Aussie mums are being urged not to discount their everyday erratic behaviour as it could be a common condition. Sydney mum Nicki Price struggled to keep up with the thrills and spills of parenting on top of running her own business for years.
But it wasn’t until her son was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that she wondered whether she could have the same disorder. The 43-year-old told Yahoo Lifestyle it led her on a lengthy journey to getting her own diagnosis.
“I had gone a long time feeling like my brain wasn’t right,” she said.
RELATED:
She explained that she struggled to control her emotions, couldn’t focus on basic tasks, and could easily get overwhelmed in certain scenarios.
It led Nicki to think that there was something “wrong” with her, but she didn’t feel like it aligned with the idea of ADHD.
There were times when she would feel hyperactive, but nothing out of the ordinary.
But when her son was diagnosed 10 years ago, she started reading into the disorder more and discovered something that made her think she could have it too.
Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
ADHD isn’t the same in everyone
The ADHD Foundation Australia claim there are “in excess of one million people with diagnosable ADHD in Australia, most of whom are adults and with no diagnosis or access to treatment”.
ADHD can present itself differently in women and men, which can lead the former to go decades without a proper diagnosis.
Dr Brendan Daugherty, Australian psychiatrist and co-founder of Pandion Health, told Yahoo Lifestyle why it can sometimes manifest differently between the sexes.
“When a boy is hyperactive, they become very destructive and very difficult,” he said.
“The parents will usually think, ‘We need to get this treated’. Whereas girls will often not have so much hyperactivity, but will more likely be the inattentive type.
“A lot of women are very socially intelligent, so they’ll do things that mask the inattentiveness.
“Even young girls will learn to mask the symptoms of not being able to hold concentration or attention for very long.
“And then they do that all through their life.”
Psychiatrist Dr Brendan Daugherty explained why ADHD can present differently between the sexes. Picture: Brendan Daugherty
Why do some women only notice it later in life?
He added that it’s usually through having children, which can add an immense amount of responsibility and pressure to a person’s life, that women realise they could be neurodivergent.
Dads also have this responsibility and pressure, but Dr Daugherty said women have typically taken on the caretaker role in the household and juggling life, kids, and work can push ADHD symptoms to the forefront.
“It’s been a massive trend in recent years,” he said.
“Between the ages of 35 and 45, broadly speaking, when their children become a little bit older, and women start to recognise some of the symptoms themselves, or they get awareness through social media, that they will seek assessment.”
Some experts estimate that between half and three‑quarters of women with ADHD remain undiagnosed
Melbourne-based healthcare service Seed Psychology added that many women will be misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression instead of ADHD when meeting with doctors.
“ADHD can be mistaken for anxiety because they share similar symptoms,” Seed Psychology said.
“For example, if you’re anxious about something, you also can’t focus.
“Women exhibiting combined symptoms with high energy and impulsivity could be misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. When a misdiagnosis is made, this leads to inadequate or postponed treatment.”
The journey to diagnosis and a life-changing experience
Even though Nicki’s son got his diagnosis a decade ago, it took her years to secure hers.
The Aussie mum said she knew herself that she probably had the disorder, but organising the time to go through the formal diagnosis process delayed her.
“It got to the point where I thought, ‘There’s to be a better way of living’. So I went to my GP, who referred me to a psychiatrist to get properly diagnosed and get medicated,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Nicki put off getting a diagnosis for years but once she finally got it, it was a “massive relief”. Picture: Nicki Price
Nine months after that initial meeting, she finally got the confirmation she had assumed for years, which she said was a “massive relief”.
Once she was prescribed medication, her whole life changed.
“I think it’s really helped my emotional regulation. I used to get so overwhelmed with things, and I just kept putting things off, and I just couldn’t deal with things.
“Now, I’m able to do things one by one.”
Dr Daugherty urged men and women to talk to healthcare professionals if they feel they could have ADHD.
SHOP:
While they might think they have it, or another type of neurodivergence, the psychiatrist said it’s worth getting clarification.
“When I see people that get a diagnosis and start treatment, their lives can completely change,” he said.
“It can change their relationship. It can change their career. It can improve their relationship with their kids and their ability to parent.
“If they’re not getting the treatment that they need or deserve, then they’re doing themselves a huge disservice.
“That’s why it’s really important to get assessed. And if it’s not ADHD, it might be something else.”
He said not everyone who has ADHD gets medicated and there are plenty of other methods that can be used to keep the disorder managed.
Want the latest lifestyle and entertainment news? Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.