6 Unhelpful, Unhealthy Labels People Affix to Women with ADHD

I am a therapist. I know mental health. But, still, I didn’t recognize my own ADHD for almost three decades. During that time, family, friends, and professionals came up with a lot ways to describe my symptoms — none of which was correct or helpful.

Beenie

September 8, 2019 at 7:51 pm

Add “selfishness” to the list. People assume I’m selfish because I cannot recall details of conversations; they assume I’m not really interested in what they have to say when, in reality, I cannot focus long enough to remember the details and am too embarrassed to ask them to repeat what they just said. I’m not self-absorbed, I’m struggling with all the racing thoughts and disorganization inside my head.
Pausativity

September 8, 2019 at 5:16 pm

I had no idea for the majority of my life I had ADHD. What you describe above sounds like it was written about my life. I was also diagnosed with GAD and depression. Constantly feeling scared I forgot to do something, double – checking and re – checking things, feeling overwhelmed by cleaning and sorting tasks, all of the above. Even though I finally have the correct diagnosis, I’m still lifetimes away from finding a solution to make life easier. Thank you for clarifying what I’ve been wondering about.