More women, especially minority women, should talk about life with ADHD. The reason is that most women are not diagnosed as children and thus can give a screenshot of what untreated ADHD looks like. Because many people who have been diagnosed choose not to seek treatment, or parents choose not to seek treatment for their children. I have met people with ADHD before being diagnosed and after.
When dealing with ADHD, women also have to factor in pregnancy and menstruation and the bilateral effect ADHD and hormones seem to have on one another. Women can see a fluctuation in ADHD symptoms and are more likely to have more severe PMS symptoms leading up to menstruation.
However, the most notable disorder I have seen is addiction. The addictions can vary from coffee, food, sugar, drugs, and alcohol, and the surprising one is energy drinks. Anything that will change the way the brain functions. It is not surprising as women go through such a long period untreated. For transparency, I do not have an addiction, mainly because I don’t like drugs, most alcohol is nasty, and I cannot eat consistently enough to have a problem. I will note that I have the worst sweet tooth out of all my siblings. I have gotten better with age, but as a young adult, I ate a lot of candy and cookies. With that said, I am not a stranger to eating cake for breakfast, and out of my group of friends, I am still the one with the most significant sweet tooth. Women have a different perspective to add to the conversation on ADHD, and hopefully, it will mean girls are diagnosed and not just women.
No comments :
Post a Comment