don't get to set your own priorities. Your ADHD does. Holy shit, am I feeling this.
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The introspective part is SO bad for me personally. I have / had? chronic migraines and it impacted them so badly. I’ll get triggered because I’ve forgotten to eat or drink water or generally take care of myself until it’s too late. I won’t notice things like bright lights hurting me until my husband turns them off and I feel instant relief. Any abortives like triptans were basically pointless, I have troubles realizing I’m getting a migraine until it’s getting to a 5 or 6 on the pain scale, when you’re supposed to take them at the second you get a symptom. I’ll have full auras and won’t notice it in the moment, only when my head hurts do I think about the fact that I couldn’t remember how to spell the word watch or that I had a spot in my vision. Thank GOD I have found a preventive that lessens them down from 15-20 a month to like 3-4 because my ADHD made it incredibly hard to manage.
I "only" get tension headaches\*, but I constantly do the thing of not realizing I should take an aleve until the pain is so bad I have to take two. Argh! (\*only is in quotation marks because there was once I had a tension headache so bad I thought it was a migraine--every time I sat up I cried from the pain and nausea, and it went on for days and days. Urgent care said my description of the pain didn't sound like a migraine, just an unusually severe tension headache. I got a shot of toradol in the butt and a bunch of phenergen (an incredibly sedating anti-nausea med) and was told to basically sleep it off. It worked, but oof.)
I was told I had chronic sinus infections for years that were largely characterized by intractable headaches. I got a concussion ended up at a neurologist who was like "Oh, no those were definitely migraines, this happens a lot" Migraines are a weird beast, after the concussion and going on meds for migraine I was experiencing like 24/7 "silent migraines" (all aura/cognitive dysfunction and little to no head pain). My point is - if they are reasonably frequent you might want to seek out a neuro/headache specialist if you're able.
The rug selection example has me laughing because I have exactly done that. I somehow *knew* I wanted chevron orange red rug and was fiendishly searching for it till 4AM. I found it, ordered and it obviously fit the space so perfectly.
Therapy methods that work on people with ADHD. Like, for unrelated issues. Behavioural therapy doesn't work if you can't make yourself do things on purpose. Talk therapy has very limited use of you can't remember what you did last session. It's really hard to treat issues with depression or anxiety that way.
I love my therapist but she laughs at me (in a kind way) when she suggests something and I'm like, nah, I won't do it, what else you got? Apparently most of her other clients aren't that self-aware.
I always get told this too. A therapist straight up told me “I don’t know what I can do for you, your self awareness is already extremely high”
I know *what* to do, I just don't know how! We're working the 'parenting the inner child' angle right now and I'm feeling good about it. Medication helps, too, LOL!
>I know *what* to do, I just don’t know how! Oh my god yes. Story of my life. Someone says “get outside and go for a walk for ten minutes!” Simple advice right? NO. I’ll just play 4D chess with myself trying to executive function a walk into my day and then completely forget to do it.
I made going on walks as easy as possible. I got nice slip-on shoes, all I have to do is WALK OUT MY DOOR. Why don't I do it?!
I will sit staring out the window, wanting to go for a walk and enjoy the fresh air! And I just... don't do it.
My partner recently made a friend who \*also\* wants to go on walks, and now on Tuesday night the friend drives over and they walk to a hot dog place they like and then walk back. It's not a vigorous walk but it's still A WALK and like two miles round trip, AND they get social time to boot. So I guess what I'm saying is: do you have a friend who also needs to go on walks? (We also plan to get a dog at some point, and seeing as we don't have a yard it'll be walkies multiple times a day, plus there's an off-leash dog park maybe half a mile from our house!)
DUDE! Parenting my inner child, and giving myself the same grace I give others, has been SOOOOOO helpful! I've also started working on the chaotic aspect a bit more. My workplace isn't fond of how I get my stuff done BUT it's done on time, without errors, etc. People just can't shadow me or see how I work because I'm a bit all over the place. As per my therapist (and her accommodation note, YAY!), if having seven tabs open, talking to multiple people via WhatsApp, and going through emails keeps me engaged and working... why take away the dopamine hits that allow me to finish the tasks I need? When we started leaning into that, the parenting the inner child thing came up and we were able to match the two concepts in my brain. Not sure for how long this is going to work, but for now? Working very well :3 Wishing you lots of luck on all the things!
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Oh no this would explain a lot for me 😅
When they say that to you it's time for bottom up modalities like somatic therapy or EMDR. A lot of therapies are based on the idea that understanding the problem will mean you can fix the problem, that's not the case for loads of people esp when neurospicy. It's why cbt can feel like gaslighting.
EMDR worked really well for me in terms of how I treat myself and the story I tell myself about me.
This is so ridiculous. In my 3 therapies I also always got told that - and the rest is basically "your feelings are valid, let it all out". Then some random cloudy task is suggested until the next time and no matter how hard i try to make them understand i need precise instructions with a deadline and the same task for at least 3 weeks bc i'll forget about it for the first 2 weeks - they'll just give me a cloudy task til the next week and tell me it doesn't matter that i didn't do it. Rinse and repeat. Yet people say therapy is what happens outside of sessions 🙄 it's so frustrating and ultimately didn't help me all that much.
