Online ADDitude Magazine article regarding why women don't get diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Graye, Sarah Marie

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Kent Academic RepositoryFull text document (pdf)Copyright & reuseContent in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated allcontent is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of researchThe version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.EnquiriesFor any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: researchsupport@kent.ac.ukIf you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.htmlCitation for published versionGraye, Sarah_Marie  (2018) The ADHD Symptom Women Might Be Overlooking.   ADDitudeMagazine .   pp. 1-2.DOILink to record in KARhttps://kar.kent.ac.uk/85807/Document VersionPublisher pdfGUEST BLOGS“The ADHD Symptom Women Might Be Overlooking”I didn’t have a Borderline Personality Disorder, a er all.BY SARAH MARIE GRAYEThe name “Attention De cit/Hyperactivity Disorder” misses one of the symptoms that is hardest to livewith — emotional hypersensitivity.When you think about ADHD hypersensitivity, you might think being sensitive to loud noises andscratchy labels in clothes. In many cases, the sensitivity also applies to our emotions. We cannot bear thepain of criticism; we are unable to brush o  personal slights the way other people do.The emotional side of ADHD hypersensitivity is often not present in children, especially in boys, whichmeans it is rarely discussed in detail on the symptoms pages of ADHD websites. It doesn’t show up inonline searches.So it’s not surprising that some adults with undiagnosed ADHD (like me) searching the Internet foranswers about feeling emotionally overwhelmed think we have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).The emotional symptoms of BPD are the cornerstone of the disorder. In fact, the new name for thecondition is Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder! So if you have undiagnosed ADHD and  nd thatyou su er from persistent sadness, a mood disorder, and anxiety linked to your emotionalhypersensitivity, a BPD diagnosis makes sense.[Free Resource: 15 Ways to Disarm (and Understand) Explosive ADHD Emotions]Those with BPD have bouts of extreme sadness, mood disorders, and anxiety as well as unstable familyand social relationships. They  nd it di cult to cope with changes in plans. They quit jobs. They overeat.So I found myself nodding along to many of the symptoms on the list. But one stuck out that I absolutelyknew wasn’t me: the “push/pull” symptom — a chronic pattern of sabotaging and re-establishingcloseness in a relationship without appropriate cause or reason.Many of those with BPD have su ered neglect or a signi cant rejection, or they have struggled withseparation issues in childhood. This results in wildly  uctuating feelings in which a su erer goes fromidolizing to hating someone at the drop of a hat.The reason for this is that su erers have an unstable self-image, so if someone gets too close to them,they feel engulfed and in danger of losing themselves. But the minute the same person steps slightly outof reach, they are overwhelmed with fear of abandonment.It is this pushing-and-pulling that earns BPD su erers the unfair label of being “manipulative,” whenthey are, in fact, trying to balance their emotions.[Download: 3 Common Diagnosis Mistakes]Inside the ADHD mindInstead of having these  uctuating feelings, when I’m emotionally overwhelmed, I withdraw into myself,the shutters come down. How could I have BPD and not display one of its key symptoms? I needed to askan expert.I saw a psychiatrist and he dismissed my self-diagnosis. Without the  uctuating emotions and thepush/pull behavior, he con rmed that I didn’t have BPD. I wasn’t completely surprised, but I also feltthat a diagnosis of mood disorders and anxiety that the psychiatrist handed out wasn’t correct.I struggled on, trying to cope and taking SSRI medications until I had a breakdown and ended up in ahospital. Another psychiatrist I saw suggested that I might have ADHD.I thought she was mad. I had suicidal thoughts and had su ered an emotional collapse, so who cared if Ifound it di cult to sit still or concentrate? But then she explained how emotional hypersensitivitymanifests itself in female adult su erers of ADHD, and everything fell into place.In ADHD, emotional hypersensitivity comes with an “o  switch.” Not being able to abide boringconversations, cope with personal slights, or tolerate arguments were examples of hypersensitivity thatwere just as valid as having to cut the label out of a new jumper.I had an o  switch. The shutters coming down had a name!Since my ADHD diagnosis, I’ve started taking the ADHD medication, which reduces the noise in my head,making it easier for me to think. I feel calmer, and I am better able to cope with overwhelming emotionalresponses to other people’s behaviors.My hope is that my story will help other adults with undiagnosed ADHD get a better understanding ofdebilitating emotional symptoms. I hope that reading my story will persuade them to see a psychiatristand perhaps get the diagnosis that alluded me for so long.[When It’s More Than ADHD]Updated on October 20, 2020CLICK TO READ COMMENTS & REVIEWSCopyright © 1998 - 2021 New Hope Media LLC. All rights reserved. Your use of this site is governed byour Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. ADDitude does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, ortreatment. The material on this web site is provided for educational purposes only.

"The ADHD Symptom Women Might Be Overlooking" I didn’t have a Borderline Personality Disorder, after all

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"The ADHD Symptom Women Might Be Overlooking" I didn’t have a Borderline Personality Disorder, after all

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