A pinch of ADHD

So I know that ADHD seems to be everywhere at the moment, with news outlets seemingly reporting on it regularly and the world blaming short videos from the likes of tik tok for causing the sudden rise in diagnoses. However, as many others do, I believe it's simply that it's suddenly in the public conscious as we are understanding it more and moving away from the 'naughty hyperactive school child' stereotype. 

I'm the first to admit that I had no understanding of ADHD other than this stereotype until recently. It feels like all of a sudden the world has opened its eyes to the other flavours of ADHD (pre warning, the food metaphor will be used regularly!) that are out there - and i include myself in that. It was through this eye opening that I started to wonder about myself and whether I had my own particular flavour going on. I started to consider this after I learned that ADHD in women is mostly within the mind, racing thoughts and a buzzy brain not able to switch off, among other things; those with ADHD are also more likely to suffer with anxiety and depression, lovely little spices of life that I've dealt with ever since I can remember! From here I started looking into it more, seeing myself reflected in multiple articles that I was reading, and so I ended up chatting to my GP and being referred for an assessment. 

I'll be completely honest here, my decision to go for an assessment was not easy and took a lot of self reflection, heated discussions with my dad, and self testing using online questionnaires to see if it was relevant or I was barking up the wrong tree. Ultimately though, one 3 hour assessment later, it was confirmed and I have my own tasting board of ADHD that my brain enjoys picking at (I told you I'd keep running with it!). 

 So why is this relevant? Well as it turns out, during my assessment I learned that there seems to be a correlation between those whom have ADHD and abdominal issues. Now, I don't know the details of this or the science behind it, but from my own standpoint using my issues to date I can actually see why this may be. I've felt like I've constantly lived with that anxious knot and nervous butterflies in my gut, my mind always racing; so with the knowledge that our emotions are deeply intertwined with our body (because of the gut brain connection), and ADHD causing heightened risk of anxiety and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), this makes sense as to how it may come about. 

On a side note, I've also learned that if you have one form of neurodivergence, be it dyslexia or dyspraxia, your likely to have another. So here I am, a Trifecta of flavor with ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia all working together to bring about the personalised ice cream sundae of my brain!

Ta ta for now!

PS. If you're curious yourself I used this assessment to find out how I might score and find out more:
 https://adhduk.co.uk/adult-adhd-screening-survey/ 
There's also a great podcast out there that I've found very helpful:  
https://open.spotify.com/show/2oYZwGakl7shJFG0lJ8JMt?si=kP5F1SeHQh-LDx7VsGLKJw

Comments

  1. JFSJuly 15, 2025 at 6:21 AM

    Love a heated discussion with my beautiful daughter...

    ReplyDelete

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