16 Jun ADHD in Women: Why It Often Goes Undiagnosed
Brooklyn Letters
1139 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn
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We would highly recommend Ally! Our son always asks about her, so very thankful to Brooklyn Letters for introducing us.
~ Emily, mom of Brooklyn 2 year old -
Nicole has been an amazing therapist!! She played a tremendous role in our daughter’s speech progress and overall development. She has come such a long way and we are so happy with the therapy she received!
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I cannot express how grateful and rewarding my experience with Brooklyn Letters has been. Her tutor Ms. Daria is so knowledgeable, amazing, kind and awesome. My daughter has made so much progress in Literacy and Math and it's all … More thanks to Ms. Daria. I know my daughter is sad that she can no longer work with Ms. Daria, as she looked forward to their sessions every week. Thank you again!
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Excellent services, caring therapists.
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Christina was absolutely wonderful. She went out of her way to win my son over and it worked. He looked forward to her visits and his speech improved so much under her care. She was super flexible and it’s clear she truly cares. We adore … More Christina and we’re going to miss her. Almost sad he improved so much! She’s simply amazing and we can’t say enough how great she is. I would recommend her services to anyone and everyone, without hesitation. Thank you so much for connecting us with her!
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We could not be happier with the services Valerie provided! She is very thoughtful and knowledgeable and provided significant guidance to support our daughter's speech development outside of our scheduled sessions. She established … More a great working relationship with her, and she will definitely be missed! Your business model is amazing and it was an absolute pleasure working with Valerie. I've referred your organization and Valerie to the Executive Director of our daughter's school and friends/colleagues who are in need of speech therapy services.
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We cannot say enough good things about Effie, the ASL teacher, who was so engaged and effective with our 2 year old daughter from the very first session! Effie gladly included our whole family in the sessions! Her expertise and fantastic … More personality gave our daughter a way to communicate that she was so desperately seeking. The coordinators at Brooklyn Letters were so helpful and communicative…I would highly recommend their services!
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The company is great with outstanding customer service. They keep my horses protected. I have recommended them to other horses trainers as well that are going to get service early next year. Very professional an honest too. Respectfully … More submitted Christopher
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Ron and Ken did a fantastic job with our security system today. Installed everything very quick. Both of them were very polite and asked us throughout if the installation met our needs. Simply fantastic!
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I called Cornerstone Protection to get a Security system at a relatives out of state property, within a week it was installed! The installers worked with the client to help understand her new system and she was happy! Our relative said … More they were courteous, professional and patient! I highly recommend Cornerstone Protection for all of your security needs!
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Had blink cameras; Car was broken into multiple times so I called CornerStone & they were able to install multiple cameras very quickly & for a reasonable price. I am so happy with the app & getting alerts that are not superfluous, … More like they were with Blink. Highly recommend CornerStone & the tech Ronnie.
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Ron and Ken are great guys to work with.
Both were very knowledgeable and got our system back up and running.
Thanks to both for a job well done... -
Samantha Dalmas was fantastic! We saw her for a feeding therapy evaluation and while she doesn’t think my daughter needs more feeding therapy sessions at this time, but she gave me lots of tips to try. If my daughter's doctors want … More to see more progress at her next appointment, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to Samantha again.
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Amazing assistance provided by Shannon today on my security system. I’m so grateful for your prompt, efficient, professional, and courteous service. Put me down as a customer for life!
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One of the most painless experiences I've had. They came on time and was over the moon professional with still keeping a level of personability to it. The gentleman also went out of his way to say that my husband and Mines business … More was appreciated. Which is actually rare to be appreciated by such a great company. So thank you and we look forward to continuing services with this company.
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I am so happy we decided to go with cornerstone. They were quick and efficient. Shannon and the installer we very friendly. We got a lot of equipment and it was still within our budget. 10/10 would definitely recommend! Thank you
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Love the customer service and Shanon and his team go above and beyond for my restaurant. Couldn't of asked for a better security system and level of service that his team provides.
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I have been using Cornerstone Protection service for over 5 years and I'm really happy with the service and state-of-the-art equipments and it's futures are so much in advance and friendly, I highly recommend Cornerstone Protection … More Service any and all business that need a security protection days and nights specially after business hours(Cornerstone Protection is perfect solution for your business). Owner of Cornerstone Protection is proactive with their customers and their equipments. Good experienced with Cornerstone Protection!!!
