Diagnosing ADHD in women
I was diagnosed as having ADHD when I just turned 23. My mental health had been on the floor since I was a teenager and nothing worked long-term. It wasn't until I stumbled across Tiktok videos on ADHD in women, I felt understood.
However, prior to my diagnosis, I was completely ignorant to the fact that there was such a thing as ADHD in women. I grew up in a world where ADHD was something only naughty boys had.
Is ADHD in women rare?
When I was at school for every 4 boys diagnosed, one girl was. For so long we were led to believe ADHD was mainly a disorder for boys. Research, shows that actually it’s a 50:50 split, it’s just girls have been undiagnosed for so long. ADHD symptoms in women differ from the typical male presentation.
What are the symptoms of ADHD in women?
These are just a few of the most common symptoms of what ADHD in women can look like.
- Daydreaming
- Zoning out
- Overly Sensitive
- Disorganised
- Forgetful
- Hyper-talkative
- Rushes through tasks & makes carless mistakes
- Easily distracted
- Poor time management
- Interrupts conversations
- Appears to not hear you
- Problems seeing a task through
I think I might have ADHD, what can I do?
Welcome to the club! It’s important to remember that self diagnosis is completely valid. Not everyone has the resources to get a quick diagnosis. If you want the self validation or want to start medication and want to seek a diagnosis you have two options: NHS or Private.
I received a private diagnosis as my mum kindly paid for it outright (and I paid her back). If you do want a private diagnosis you will need to find someone who does the DIVA test. This is the test that most GPs recognise, so if you want to go down the medication route you’ll need a DIVA done. I did my DIVA over zoom and it took about an hour.
Can I seek an NHS ADHD Diagnosis?
Yes! It’s not impossible! When I asked my doctor, I was basically told to go private as the waiting list is too long. However, when a friend went to her doctors, they referred her and she was seen and diagnosed within 9 months. Another friend went to her doctors and was met with, “oh so you’ve seen that TikTok trend”.
My best advice is to go armed with knowledge. Know the buzz words, do your research and advocate for yourself. If you show your doctor you are well researched then they are more likely to refer you. Remember, some GPs may not have an awful lot of knowledge on ADHD in women, so it is important you know the facts.
When advocating for my son’s referral, I wrote a 7 page document full of evidence. I found the diagnosis criteria online and for each point I wrote evidence and examples. With ADHD, it’s good to have examples from your childhood and adulthood.
Key Buzzwords to know when doing to the doctors.
- Emotional dysregstion
- Hyperfixation
- Impulsiveness
- Neurodiverse
- Executive dysfunction
- Rejection sensitivity dysphoria
- Inattentive
- Hyperactive
- Attention deficit
Do women actually have ADHD or is it just a TikTok trend?
ADHD is most certainly not a TikTok trend. It’s true that there has been a huge increase in women diagnosed with ADHD, and TikTok had played a role in that! It’s actually how I first researched ADHD in Women myself! So many women are misdiagnosed with mental disorders and not screened for being neurodiverse. The rise in diagnosis's is because there has been a rise in awareness. As my psychiatrist said, “you (as in me) have quite a high level of ADHD don’t you?” But yet I got to adulthood not being diagnosed. Despite, having a torrid time as a teenager and my traits being so obviously ADHD. Why is this? Because there simply wasn’t the education and knowledge of ADHD in women and girls that we have now.
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