Suddenly it seems that everyone is talking about ADHD, it’s on radio shows, on tv programs, the groups I’m in get new members daily and the TikTok videos I’m making about it are getting the most views I’ve had on anything before in 6 years, one on adult diagnosis getting over 100,000 views in just a week. (Scroll down to view) Having been recently diagnosed with inattentive ADHD at the age of 37, (they are now calling it inattentive ADHD rather than ADD), I have been fairly overwhelmed by the response to me sharing my story. People are desperate, searching for answers and I recently read a blog post that made total sense to me, the lockdown has stripped us of the coping mechanisms we had inadvertently put into place over the years to keep us on a level. To understand it further, we need to have a quick look into what ADHD is.

What is ADHD?

There are three kinds of ADHD; Inattentive, Hyperactive and Combined. I am inattentive and so that’s where I will focus as I can only relate it to myself.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

CDC Website

Some ADHD symptoms I had

Some of the symptoms I experienced were; daydreaming, losing myself in books, being unable to sleep until much later than my peers, being really disorganised, incredibly messy and never being able to start big projects until the very last minute. The dark side of going undiagnosed meant that I experienced many bouts of depression from a young age, very severe anxiety, postnatal depression, I felt I never achieved my potential, low self esteem, low self worth and I could never understand why I couldn’t just adult like everyone else.

Studies have found that brains of people with ADHD produce less dopamine and so people that are undiagnosed often look for ways to get that hit, without realising. This a called ‘thrill seeking’ and this behaviour can be very dangerous and damaging. It can involve, alcohol, drugs, smoking, sugar, food, starting arguments, reckless driving and taking risks among others. As an adult the pressures of life get harder and harder and it can be more and more difficult to get those dopamine hits.

How does the lockdown come into it?

Now that I am diagnosed and medicated, I can see clearly the things that I used to give me those little boosts; shopping, meeting friends, booking weekends away, travel, booking holidays and a big one for me was sugar and food. The reason that so many people undiagnosed with ADHD are falling apart at the moment and are searching about ADHD is because we have had all of our coping mechanisms stripped away. The only thing I was left with last year was food and sugar particularly and so I ended up putting on a lot of weight in lockdown 1. By the middle of the year I was really finding things tough and it was a huge relief to get my diagnosis in October and finally understand my entire life, it was like I had been given glasses for the very first time and could see clearly.

What about gender and ADHD?

It is mainly women that are responding to my sharing, the symptoms of ADHD in women often present differently and are better at masking, but also anyone with inattentive ADHD, the stereotypes have meant that the quiet, shy, daydreamers went under the radar, people just thought it was about being noisy, hyperactive, disruptive and that has been so damaging all round. There is a huge generation of ADHD adults who have carried this around their whole lives and have been amazing and resilient and made their own way, as difficult as it is but are now really on the edge and needing help.

So that’s why so many are looking for answers at the moment, it’s not because ADHD is new, or fashionable, or you’re ‘looking for labels’, it’s because it’s a very real, very misdiagnosed condition and the treatment is different to treating other mental health conditions so other things you’ve tried won’t have worked well, or for long. We are the lost generation, and I think it’s a massive testament to our characters and inner strength that we have got ourselves this far without the help we needed.

@pinkpearbear

This is the question I’ve been asked most! I’ve written it up on my blog pinkpearbear.com in detail. ##adhd ##adhdinwomen ##adhdawareness

♬ How Did I Get Here – ODESZA

How to get help if you think you have ADHD

I get asked this question the most, how do you approach your GP about it? I have compiled a list of advice here.

Many people recommend this book: (affiliate link)