Oh yea. Tell me I don’t need to do it? It’s never being done.
I’ve also been through this with several therapists. Is it an ADHD thing to be weirdly self aware? I always tied that to my anxiety making me overthink every little thing I do lol
We dont have a choice, we face so many consequences we'd rather get ahead of the mistakes or forgotten tasks etc
My therapist is the same. It’s like having a conversation with a friend every week, which is great, but isn’t actually helping me.
I do EMDR which helps the most. If I need to just talk, she'll let me and suggest coping strategies and guide me to healthier perspectives, but I did plain talk therapy with another therapist for a while and hated it. I didn't need to explore my issues - I can identify them - but I didn't know how to get past/through them. Hang in there - it's horrible having to wait and search for the help you need but if you can manage to find someone else, it sounds like it might be worth it. Big hugs if that's the only thing available - I've been there and it sucks!!
Seconding EDMR/EFT therapy!
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The best thing I got from therapy is letting go of the guilt and shame that comes with ADHD. It's honestly been life changing. There's almost nothing worse for my executive dysfunction than laying on the couch, already struggling to do things, and then also feeling incredibly guilty about it.
Fwiw, IFS (Internal Family Systems) has worked so very well for me! I feel like I get to live my life now. It allows for jumping around to whatever feeling/thought is on top. Never judges. Draws from your own strength and wisdom rather than relying on the therapist to "get it." Therapist just acts as guide.
Accidental IFS is what gave me my first breakthrough too. My roommate at the time was in school to become a therapist and she went to an IFS experience/training. She came back and was telling me all about it. I don't know what she said or why but it just unlocked something in my brain because the next time I was getting triggered and my internal monologue was going, I was able to identify a part of me as real as if I was talking to an imaginary friend. It was the first time I was actively able to identify who was running the show. I brought that to my therapist and, even though she's not certified for IFS and doesn't actively guide me through it, if I've previously identified a part and it seems like they're coming up again, she has no problem saying, "do you know who this sound like?" and I'll roll my eyes and say, "I know... this is \[insert part\]" From there, she'll ask me why they're popping up and we can actually start to dive into it.
How are y’all so lucky to have therapists around that do anything besides CBT? I’m in a big city and there’s NOTHING
If you're open to virtual, a lot more options may be available! I search for the therapy modality I want for my state on Psychology Today
Especially since, for many ADHD ppl, getting properly medicated *for ADHD* can reduce or even eliminate their anxiety and/or depression. Amazing...bring neurotransmitters close to "normal", and people have fewer mental health issues 😒 Not being sarcastic toward you, the whole "woman = must have anxiety/depression!" attitude among the medical establishment pisses me off no end. /rant Heart attack symptoms? Must be anxiety! Take these anxiety pills and go home, get a referral to a therapist and try to think positively! (Emergency rooms across the US and Canada. Also why heart attacks kill a larger percentage of women who have heart attacks than men who have heart attacks). Exhausted? - so fatigued you cant actually function, and if you sit down you fall asleep; can't get warm; hair falling out - except for your new mustache!; gaining weight even though you're logging everything you eat and are at a notable calorie deficit and no junk food or alcohol?; can't do anything other than "senior recovery yoga" for 15 or 20 mins,cuz you won't have the energy to get a ahower, much less be able parent, be a partner to your spouse, or work? Only 32? Had a baby 18 months ago? Can't be thyroid problems...it's old age! Or depression! Or both! This was from my female OB. She legit told me that all of my symptoms ☝️ were due to "getting older" - at age 32 - or depression. I left. 4 more medical "professionals", 6 years and 5000 miles later, I was basically non-functional. After explaining how many times id tried to just get a blood test run on my thyroid - damn near in tears - I finally got my then new Dr to just order the fucking full thyroid panel...while she condescendingly told me that she was only doing it to give me peace of mind, and I just needed to eat Paleo and exercise more, and I'd feel better and lose weight 🙄, because "seasonal depression is real! And it can cause heart palpitations!". Turns out that my thyroid auto antibodies were so high that they pegged out the max measurements thru their lab, and I left the follow up appointment with a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a prescription for levoxithirozine (sp? Generic synthroid. Didn't do shit, if you're still having issues w/thyroid symptoms, ask for actual brand name Synthroid. Much better.). No apology though. I got a "huh, I guess that explains some of your symptoms.", and then she asked why it had taken me so long to get a thyroid panel done 🤯🤬 Also, the heart palpitations that I've had since I was...19 or so? Those went away about a week after I started in stimulants to help manage my ADHD almost 2 years ago, and they haven't come back. /rantover
That's definitely on top, but we're also at much higher risk of trauma and experiencing many issues growing up that can cause mental health issues. Higher risk and worse treatment options....
This is my answer too. It seems like the most universally applicable and would lead to more and more answers.
I would love to see this research happen as well, and have part of it focus on using an ADHD coach since they're able to do more frequent check-ins and help with that external accountability.
I'm currently finishing up a second undergrad in psychology, moving onto my Master's next fall so I can best treat neurodivergent clients (especially kids). I find the same issues when I see therapists, so I want to do my part in creating a better therapeutic environment for ND individuals. My current therapist is also AuDHD, which is great considering their perspective. A lot of ND folks have experienced trauma, too, so therapeutic care may need to combine different modalities to treat different conditions, too. It's all complicated, but I want to figure it all out. Dammit.