Kanu Patel -
We had a very positive experience with Alissa as a tutor for our pod of 5th grade boys from January - June 2020. She cared a lot about the boys and worked hard to create meaningful activities for them. The pod experience was invaluable … More for all of our families during a difficult year and we were so grateful to have found this partnership! We also want to appreciate Craig for helping to match us with a tutor on very short notice after we had cycled through a few folks who were not able to see the commitment through. Thanks for sticking with us!
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Dusty was the exact person we needed to help our child finish out the school year. So grateful to him for the way he steadily encouraged her and helped her stay on track and organized. He is flexible, responsive to our needs/schedule as … More a family, and a delight to be with. We are also thankful that Craig at Themba Tutors really "gets it" and partnered us with such a wonderful tutor who was a great fit for our girl.
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My child worked with Gillian D virtually for math enrichment. She is an excellent teacher. She took time to understand my child's specific learning style and provided tools that would be engaging. She was kind and empathetic- really … More made it her goal to connect with my child and build trust and rapport. My child started the school year with confidence and without the typically "brain-drain" that occurs over the summer, thanks to Gillian.
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I am going into my second year as a Themba tutor. I have met so many great individuals while working for this company. Craig and the rest of the Themba team do such an excellent job picking and choosing Themba tutors that suit each client's … More individual needs! I look forward to meeting new tutors and clients in the 2021-2022 school year!
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Our son started in a new high school, 100% remote, and was really struggling with Latin and Physics. I found Themba Tudors online and had an initial call with Craig, who was very knowledgeable, responsive, and found 2 amazing tutors for … More us. Both the Latin and the physics tutors were fantastic, connected with my son really well and helped him go from 'failing' grade to 'honors'! I will for sure continue using (and recommending!) Themba Tutors. Thank you, C, K, and W!
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Brian is a fantastic executive functioning coach. Super helpful, flexible with hours, and tailored the experience to our needs.
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Giulia Mercuri is a great Italian tutor! She was very responsive and accessible. Giulia put a ton of effort into preparing for each session and really helped our son with test preparation and projects. We are grateful that she was able … More to help, especially since our son did not receive any live teaching during COVID. We are happy that she was referred to us!
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As an adult student diagnosed with a learning disability during grad school, I knew I needed help dealing with my Master's program's demanding workload. I was seriously considering dropping out when I was referred to Themba Tutors. … More I was paired up with a wonderful tutor, Julie, who was a total lifesaver. I learned many techniques that I can utilize in the future as I embark on the next phase of my career.
I can wholeheartedly say after working with Themba for two years that I would not have finished my program without this organization. And I am so thankful I selected them. -
We were introduced to a wonderful tutor: Mcedwyn. He and our son, a freshman in college, worked well together. As a result, our son’s grades significantly improved. The tutor taught our son subject content and various methods to effectively … More study for quizzes and exams. Our son was also taught time management and organization. My son’s experience with the tutor made the first year of college a less intimidating experience.
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We have been with our tutor, Cailin Schiller, for two years, from 5th - 7th grade. She started as an executive functioning tutor with my daughter. From the start, she demonstrated a depth of expertise and a selective use of techniques skillfully … More adapted to my daughter’s ADHD and Math disability. Cailin made Math accessible and understandable to her in a way that even her teachers had not been able to do. She differentiated reading, writing and math tasks and assignments to tailor them to my daughter’s unique learning differences. Not only did it have an effect on her grades and her work efficiency, but she finally could do her work with less anxiety. Even my daughter’s teachers used Cailin’s guidance to modify their work with her. But most importantly, she became my daughter’s favorite resource. I can’t say how invaluable Cailin has been to my daughter’s progress and well-being. I’d recommend her a million times over. She is a gem.
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Victoria is a superb tutor. She helped my high school age daughter with her writing. Victoria's skills as a tutor, as well as her sense of humor and her engaging personality went a long way with my daughter.
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Themba Tutors provided a leaning specialist that was a perfect fit for my daughter. I told them what we were looking for and they delivered. Our tutor is responsive and flexible and makes it easy for my daughter to reach out to her own … More her own, which gives her an added sense of responsibility over her learning. As a therapist myself, I now regularly recommend Themba to my patients. A much needed and well provided service to the community!!
