Thank you for that. Women struggle to get diagnosed then they hit menopause and have to start the battle all over again thanks to a faulty belief that symptoms reduce when they actually worsen for most.
Sigh…. We’re still such a long way away from being able to rest and know our daughters will be safe and treated as humans with full agency.
Thank you for writing this. I was diagnosed in my 40’s after multiple doctors writing me increasingly high depression meds that weren’t helping. It wasn’t until I said to my doctor,” I don’t want a different antidepressant. You keep upping the dosage because you think my life is a mess because I’m depressed….but that’s not right…I’m depressed because my life is a mess”. It sounds the same but it isn’t and I know that because if I were depressed having a productive day wouldn’t help, but the truth is that when I have a super focused day I’m over the moon happy.
It’s so easy to get pushed down the antidepressant road and they shouldn’t be discounted, but we also can’t keep discounting women’s experiences with their own body simply because it’s more convenient to only use men for medication testing (yes this is a thing and it’s a huge and dangerous problem for women).
Such great points!! The last time I looked into this, the only published evidence I saw for “faking” ADHD symptoms came from studies of college students, and I also saw some evidence (emergency room visits and so on) of stimulant medication abuse in this age group. It seemed like such a weird leap to go from that to thinking that adult ADHD in general is overdiagnosed!
Also, if we are so concerned about overdiagnoses in college students, shouldn’t we be asking why college students are seeking out fake diagnoses? Can we improve our assessment practices so students don’t feel pressured to get extended time accommodations or stay up all night cramming on stimulant medications? Institute better harm reduction services? I feel like jumping straight to diagnostic criteria as the solution seems to sort of miss the whole point and has way too many negative implications for under diagnosed populations.
I have a fifty year old patient who went to a psychologist to get assessed for ADHD, and he wanted her to provide RECORDS from her elementary school proving that she was symptomatic as a child. We commiserated about how totally unrealistic this demand was. Her mother is dead. Her father has dementia. She was raised in a family that frequently moved from state to state. And even if she could track down those paper records (her parents didn't save her report cards) it's unlikely that educators in the 70s knew what ADHD was or would have documented the symptoms. Her PCP then accused her of med-seeking. Absolutely outrageous.
Thank you for that. Women struggle to get diagnosed then they hit menopause and have to start the battle all over again thanks to a faulty belief that symptoms reduce when they actually worsen for most.
Sigh…. We’re still such a long way away from being able to rest and know our daughters will be safe and treated as humans with full agency.
I love that emphasis on young girls and changing the world FOR THEM.
Please join my support and educational group! And if you don’t have (resources to pay, it’s free). I think you will enjoy it.
Thank you for writing this. I was diagnosed in my 40’s after multiple doctors writing me increasingly high depression meds that weren’t helping. It wasn’t until I said to my doctor,” I don’t want a different antidepressant. You keep upping the dosage because you think my life is a mess because I’m depressed….but that’s not right…I’m depressed because my life is a mess”. It sounds the same but it isn’t and I know that because if I were depressed having a productive day wouldn’t help, but the truth is that when I have a super focused day I’m over the moon happy.
It’s so easy to get pushed down the antidepressant road and they shouldn’t be discounted, but we also can’t keep discounting women’s experiences with their own body simply because it’s more convenient to only use men for medication testing (yes this is a thing and it’s a huge and dangerous problem for women).
That’s why I write these things! I’m sorry this happened to you, Chris.
Such great points!! The last time I looked into this, the only published evidence I saw for “faking” ADHD symptoms came from studies of college students, and I also saw some evidence (emergency room visits and so on) of stimulant medication abuse in this age group. It seemed like such a weird leap to go from that to thinking that adult ADHD in general is overdiagnosed!
Also, if we are so concerned about overdiagnoses in college students, shouldn’t we be asking why college students are seeking out fake diagnoses? Can we improve our assessment practices so students don’t feel pressured to get extended time accommodations or stay up all night cramming on stimulant medications? Institute better harm reduction services? I feel like jumping straight to diagnostic criteria as the solution seems to sort of miss the whole point and has way too many negative implications for under diagnosed populations.
I don’t like when professionals suggest we view those we are supposed to be healing with such malicious intent!
I have a fifty year old patient who went to a psychologist to get assessed for ADHD, and he wanted her to provide RECORDS from her elementary school proving that she was symptomatic as a child. We commiserated about how totally unrealistic this demand was. Her mother is dead. Her father has dementia. She was raised in a family that frequently moved from state to state. And even if she could track down those paper records (her parents didn't save her report cards) it's unlikely that educators in the 70s knew what ADHD was or would have documented the symptoms. Her PCP then accused her of med-seeking. Absolutely outrageous.
It is actually standard practice! How ridiculous.