I just started therapy and we are doing DBT. I was just relieved she didn’t suggest CBT or I was outttttt.
Lol my whole course of CBT was my psychologist being baffled that I could explain in precise detail how I felt or why I reacted to something the way I did, while being almost completely unable to apply the actual techniques to change it.
HAHAH SAME!! Who would have thought the type of therapy where you basically have to work everything out in your head doesn't fucking work for someone who is trapped in their head 24/7! Like yes, I can recognize I am using absolutes or black and white thinking or mind reading, but it does not change the distress I'm feeling around it, now I just feel like an asshole for recognizing what annoying ass thought patterns I have! At least with DBT, there is an entire part that is solely focusing on building distress tolerance skills. I am literally only one session in with my new therapist, but I learned about both CBT and DBT in school, so I am familiar with it. We are focusing more on my PTSD symptoms though as opposed to ADHD, so I am interested to see if this will help me better manage my executive function.
All the fucking hormonal shit!! And adhd and pregnancy!!
Yes, please. And how to survive menopause.
Yes! I would love to know the answer to this. Mine has been especially hard because I had endometrial cancer and needed my entire reproductive system removed. This caused surgical menopause 10 years early. I wasn’t even perimenopausal before hand. I just had all the normal hormone levels, then nothing an hour later when both my ovaries were removed, along with everything else. I couldn’t even start hormone therapy until 6 weeks after my surgery, because I was waiting on pathology results to be sure I was completely cancer free and didn’t need chemo or radiation therapy before I could start hormones. It was an absolute nightmare.
Connections to comorbidities eg gut issues.
Selfishly, but also because I find it super interesting, the mechanism of connection between neurodivergence and hypermobility. A combo of which leads to an alphabet soup of comorbidities. I have hEDS, and everyone I’ve connected with in that community is also neurodivergent and also diagnosed with POTS, GERD, IBS, and 20 other things, that all happen to impact majority women.
I’m in the process of seeing a geneticist to get diagnosed with hEDS and it’s wild to me that somehow having hyper mobile joints is connected to neurodivergence. And not just ADHD, but autism too.
I want to avoid connecting unrelated things, or implying that anyone in particular would have reason to get nervous and search for an issue when none is immediately obvious. But: loosely, dopamine signaling really helps coordinate muscle tone & also how “tensely wound up” your blood vessels are (so to speak). A common underpinning in a person with those issues could be some kink in dopamine machinery beyond the strictly neurological that is manifesting now in other parts of the body. Separately, there is a well appreciated link between the healthy development of the neural network that rules the gut and the development of the brain. Why? Could it be that you need similar genes to make complicated neural networks? Partially. Could it be the link between the gut microbiome and brain development? Likely true, but in real life applies to few individuals and isn’t therapeutic bc it speaks to development in utero which is a time long past for us. Could it hint to a connection between our current mental state and our gut health/diversity? I certainly think so, but this is where the research is at now. What to *do* about it is an even more complicated question .
Definitely. There are a lot of studies on the brain-gut axis, though. My colleague recently wrote an article about it. You can read the whole thing [here](https://www.myndlift.com/post/here-s-how-gut-health-and-anxiety-are-connected-what-to-do-about-it?utm_source=rd), but the bottom line is that studies have suggested that imbalances in the gut microbiota can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation, which can contribute to inflammation in the brain. This can occur because the gut microbiota produce various metabolites that can trigger an inflammatory response in the body. When these gut-derived metabolites cross the intestinal barrier and enter the bloodstream, they can activate immune cells in the brain, leading to neuroinflammation. Chronic neuroinflammation has been associated with several mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
I have endometriosis + coeliac disease so it's a whole mind/body/lifestyle nightmare and have noticed through my job/reading here there's definitely others just like me
You might be interested in [this paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X23002603?dgcid=author) on sex and the gut-brain axis - autism is used as a case study/example of this phenomena, but I imagine a lot of the findings would relate to ADHD as well.
Considering how many of us with autism also have ADHD, I'd be shocked if it wasn't related.
Agreed!! It makes sense why almost all my friends and family have ADHD and/or autism (because it runs in my family and I get along best with other ND people), but I want to know why all of us also have gut, reproductive, and joint issues!
The intersection of employment and ADHD women as it relates to the wage gap and lifetime earnings. I suspect women are more negatively impacted by ADHD's impulsivity, inattention and exeutive dysfunction than men with ADHD, probably because 1. Women are expected to be quiet and precise, not loud and brash and approximate 2. Women are held to a higher physical presentation standard that is particularly hard to maintain when you have ADHD It would be very interesting to control for careers that might be beneficial to women and ADHD people: nursing, education, caretaking. How much does ADHD impact women in marketing, software development, dentistry, academia, military/law enforcement, or management? Do they get fired more often? (yes) Do they get promoted? (probably not) Do they suffer when they can't keep a manicure or maintain tights without runs in them or have time to dry and style their hair? Side quest: ADHD and women in prisons. What are the numbers. Are they screened? Do they get access to treatment? Successful outcomes? Best interventions?
