This is part 3 of of 6 on our Neurodivergent side quest, how ADHD affects boys and men. While women get “lost in the diagnostic shuffle”, boys tend to get diagnosed early on because with testosterone they tend to be more likely to have the hallmark Hyperactivity and Impulsivity. They’re more likely to be the kids that just can’t sit still in class and blurt out answers, but while they’re more easily diagnosed, they tend to bear so much more shame over the years.

So often when men come to counseling dealing with ADHD in adulthood they’ll lament “I just don’t think I’m where I should be in life” because of the societal standards imposed on these men early on. They also tend to have dopamine dysregulation which lends itself to addictive tendencies. They also can struggle with emotion regulation leading to anger outbursts and road rage.

As always, as well, ADHD is not all bad! Men with ADHD are creative, playful, and make fantastic entrepreneurs!

Learn more about ADHD in men…and maybe share with a friend!

Amanda is joined by Rachel Cunningham-two women with ADHD talking about how ADHD affects women specifically. It’s not uncommon for girls and women to be misdiagnosed as ADHD presents differently for girls than boys, so many women find out later in life they their lifelong struggles are actually ADHD related.

Amanda and Rachel share some of their own life experiences with time blindness, co-occurring anxiety, and increase rejection sensitivity. Learn common ADHD struggles as women progress through life into adulthood and motherhood and the role of shame in their lives and how Rachel and Amanda fight the shame.

They also share how they uniquely have found ways to manage the forgetfulness and organization challenges common to ADHD-ers.

Please listen, share, and let us know what you think!

Join Amanda as she embarks on a neurodivergent side quest with her neurodivergent bestie and fellow RCCA counselor Rachel Cunningham. Neurodivergence is a term that typically refers to people who have ADHD and/or autism and have a neurodivergent rather than neurotypical brain.

This particular neurodivergent side quest focuses on ADHD-and mirrors an ADHDers hyper focus special interest topic, where we with ADHD go down a rabbit hole on a novel favorite topic! Learn specifically what is ADHD, how dopamine affects the brain and the ADHD brain in particular, and begin to understand how neurodivergence affects the lives of so many.

This is the first in a six episode side quest on all things ADHD. If it’s helpful, please share and follow so you don’t miss more!