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The tutors at Themba are fantastic! Caitlyn McNeill helped our son academically, but also with getting organized in every subject, which he so desperately needed. She offered great advice and useful strategies that helped our son become … More a more successful student. We are using Themba tutors again this year for our daughter. We're so happy to have been referred to them!
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I'm so glad we were referred to Themba Tutors. After a great initial conversation to learn our needs, we were connected with an excellent tutor, Felicia, who is helping our high school daughter learn better organizational and executive … More skills. Highly recommended.
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We had a wonderful experience with our tutor Micaela. She helped our son not only academically but at every level. We will be forever grateful to have her in our lives.
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The tutors at Themba are fantastic! Caitlyn McNeill helped our son academically, but also with getting organized in every subject, which he so desperately needed. She offered great advice and useful strategies that helped our son become … More a more successful student. We are using Themba tutors again this year for our daughter. We're so happy to have been referred to them!
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Paul Smith at Themba has been an exceptional tutor for my son, both in terms of teaching the subject matter and teaching how best to approach the process of learning math and executing assignments. We feel very fortunate to be working with … More Paul.
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We were very lucky to have found Edwouine Swift, my son's therapist through Themba Tutors. Thomas is 12 years old, and it is extremely difficult to get him to write. Edwouine just works her magic with him, he adores her and is so … More eager to follow her guidance. I have no doubt she will be a positive driving force in his academic future.
ADHD IN WOMEN:
Why It Often Goes Undiagnosed
Think of a person living with undiagnosed ADHD. The image you conjure up is likely that of a teenage boy. And you’re not wrong—but one group of people remains untold stories in the ADHD narrative: women.
It’s estimated that nearly two million girls and women in the U.S. live with ADHD. Still, many go undiagnosed and untreated because of misconceptions about what ADHD looks like in women—and even more significantly because they can be overlooked or misdiagnosed altogether. It’s time we start talking about what ADHD looks like in women and how to make sure they get the help they need.
In this article, we’ll discuss why it often goes unrecognized or misdiagnosed in women and explore some of the unique difficulties of living with undiagnosed or unresolved ADHD as a woman. Let’s get started!
ADHD Presents Differently in Women
Living with undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be an isolating and chaotic experience, especially if you are a woman. Women are typically more likely to experience inattentive type ADHD, which is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. The most common indications of ADHD in women include difficulties with organization, forgetfulness, and even depression.
What’s more, the symptoms of ADHD vary depending on gender, age, and environment. Women are more likely to struggle with problems such as clutter and disorganization, procrastination, low self-esteem, mood swings, sleep deprivation, and poor time management skills.
These challenges can lead to feelings of helplessness, further inhibiting their ability to focus or stay on task.
While it might seem like living with unrecognized ADHD is a hopeless situation, there are steps you can take to manage your symptoms. With the right professional help, medications, and lifestyle changes, you can better understand your condition and learn how to live an easier life with ADHD.
The Struggle of Living With Undiagnosed ADHD
If you’re a woman with undiagnosed ADHD, you may face unique challenges that often go unnoticed. Many assume that all women have the same ability to focus and manage their time, but this is not the case. Women with undiagnosed ADHD may experience the following:
- Difficulty completing tasks on time
- A tendency to procrastinate
- Trouble focusing during busy or stressful times
- Intense emotions over seemingly insignificant matters
- Difficulty managing relationships and career goals
- Feeling overwhelmed or like they’re “spinning their wheels.”
These challenges can be hard to cope with, especially for women who do not know why they are facing them. Living with undiagnosed ADHD can impact one’s sense of self in various ways, causing sadness, frustration, guilt, and confusion. It can also result in significant stress and burnout if not properly addressed and managed.
Why ADHD in Women is Underdiagnosed and the Consequences
There is a lot of brand around women with ADHD, which can lead to them not getting diagnosed. Women often go undiagnosed because they don’t fit the classic symptoms of hyperactivity, even though they may still have the same problems. It is very important to understand the unique challenges ADHD presents for women and why it often goes undiagnosed.
Research indicates that women are less inclined to be diagnosed with ADHD due to different gender roles. Women may be expected to be more organized and better communicators, which can lead to them being overlooked as potential patients. They are also more likely to be more passive in seeking help, which keeps their condition unrecognized and untreated.
