So this is the more finalized version of an article I wrote for a news lab course this past semester. Just a few edits, not many changes, but here is a more spruced up version of the article. Yup, just feel like posting it rn ♡
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When I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—ADHD—last December, my reaction was mixed.
Initially I felt relief. My suspicions were finally confirmed. Suddenly, so many struggles from my past and present made sense. It was as if someone finally flicked the light switch in a very cramped, closet. The glow is dim at first, casting everything in stark shadow, masking the closet’s contents in darkness. But slowly, the light illuminates and reveals ill-fitted dresses and outdated windbreakers. The clothes, like my symptoms, are old and deeply familiar, but I regard them with a wiser, more critical eye.
Despite the consolation, I felt an underlying layer of confusion and bitterness. Why was I just finding out about my ADHD as a 21-year-old? Why did my secondary school teachers overlook my symptoms, despite the hands on environment of private school? Why didn’t I suspect it earlier?
Originally, when I thought about ADHD I was immediately reminded of a boy I knew in elementary school. He was a bubble of energy, the class clown fidgeting at his desk and interrupting the teacher with the occasional outburst. The bell rang for recess, and that energy found an outlet on the playground.
However, ADHD exists on a spectrum. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are three types of ADHD: Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, predominantly inattentive ADHD—often referred to as ADD—and a combination of the two. The hyperactive/impulsive type exhibits high energy, restlessness, and difficulties with impulse control. The inattentive type is marked by chronic procrastination, difficulty approaching or completing tasks that require sustained focus, poor time management, forgetfulness, and disorganization.
Throughout my academic career, professors and mentors have complimented my intellect. Yet, there was always a “but” rearing its ugly head in their critiques: “You would have straight A’s, but you lack organization,” “You are brilliant and full of potential, but you never complete your work on time,” or “You’re a natural on the piano, but you don’t spend enough time practicing.”
All of their comments reflected the symptoms of predominantly inattentive ADHD, right down to the observation that I tended to spend more time doodling than listening to the details of a homework assignment.
Why weren’t my symptoms detected? And why had I never associated ADHD with girls, let alone young black women like me, before I began to research the disorder last summer?
This gendered assumption reflects research conducted by UC Berkley’s Professor of Psychology, Stephen Hinshaw, indicates that girls are under diagnosed with ADHD. The CDC’s statistics support these findings, estimating that boys are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
According to Hinshaw, boys are more likely to be diagnosed with predominantly hyperactive/impulsive ADHD or a combination type. This is the model that educators, parents, and the general public generally use to understand the disorder.
Girls, on the other hand, are more likely to be diagnosed with predominantly inattentive ADHD. Inattentive ADHD is more covert than its hyperactive counterpart. It is harder to spot, especially for people who thrive academically and socially.
The slippery slope continues: According to Dr. Anita Gurian, a clinical assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, girls are less likely than boys to be referred for an ADHD evaluation. Diagnoses for girls are made an average of five years later than boys. Research also indicates that as many as 50% of girls and women with ADHD don’t even know that they have it. Furthermore, boys and men are used for a majority of ADHD research.
Though these statistics make me feel less alone in my late diagnosis, they also present a grim reality for women and girls.
When it comes to ADHD, ignorance is far from blissful. While girls are outperforming boys academically, a small portion of this demographic have to work harder to reach the success of their fellow female classmates due to a disorder most don’t know that they have. The girls and women who remain undiagnosed are more likely to experience self-esteem and social issues, as well as anxiety and depression. ADHD does not dissipate with age: Most who are diagnosed as children continue to experience symptoms throughout adulthood.
The medical community must do more to educate teachers, parents, and each other about the ways in which ADHD manifests in women and girls. Until women and girls are used more frequently in ADHD research, misinformation will continue to control the ways in which ADHD is understood.
“Johnny who can’t sit still” can no longer suffice as the only face of ADHD. More must be done to include “Joanna,” the clever daydreamer who has to show her parents another grade report that laments her potential and her failings. That is, if she can just remember where she put it.
If my mother had not spent a lot of time studying and advocating for me in middle school (part of the reason she would go on to become a special ed teacher), I wonder how long I would have gone through life before I figured out I had inattentive ADHD.