🌿 Did You Know?
🌀 ADHD affects over 366 million people worldwide, yet it often looks very different depending on age, gender, and lived experience.
💔 Many people with ADHD struggle with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) — overwhelming emotional pain in response to criticism or rejection. It’s especially intense in women.
🌪️ ADHD paralysis isn’t laziness — it’s when the brain “freezes,” making even simple tasks like eating, showering, or paying bills feel impossible.
🔁 Stimming — fidgeting, pacing, hair twirling, doodling — is a self-soothing behavior people with ADHD use to regulate their nervous system.
⏰ ADHD can cause people to forget critical daily needs, like meals, hydration, or even bathroom breaks, until it’s urgent.
🎢 Emotional dysregulation means highs can feel electric and creative, while lows can feel like total shutdowns. Women in particular are often mislabeled as “moody” instead of recognized for ADHD.
😶 Many women with ADHD become experts at masking — hiding symptoms by overcompensating, people-pleasing, or working twice as hard just to appear “normal.”
🩺 Because of this, the healthcare system has failed women for decades, leading to late or missed diagnoses. ADHD in women is often dismissed as stress, anxiety, or depression.
😨 Anxiety, panic, and depression are frequent companions of ADHD, not because of weakness, but because of the exhausting effort to function in a world not built for neurodivergent brains.
💥 Impact Statements
ADHD in women is underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed more often than in men, leading to years of untreated struggle.
Adults with ADHD face a higher risk of job loss, financial instability, and relationship breakdowns — yet these are preventable with proper recognition and support.
Suicide attempts are significantly higher among people with ADHD, particularly women.
ADHD is not a lack of potential — it’s a different way of processing the world, full of creativity, problem-solving, and resilience when given understanding and space to thrive.
🧠 Other Neuro-Related Conditions Linked to ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — overlap in sensory differences, stimming, and communication challenges.
AUDHD (Autism + ADHD) — a unique overlap where traits of both conditions meet, often showing up as heightened sensory sensitivity, stronger stimming needs, intense focus shifts, and challenges with emotional regulation and social communication.
PTSD / CPTSD — trauma responses that can mimic or intensify ADHD traits.
Learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
Seizure disorders and other neurological conditions sometimes confused with ADHD or occurring alongside it.
Mood disorders like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, which can mask or complicate ADHD diagnosis.