The consequences of this lack of diagnosis are far-reaching — from struggling academically due to difficulty paying attention and focusing on their work, embarrassment from their behavior in social situations, and confusion resulting from misinterpreting instructions or messages from authority figures. They may experience difficulties with job performance because they often can’t get organized or complete tasks on time. Even more seriously, some women might struggle with depression; anxiety has been linked to having difficulty managing emotions due to untreated ADHD.
It’s important that all women feel heard, accepted, and respected — no matter what challenges they face — so they can get the treatment, medication, and help they need to manage their ADHD and live a fulfilling life.
The Emotional Toll of Late Diagnosis: Feelings of Failure and Low Self-Worth
It is no secret that living with undiagnosed ADHD can have a negative emotional effect on women—especially when the diagnosis is delayed. You may be well aware of the feeling of inadequacy and failure related to various aspects of life.
These feelings seem to worsen as symptoms become more apparent and harder to manage without the help of proper medication and treatment. This gap between going undiagnosed for so long can take an emotional toll.
Living with undiagnosed ADHD can lead to a constant inner struggle, a feeling of not belonging, or not measuring up. The resulting anxiety and guilt can be crippling:
- Low self-esteem due to chronic failures in previously “easy” tasks
- The feeling of guilt for being “less than perfect.”
- Anxiety from being overwhelmed by seemingly menial tasks
- A never-ending cycle of disappointment and frustration
These feelings can become all too familiar and frequent without proper diagnosis and treatments. That’s why it is so important for undiagnosed or misdiagnosed people to speak up, do their research, and find the help they deserve—shortening the gap between an accurate diagnosis and successful management of their symptoms associated with ADHD.
Finding the Right Diagnosis and Treatment: It’s Never Too Late
Many women give up on finding a treatment to help them cope with their symptoms because doctors tell them there’s nothing wrong with them. Doctors might often think that what they are experiencing are just effects of depression or anxiety. But if you think or feel that what you experience is more than just depression or anxiety, then you might have some underlying cases of ADHD.
Getting diagnosed and finding the right treatment plan isn’t a one-time thing. Some of us may need more tests or steps to diagnose properly.
- You should try to set several appointments to consult with different doctors to get someone who can understand what you need is the best thing to do.
- It is also ideal to try different treatments like counseling, lifestyle changes, and medication.
- Revisiting the plan regularly to make sure it is tailored to your needs and goals
By doing these steps, you can find the help you need and start living more easily and joyfully than ever!
Societal and Cultural Factors that Contribute to the Underdiagnosis of ADHD in Women
Have you ever wondered why ADHD is so often undiagnosed in women? As it turns out, several societal and cultural factors contribute to this underdiagnosis.
Women’s Behavior
Women are often expected to act in certain ways—like easily switching between multiple tasks or staying cool and composed even when facing pressure. Women can mask the symptoms of ADHD and go undiagnosed.
Girl Power Stigma
There’s also a common belief that girls have it all together, so any semblance of difficulty dealing with their environment is assumed to be a sign of emotional and personal weakness rather than a medical condition. As such, women are often hesitant about seeking help for issues connected to their mental health due to this stigma.
Lack of Awareness
Finally, many medical providers lack awareness about the different forms ADHD can take, particularly in females. Because the signs and symptoms of ADHD in females present differently than in males—such as expressed through social withdrawal rather than hyperactive behavior—are often overlooked or misdiagnosed and can lead to serious consequences if the underlying condition goes untreated.
The importance of recognizing and diagnosing ADHD in women, as untreated ADHD can lead to significant challenges and impairments in daily life
But don’t give up. Women with ADHD can learn strategies to help them manage their symptoms and live full lives. Here are a few:
- Make lists: A daily or weekly schedule can keep you on track and ensure important tasks don’t slip through the cracks.
- Break larger goals into smaller chunks: This can make tasks less daunting and easier to accomplish.
- Set reminders: By leaning on helpful tools like timers, phone alarms, or even a calendar app, you’ll reduce your stress levels significantly
By understanding these challenges and seeking a proper diagnosis, treatment for women with undiagnosed ADHD is possible. Doing so is essential for improving quality of life in the long run!
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