Thread by @Finnattentive

As #ADHD is trending, I'd like everyone to know:

🧠 You don't need to be visibly hyperactive to have ADHD (#ADHDinattentive)
🧠 Girls/women have ADHD
(#ADHDwomen)
🧠 Adults have ADHD (#AdultADHD)
🧠 ~80% of adults with ADHD don't know they have it
🧠 There are lots of #ADHDmyths

🧠 You can have #ADHD and do well at school, have a degree, a job, a relationship & a family
🧠 You don't outgrow ADHD
🧠 There's no cure for ADHD
🧠 Undiagnosed/untreated ADHD can have serious consequences
🧠 ADHD meds decrease the risk of drug abuse
🧠 ADHD is highly genetic

🧠 #ADHD is underdiagnosed
🧠 Not all doctors recognise ADHD
🧠 ADHD is often misdiagnosed as e.g. depression, anxiety, bipolar
🧠 Lots of ADHDers have comorbid conditions, e.g. autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, tourettes
🧠 Many undiagnosed ADHDers self-medicate with alcohol/drugs

🧠 Many prisoners have undiagnosed #ADHD
🧠 ADHD is a scientifically proven neurological condition
🧠 ADHD brain is different & works differently to a neurotypical brain
🧠 ADHD faces a lot of stigma because people aren't aware what it really is
🧠 ADHD is not race dependent

🧠 #ADHD is often missed in girls/women
🧠 ADHD isn't a "fad", it's just recognised better today
🧠 ADHD isn't caused by too much TV/games/sugar/additives
🧠 ADHD isn't caused by bad parenting
🧠 ADHDers can concentrate (#Hyperfocus)
🧠 Hyperactivity is also inner restlessness

🧠 When you've met one ADHDer, you've met one ADHDer. We're all different
🧠 You can't necessarily see if someone has #ADHD, there's no "ADHD look"
🧠 There are currently thought to be 3 types of ADHD: a) inattentive, b) hyperactive-impulsive & c) combination of all these three

I was diagnosed with #ADHDinattentive at 38 myself. Until then I had thought #ADHD means "wild" little boys. How wrong I was.

Here's my newspaper interview, which gives you an idea of how ADHD can show in your life when you're an adult (& a parent)

annawhateley.com/paivis-story/

"How do other parents manage it? Take care of their children, their home, their job, their relationship and free time. Cooking, cleaning and chauffeuring their children to hobbies. They seem to manage all that effortlessly. Why is everyday life so much easier for others?" #ADHD

Those were my thoughts before I knew I had #ADHD. Everyday life felt overwhelming and I felt bad about myself as I compared myself to other women, who seemed to manage adulting better than me.

Sound familiar? Here's a good #ADHDtest:

additudemag.com/self-test-adhd…

If you have #ADHD you won't read my thread this far 😉 but I wanna say if you match the symptoms on the test above, then you may have ADHD. But it could be something else, too.

My challenges were thought to be #Depression. Antidepressants didn't help. It was ADHD all along.

🧠 There's a lot of stigma attached to #ADHDmeds. Many of us need them to function better. Taking them in prescribed low doses actually decreases the risk of drug abuse in ADHDers. There are many meds available, they're not "one fits all". Read more: #ItakeMyPillsBecause. #ADHD