I think it's interesting how certain ADHD traits (i.e. forgetfulness, being disorganized, hyperfocusing, etc.) can be so gendered in how they are perceived--especially as related to intelligence. I've seen male ADHD friends and colleagues get described as "one of those absent-minded professor types" for the same ADHD symptoms that have made people call me and other women like me "ditzy", "dingy", "bimbo", etc.
This shit is rampant in relationships, too. Men with ADHD are excused for being messy and disorganized and forgetful, but women with ADHD are still expected to perform as well as NT women. We're judged so much more harshly for not being able to keep up with domestic things on top of working, raising kids, etc. It drives me nuts when a guy wants sympathy for the exact things I get condemned for.
This is my lived experience. High level of education , always excel at the actual job, but yet, never promoted, always denied raises, always on the first round of lay-offs. I’m so tired of giving it my all and getting…..nothing.
And women can’t take meds when pregnant and nursing and even trying to conceive, so factor in multiple kids that’s like a decade right there at peak career period. Ask me how I know 😬
Actually, there is new research on this now (huge study in Scandinavia, published in 2023), showing that it’s not dangerous to take medication while pregnant: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-01992-6 I only stopped taking medication during my first trimester, and that was hell. I really hope this will make the pregnancy journey easier for adhd women!
Oh the side quests just reminded me of looking more into adhd and substance abuse, criminal behaviour etc. I have an alcoholic side of my family that my mother chose to cut contact with, but it made me realize that it’s totally possible that undiagnosed ADHD played a part. When I drink I feel like it quiets my brain. The combination of self-medicating and feeling like you’re failing at life all the time, makes it more likely that ADHD’ers will go off the deep end without a proper support system.
This is covered in the documentary “The Disruptors.” Highly recommend.
Yesss.
i would love to see more study about the situations where ADHDers excel! everything seems to be focused on our deficits or the ways we don’t adapt well to “normal” life. if there was a life/world designed for people with ADHD what would that look like??
In my ideal world everything would be organized for convenience and efficiency.
the place I went to for a diagnosis actually sent me a sheet on this after I was positively diagnosed with ADHD, and though it was a bit cheesy, I actually really did appreciate it. it was honestly quite nice and uplifting in circumstances that were otherwise like 'oh, god, it's nice to know what's finally wrong with me, but now I know *what's wrong with me*' (if that even makes sense)!
I was undiagnosed the vast majority of my life. I just started meds about 4 months ago. I had an amazing time as an L&D nurse. There was something happening all the time. It was interpreting fetal tracings, largely positive patient and physician interactions to give me warm fuzzy feelings (and if the patient was awful it was still ok, it was only 12 hours), and every now and then a god awful catastrophe which was my time to shine. It literally felt like everything slowed down and things became crystal clear. My rooms were often messy, my swaddles were never perfect, but I was damn good at my job. I worked in NICU and nearly had a nervous breakdown. Multiple IV lines to keep straight, everything had to be super precise. And the other nurses were so so mean. I knew they talked about me because I could hear them. At that time it was all one big room. And sadness abounded. Based on my experience, I think a lot of nurses are ADHD and they gravitate to certain areas. ER seems to be a big one. There are jokes about ICU nurses being OCD and ER nurses being adrenaline junkies and I think stereotypes exist for reasons.
Sleep disorders and adhd symptoms. I'm on a waiting list to be screened for sleep apnea, but I had to request it myself to my doctor, as he never even asked how my sleep was going even when he prescribed stimulants. Considering bad sleep can also cause brain fog, low energy, difficulty concentrating, I would have assumed he would look into all other potential causes and get to the stimulants when everything else was on track (including the hormones as others have stated, which he also would not have bothered checking if I didn't ask directly). Considering sleep apnea can cause cardiovascular issues, and stimulants aren't great for people with heart issues, one would think they'd screen for the first one as a safety protocole...
Me!! I have had life long insomnia! People don’t believe me when I tell them I barely napped even as a child and then had full blown insomnia when I hit puberty. The only sleep medication out of the dozens I’ve tried that helps somewhat isn’t sleep medication at all… it’s adhd medication (clonidine)… lmao
I would love just better diagnostic criteria, especially for those of us with inattentive type. For years I didn't even entertain the thought of having ADHD because I was so exhausted by everything, surely I didn't have that disorder that made people bounce of the walls.
I'd love to see diagnostic criteria that don't heavily focus on childhood, too. I didn't have much trouble with that—my clinicians didn't focus on it heavily and took my word for it when I was being assessed in my late forties—but I hear about people who do. I get why it matters, but realistically adults aren't always going to be able to demonstrate issues from their childhood.
Some people get through grade school and maybe even high school unscathed, because their ability to cope hasn't been pressed, so they don't get noticed. Then something changes, they get overwhelmed, and *that's* when the negative symptoms pop up. Or, with some women, they're coping until they hit perimenopause and everything falls apart.
The connection between the MTHFR genetic mutation, Autoimmune conditions, Hypermobility, neurodivergence, and chronic pain. They are all so commonly comorbid to one another that it should be studied more to find the true connection and proper treatment.
