Why would I read an ADHD book and I don’t even know if I have ADHD?
I picked up the Women with ADHD book by Sarah Davis and Linda Hill because of course I wanted to know if I too had ADHD. To being forgetful about appointments , listening to somebody talk and not remembering anything they said, to losing my keys everyday I just felt like something wasn’t right. And of course Google suggested it and I didn’t find it myself because I spend mindless hours online and my algorithm is clearly accurate. I went into this book just trying to learn and let me tell you I learned a lot. I would not say I have ADHD because I have not been diagnosed. BUT as an older daughter, single, working, black educated woman I knew women like me could relate so I decided to write down exactly what I learned. Let me preface my blog by saying I am not a doctor, I read a book and got the information from people who are educated in the area. I am only writing down what I read in an attempt to help others and retain the information 🙂
What is ADHD ?
ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and it is a neurodevelopment disorder. Neurodevelopment refers to the neurological pathways created during your brains development. Those pathways affect how you socialize, learn, memorize, read, analyze and function. It is one of the most common disorders in the population.
The 3 categories of ADHD
The book categorizes the symptoms of ADHD into the following 3 categories:
- Inattentiveness is when you have trouble paying attention and often times lose focus.
- Hyperactivity is when you have trouble sitting still in one spot in often unsuitable times.
- Impulsive is when you act without thinking about your consequences.
The ADHD Myths and Facts that leads to women being misdiagnosed for ADHD
- Myth: ADHD is a disorder for adolescent boys
Women from the age of 24 to 36 are the fastest growing population diagnosed and treated with ADHD and the number doubled from 2020 – 2022. (source: Epic Research – an organization that analyzes electronic medical record data)
A lot of women get tested for ADHD later in life and have been diagnosed. This is often because instead of thinking we have a problem we just adjust our lives to how we feel. - Fact: The most misdiagnosed people with ADHD are women and girls
Women and girls are the most misdiagnosed people with ADHD because of the myth above. Boys with ADHD tend to fall under the hyperactivity category which if often times disruptive to a classroom environment. If girls do fall under the hyperactvivity category then they normally are more talkative in class and can normally settle down when asked. Most women and girls fall under the inattentive category of ADHD which is less disruptive as well since it is hard to notice. - Myth: Children outgrow ADHD
Well we know this is untrue just by the book itself but statically when children are diagnosed in childhood 70% of them experience symptoms in their teens and 50% experience symptoms in adulthood (2) . Along with the statistic above of women being diagnosed and treated with ADHD at a high rate. - Fact: When women are diagnosed with ADHD they have developed a comorbidity disorder.
A comorbidity disorder is a disorder that occurs at the same time as another. Women often develop these disorders as a result in trying to mask their ADHD Symptoms (ex: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder etc.)
LINK TO BUY THE BOOK on AMAZON !
Citations
Davis, Sarah, and Linda Hill. Women with ADHD: The Complete Guide with Sample Tips & Strategies to Stay Organized, Overcome Distractions, Improve Relationships, Manage Emotions, and Thrive in Life. 2022.
McGough JJ (2009). Adult manifestations of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In BJ Sadock et al., eds., Kaplan and Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th ed., vol. 2, pp. 3572–3579. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Russell, Jim, et al. “Number of ADHD Patients Rising, Especially among Women.” Epic Research, Epic Research, 30 Mar. 2023, www.epicresearch.org/articles/number-of-adhd-patients-rising-especially-among-women.