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ADHDdiagnosesare booming, leading to increased demands for tests and prescription medications across various public health sectors.
People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating, and may act on impulse.
I got diagnosed in my mid-twenties in law school, 32-year-old Jaklin Levine-Pritzker toldBored Pandain an email.
Matlen is an expert on ADHD in adults, with a special focus on women.
They reached out for help, and many, ultimately, were diagnosed with ADHD.
Women with ADHD often present differently from men with ADHD, Matlen said.
Women with ADHD often describe their lives as overwhelming, Matlen explained.
They may struggle more with eating disorders.
They complain of feeling fatigued, and often, we see sleep disorders as well.
She further stated: I fall quickly into addictions.
I get bored easily with just about everything.
Without a routine or a disciplined lifestyle, I can struggle with anxiety and depression.
Levine-Pritzker runs the popularAuthentically ADHDInstagram page, in which she details her symptoms and raises awareness about the disorder.
Being hyperfocused or not at all.
Extremely variable energy, capacity, and mood.
Incredible follow through when interested, and major inertia when not.
So many ideas, creativity, excitement.
In addition, we see educational failures.
Girls in school may give up as they cant sustain their attention, leading to poor grades and worse.
I struggled to integrate myself, to preserve my friendships.
I felt lonely, and I couldnt be myself without risking being rejected by friends.
As a result of masking, many people didnt realize Levine-Pritzker had ADHD.
Granted, many women with ADHD do have depression, but its often not the primary diagnosis.
Sure, you may appear in the office depressed because of these lifelong struggles.
ADHD diagnoses are complicated and differ from clinician to clinician and from country to country.
Nevertheless, they typically include rigorous self-assignment questionnaires and lengthy psychological evaluations.
However, one cant diagnose a person solely based on these types of forms.
Social media has taken this and run with it: that women can have ADHD, Matlen noticed.
Matlen did, however, acknowledge social medias role in raising awareness of the disorder.
Products that include methylphenidate or amphetamine are the most commonly prescribed medications for ADHD.
These neurotransmitters include dopamine and norepinephrine.
At first, I was taking medications, and it wasnt easy during the first month, Emilie said.
She stopped taking her treatments to preserve ADHD traits that she felt were a part of her personality.
I think that if I was a boy, it wouldve been normalized but valued.
For girls, its normalized and demeaning.
Why cant I even keep up with the laundry?).
Were not less or worse.
yo be patient with us.
She further cautioned against diagnoses concluded after 20-minute sessions.
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