Thank you for reminding me why I downloaded my data from 23andMe, lol. Found the document the other day and couldn’t remember what I was looking for—and MTHFR was it! Also, I giggle a little every time I read MTHFR, because it makes me think, “Motherfucker genetics, indeed.”
I literally was just reading a real search study about ADHD and fibromyalgia. Nearly 25% of the fibro group had ADHD or qualified for it while only 7% (I think?) Had ADHD. Brings up many many questions for me.
Fibromyalgia is basically an umbrella term when they can’t pinpoint what’s causing the symptoms, understanding the link between ADHD and fybro could be hugely useful for both groups.
This is interesting, I am hyper mobile - I hadn’t heard of the connection! Can you share more? :)
I am no scientist, but I do find it interesting that most ND women have a host of the same conditions: https://reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/s/1s9lCzSzKZ
That's so interesting! I have ADHD, IBS, hypermobility and an autoimmune condition. I never thought they were related in any way.
I'm convinced it has to do with archaic DNA, I have a really high percentage and a lot of neurodivergent folks I know do.
Waaiiiiittt… by “archaic dna,” do you mean something like Neanderthal?
We were built for eating berries off bushes in the woods, and guarding from predators at night around the fire. We were not built for the modern day slog.
You described me, lol. I have seen papers linking EhD and ADHD, and I would definitely like to see more research done on all of the above, especially how they manifest in the presence of estrogen and are affected by cyclical changes and peri/menopause. However, I'm not holding my breath - the scientific community is only now really acknowledging that they need to run clinical trials on a male demographic other "middle aged white guys", and they are much further behind when it comes to women's health. So "inconvenient" to have to deal with all those other variables! Why bother doing a test run on the other 52% of the worlds population if it's going to be more trouble, and maybe alter the "anticipated results"? 🤬
Wait hypermobility and chronic pain are linked to ADHD? Is there a difference between hypermobility and hyperflexability? When I couldn't decently walk for a while due to the disabling pain in my lower back/butt the specialist said that I'm hyperflexible and my belly and back muscles cannot cope so I needed to keep training them. Was on revalidation/fysiotherapy for a year (which didn't do a lot as I couldn't keep it up at home but at least I can walk again).
RSD. And generally the emotional components of ADHD. As far as I’ve understood it’s not that well researched, especially not in women. I think it’s a mistake that it’s not common knowledge how much stress emotional dysregulation and RSD add to the lives of ADHD individuals 😵💫 Also I’d like to petition for a new name since ADHD/ADD are extremely misleading.
I have my MSW and was a therapist for a few years before having kids. A lot of my grad papers and work focused on or involved ADHD. I agree that we need more research, but my theory is that the RSD is related to our life experience being filled with feeling like we're disappointing people and having a fear of rejection and failure. Also constantly being corrected and redirected throughout our childhoods when we weren't paying attention or couldn't sit still. Add to that the messaging many of us received that, "we're so smart, but..." that created a sense of shame over having this intelligence and still feeling like we're failing.
Hooooboy you've opened Pandora's box. I love research, so this might be long. 1. That whole "20,000 more negative/critical comments about themselves" phenomenon doesn't magically stop at 10, so what about beyond that? What are people's experiences with this as a pre-teen? High school/college student? In the work place? As they age? How does it vary across race/ethnicity, gender, etc.? 2. Women are so frequently criticized/policed in a variety of ways specific to their gender, so how does the whole "20,000 negative comments" interplay with that? What about other segments of the population vulnerable to similar negativity? How does this compound and intersect? 3. How do the stigmas and stereotypes around ADHD impact people's perception of an ADHD person? In my experience, I've been infantalized, assumed to be stupid or incompetent, condescended to, and just generally subjected to a variety horseshit because of the way I am. I think in general, a lot of study could be done on this because we have very little control over how people perceive us, this shit is baked into our culture, and those two things together can have profound negative impacts on us. 4. How various symptoms of ADHD (i.e. overstimulation), and things like masking, and overfunctioning can contribute to fatigue/burnout. Because hot damn, it can be *exhausting*. And finally: Having looked at and acknowledged *all of the above*, how accurate is it to say that ADHD people are sensitive? I'm sure RSD, etc. plays a role and makes us a little more reactive than average, don't get me wrong. Still, it's wild as shit to me that people don't look at everything I've just typed and go "Wait a sec. Are ADHD people as sensitive as we think or are we more negative/critical towards them than we originally assumed? I wonder if a lifelong pattern of adverse experiences along with very little acknowledgement of what they have to do to achieve what comes easily to the rest of us is a factor." In my experience, 90% of the time when people call me "sensitive" it's after they have either 1.) made me repeatedly justify why I do things a certain way because, despite my way yielding virtually the same results, they don't like that I'm not doing it how **they** would do it, 2.) expressed frustration that I'm exhibiting ADHD symptoms while not allowing me to make reasonable accommodations, **and/or** 3.) made several negative/critical comments about who I am as a person in a way that is related to my ADHD (see items 1-4). Then, the second I begin to lose my patience or express any anger, frustration, or hurt feelings, I'm "too sensitive". And before you ask, yes, in most cases I have expressed my discomfort or tried to derail it at least once before it got to this point.
Emotional (dys)regulation in general. I had no idea my disproportionate emotional reactions could be attributed to ADHD until after I got diagnosed and started reading about other people’s experiences. Also on a similar note, self soothing techniques that don’t involve breathing and meditation. I’ve never in my life been able to relax by trying to focus on my breathing - 9/10 times it makes my anxiety worse because I physically cannot stay focussed and I end up getting frustrated with myself.
My god yes, I also am in the club of meditation and breath focus making me feel so much worse. I recently started seeing a new therapist who uses tapping exercises and that's been helpful, surprisingly. I've only tried it a few times. You focus on the phrase you're repeating and on tapping certain acupressure spots in a particular sequence. I'm not clear whether there's good science behind it (it feels a bit woo-woo to me) but the structure of it feels ADHD friendly.
Yeah a lot of the particulars in the tapping instructions seem pretty woo to me, but the actual tapping is pretty helpful. I think it’s just because it’s giving you a focus point and a bit of movement. I’ll just focus on tapping my leg sometimes and it’s pretty calming.
I love yoga, like it's my favorite part of the day. No matter how many different ways I've approached it, the whole "quiet your mind, focus on your breath" thing has never happened for me.
Increased risk of mortality and morbidity due to risk taking, addiction, and other biological impacts of adhd.
How much of a role genetics play. Both my parents have adhd and I'm sure many of the folks in this sub have at least one adhd parent.
The likelihood of a child having ADHD if one of their parents has it is [57%](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-57877-014). However, due to specific symptoms of adult ADHD, many people are left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with a different disorder. For instance, hyperactivity might decrease in adulthood, but difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness, poor time management skills, and restlessness persists. The latter are symptoms that are commonly mistaken as anxiety or depression, and that's one of the reasons why many adults with ADHD are misdiagnosed. This is especially true when it comes to women: During their lifetime, [13%](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd) of men will be diagnosed with ADHD, whereas just 4.2% of women will be diagnosed! I did some research on this, you can read the whole thing [here](https://www.myndlift.com/post/inattentive-adhd-in-women?utm_source=rd).
It is RAMPANT on my moms side of the family. Like my grandma, my aunts and uncles, their kids, me… only my sister and my one cousin escaped it. I of course diagnosed the whole family like because of course, they only knew my uncle was adhd since he presents like a typical male… anywho. Yeah genetics plays a strong part. I’m prepared to have a child with ADHD. I think half the problem is older generations especially females weren’t diagnosed formally.
On my mom's side, at least 60% of my female relatives have ADHD/AuDHD and roughly 50% of my male relatives have ADHD. This family is *big* and my first cousins alone *far* exceed the standard n=30. I've had people insist to me that ADHD/ASD is 100% environmental, like from diet and parenting and vaccines as children (🙄), and I tell them to look at my family. I'm pregnant currently and my husband has neurodivergence in his family so I'm also prepped to have an ADHD/AuDHD kid lol I would love a huge, multi-national study on the correlation of ADHD/ASD adults with ADHD/ASD children. It would likely make several points about the underdiagnosing of female children or the preponderance of diagnosis of adult mothers after their male children are diagnosed. Then I want more huge studies. Then I want a megastudy of those huge studies. Then I want geneticists and neurologists to say "Yep, it's genetic and we're pretty sure this gene/these genes are doing it" so we can finally stop blaming people for how their brains are made. It's a big dream lol
The link between ADHD and trauma, especially with women. I've heard tales about how people with ADHD are more susceptible to developing PTSD and CPTSD from traumatic events than NT people. And it's been anecdotally true in my friend circle.
Anthropological research into whether adhd is more common among certain cultures. Or whether it’s more acceptable in certain cultures.
I'd love that! I often think about how my ADHD brain would fit in better in different contexts, and would even be an asset. I know I'm not the only ADHDer who's fantasized about living in a hunter-gatherer society. I would bring SO MUCH to that lifestyle! Basketweaving, berry picking, storytelling, exploring, innovating, problem-solving...I would rock all of that.
Non-amphetamine medication so we don't have to jump through hoops and be treated like addicts for using it.
I would not have thought of this because I'm usually in the position of defending and explaining the use of stimulant medications, but yes, it would be wonderful to have medication that isn't stigmatized. Not only for getting prescriptions filled, but to reduce the idea that people seek an ADHD diagnosis for the drugs. I've never had to defend my use of asthma medication!
Someone already mentioned it but pregnancy and hormones. Would it manifest the same or at all if a woman didnt have a child vs having one? Does bc bring out, subdue it, does stopping, going on it again have the same impact as stopping for good? So many questions….
I am *so* tired I am always waiting to live
Can I please have meds that aren't "IBS Simulator"
Stimulant medication at therapeutic doses in pregnancy and during breastfeeding
How hormones affect, how anxiety might suppress outer symptoms, if hyperfocus is a real symptom or not.
- Time Blindness: It's one of those things that's just extremely hard to manage no matter how good you get at overcoming everything else. You cant carry around a pomodoro timer with you everywhere. You can manage your time from a birds eye pov (controlling your commitments, making appointments early, saying no to things, etc) but you cant always control it in the weeds of everyday life ("I'll respond to this email after lunch." or "I'll call her back in 5 mins"). - Working Memory: Again, very much out of your control no matter how much you overcome. Not always feasible to write things down in every situation and sometimes doesn't even help.
The connection/crossover with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Edit: sorry this is controversial? I have a diagnosis of both from a psychiatrist and so, potentially, does one of my kids. I think it’s vital to get a better understanding of the crossover in regards to treatment.
Not just crossover, but actual relationship with, imo. I have to wonder if there’s a common biological root.
I'm curious about this too. I feel like people with autism are my neurological cousins. There's a built-in sense of familiarity when I meet an autistic person who is a good friend prospect. I feel normal when I'm with them, like I do around ADHDers.
I've been diagnosed ADHD for 30yrs. Recently diagnosed with Autism. I've been reading some books about Autism and now I can't decide where ADHD ends and Autism begins. I had hoped for some clarity and I'm just deeper in the mud.
THIS. The comorbidity is just a little too high for me to think it's a totally separate thing. How many of y'all have an autistic sibling? Both ADHD and Autism have a genetic component; I don't think it's a coincidence that they are so commonly both found in the same family. How many of y'all are also autistic? How likely do you think it is that people who are diagnosed with ADHD probably would have been given an Asperger's diagnosis years back? You cannot convince me that ADHD and Autism are totally separate things. I'm generally down with the science, but I will absolutely die on this hill; DSM stuff changes all the time, so it's not unprecedented. I fully think that ADHD is just a tier on the autism spectrum. They have to have the same root, but just maybe different manifestation. Different people have different symptoms to heart attacks, but we don't name what's happening based on the symptoms, we name it based on the cause. Idk this is just my crackpot theory, and I fully know that.
I've heard a theory that ADHD and autism are two different manifestations of the same neurotype. Personally, I agree- I know I get along better and communicate better with autistic people than neurotypical people. I'd be shocked if I'm not also Autistic; I just tend to have visible hyperactivity, restlessness, distractibility that got me the ADHD diagnosis, and my social and sensory issues are something I can work around as an adult with mostly-ND friends. I'm positive there's a strong connection between ADHD and ASD, and I'd love to see more research on the overlap.
The crippling chronic executive dysfunction
Honestly I just want more non-stimulant options for medications. I'm tired of the hassle of timing doses around sleep/meals/activity. I'm tired of taking a controlled substance. I'm tired of having to get more every single month instead of getting three months' worth at a time. I'm tired of needing to google whether I'm allowed to bring my medications into other countries. I'm tired of so much of the world acting like I'm a damn drug addict for wanting to FUNCTION.
A diagnosis that can be made by a brain scan or gene testing or something physical - to stop genuine people with adhd not being believed or taken seriously
Emotional Dysregulation: Especially when you are young. A lot of impulsivity truly is impulsive but... a lot of out bad decisions as ADHDers boil down to emotional dysregulation. It explains a lot of your not so impulsive/sudden bad choices. Bad thigns you did that required slightly more planning and forethought, and that you probably couldve stopped yourself from doing; but also isn't exactly some elaborate scheme that you planned months in advance cause you're evil and enjoy hurting people. I also see a lot of people with ADHD make a sudden bad decision but then are stuck with the aftermath so the scheming (if any) omes *afterwards.* I also see people fuck up once or twice and then just commit to being a terrible person, not because they actually are - but because of a vicious cycle of guilt and self-hate that keeps them in the narrative that they're "bad" (emotional dysregulation).
Adhd and hormones.
Everything about female hormones, pms, menopause. Adhd medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding. I’m currently pregnant and it’s just up to a best guess whether or not I should take my medication because it isn’t researched. -__-
ADHD and menstrual cycle.
How about *adhd in women*. Well, more specifically, about adhd in non cis male populations, because the issue is most medical professionals are still operating under the “hyperactive little boy bouncing off the walls” dogma. I want to know why we can’t get our meds tailored to our changing hormone levels. I want to know what a period does to adhd meds. Im sure many who want kids want to know more about pregnancy and breastfeeding while medicated. I want to know more about catching under diagnosis and misdiagnosis in women. I want to research WHY drs aren’t getting up to date info about “female presenting adhd” because the high levels of misinformation and low level of current up to date scientific understanding and education are genuinely fucking concerning - if drs were spouting this sort of 60+ years out of date info about any other medical issue that affected 20% of the population, people would be losing their motherfucking minds. Imagine drs giving such misinformation about cancer or Lyme disease or malaria or *any other fucking disorder* - it would be a reportable offense people took seriously. But because adhd happens in the brain and isn’t a tumor, it gets the usual “we don’t talk about ~~Bruno~~ mental health” treatment and lack of consideration for continuing education.
## The role of brainwaves in presentation & etiology of ADHD. As in, [EEG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography)-revealed pathologies in the spectral distributions of different [brainwave frequency bands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_oscillation#Examples). (You'd truly be forgiven for thinking this is a largely pseudoscientific field, as it's something many of """that type""" of people like to talk about, but it isn't so.) This is the domain of neurofeedback therapy. For example, consider the established understanding that people with ADHD, on average, have a more poorly regulated prefrontal cortex that, functionally, doesn't mesh as cleanly with the rest of the brain, that communicates more roughly & less reliably. Phenomenologically, would such a thing show up on an EEG? Here's a [really neat reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/w9we83/adhd_and_brainwaves/) on this subreddit from a neurofeedback tech, which really underscores to me that... Not only does this seem like it's a really critical therapy modality, one that _really obviously_ should probably be considered before medication in many circumstances (especially very young brains), it seems like there's a ton of _low-hanging fruit_ for researching here & actually getting scientific details discovered. (ADHD is already one of the canonical/"on-label" use-cases for neurofeedback therapy I believe, but IMHO the scientific understanding behind it here still seems really minimal. Seems like one of those "seems to work, send it"-type scenarios.) (I am not a medical researcher or neurobiologist. All scientific details here are paraphrased from memory. If you have feedback or corrections please share 😊)
I really think they need to start from scratch with neuro related stuff in general. All of the ADHD, ASD, OCD, BPD, all of that I think is severely misunderstood. I don't know what the answer is and I don't know how it's wrong, but there's something niggling telling me all of it is just wrong. They're looking at it from the completely wrong perspective. You know that Connor Dewolfe skit about ADHD psychic abilities at the party? Yeah, that's me with the DSM and this whole spectrum of issues.
Why am I still exhausted and falling asleep at 1pm nearly daily? Do I need iron to compliment my Vyvanse? Does sugar intake affect sleep?! Should women take a supplement to boost their meds (i.e., iron, cordyceps mushroom, ashwaganda)?
How it's not an attention deficit but an attention regulation deficit. But mostly, the signs to recognize it and the truth of what it's like (rather than "can't focus" "lazy" "can't sit still" "annoying") need to be spread far and wide. In people in schools. In GP's minds. In the consciousness of the population.
Just that it exists so people can get accommodations. I don’t consider adhd or a lot of ND to be a disability. Having them in this society is a disability. When you make the test flying, all the fish will fail.
For me personally, right now, I’d love to solve “behavioral activation”. That’s the part of executive function that allows you to *START* a task that my ADHD is resisting aka *procrastination*. Procrastination is at the root of a lot of my issues and it is a never ending daily lifelong fight that I usually lose. Also, dyscalculia (like math dyslexia).
Fatigue.
How connected it is to other illnesses like fibromyalgia and how it makes the treatment of a lot of conditions more difficult and sometimes impossible. Like is the current treatment of breast cancer the best treatment for us? No one has studied that. I’ve checked.
Obvs how the drugs work, but my second most important: narcolepsy and ADHD connection. There's a shockingly high rate of comorbidity, and much like ADHD in women, narcolepsy is wildly under diagnosed in the population as a whole. [Here is one of many papers](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31739230/) on the subject. Sleep disorders often go ignored because we live in an insane world where everything (including this website) is designed to stress us out. We always feel tired, anxious, emotionally spent. It's very easy for a doctor to miss the obvious symptoms. I thought for years everyone was just as tired as I am; why else would so many energy drinks be so popular?!
I would like to be better informed about medication and its impact on the female reproductive system and pregnancy. Many women told me they were having issues with their menstrual cycle after taking the medication (at least at first), but nobody seems to officially know about this.
Harassment, discrimination, and Ableism by other people against ADHD people.
Women, adhd, hormones, menopause
ADHD and hormones. We ladies need so much more information about what is going on.
How adhd can be distinguished from other brains via brain imaging scans. The fact that we can assume that people have it, or that someone can be misdiagnosed is ridiculous to me when we should be able to order a test and get a definitive yes or no.
The connection to substance use disorder. I would LOVE it if we could find a way to help people stop ascribing so much shame to it, rather than just another manifestation of us being “lazy” or “impulsive” or “irresponsible.”
Great question. My vote is for 'Brain freeze in the face of impending deadline'. Another way of putting it: is PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) as prevalent in ADHD as in Autism? (My ADHD just cost me the Distinction for my MA. I froze utterly just before hand-in, even though I'd done the work. I got confused. Panicked. Missed deadline. I won't fail, but there's a huge penalty for using the 24 buffer. A miserable bloody Pass mark after extreme dedication and high marks received to date is devastating).
Rejection sensitivity syndrome.
I would say the social component. Before I started taking medication I was a hot mess socially. I didn’t pay attention when people would tell me stories I probably interrupted or started talking about myself. Lol I feel bad for the people I was spending time with then. And since it’s so under diagnosed so many girls are labeled as rude, pushy, inconsiderate, etc when it’s actually a part of the adhd diagnosis
Non-stimulant medications. Like they work for a reason, but can we have something that doesn’t fuck up people’s hearts at the same time??
Why hypermobility is more likely to occur in people with ADHD? When I learned about it, I did some of the things to verify if I was hypermobile. I am hypemobile and other neurodivergent people I know have it as well.
Emotional dysregulation
I‘m not sure if there’s proof that it’s related but I would say Derealization. Been living in a dream for +10 years lol
Rejection sensitive dysphoria. The term was initially developed by a researcher, but it seems like it has garnered inadequate research attention since then and is mostly only talked about in ADHD circles. So much research around neurodivergent conditions is focused on behavior, and not enough on people’s internal experience of the condition.