Abstract:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts executive functioning. Historically, ADHD was believed to only impact males, yet in 1997 Dr. Hinshaw began his study on ADHD in women. ADHD presents differently in women leading to a lack of understanding of the symptomatology of ADHD in women. This causes women with ADHD to slip through the cracks and struggle with diagnosis. I have ADHD and I struggled to receive a diagnosis and treatment as well. My experience with ADHD and the stigma surrounding ADHD led me to want to discuss the gendered nature of ADHD as well as attempt to break down the stigma surrounding ADHD. Therefore, I decided to create a podcast about female ADHD.
The podcast medium allows for people to listen and learn while also going about their everyday life. Whether it be driving to work, doing the dishes, or working out, podcasts are a wonderful medium. For me, podcasts are a means of coping with my ADHD. For example, I often listen to podcasts while cleaning my room or doing organizational tasks that initially are difficult for me to get started. Therefore, I wanted to use a medium that has helped me to help others learn and understand ADHD. The podcast titled “ADHD an Open Letter” combines information about ADHD, stories from articles and other media, and my own experiences and commentary to teach about women with ADHD and their struggles, stigma and successes. The three-episode series dives in to each one of these topics individually, in the hope that listeners will be able to understand more about ADHD and decrease the stigma surrounding the disorder in academic and nonacademic spaces. So, let’s talk about ADHD, let’s talk about me.
ADHD an Open Letter: Struggles
Description: ADHD an Open Letter is a podcast about ADHD in women filled with research, anecdotal information and commentary from the host, Ashley, a college student with ADHD. In this episode, Ashley introduces ADHD and discusses the struggles that women with ADHD face as well as struggles she has faced.
ADHD an Open Letter: Stigma
Description: ADHD an Open Letter is a podcast about ADHD in women filled with research, anecdotal information and commentary from the host, Ashley, a college student with ADHD. In this episode, Ashley discusses the stigma surrounding ADHD, memes and the ADHD iceberg.
Resources mentioned in the podcast:
Meme 1:
Meme 2:
Meme 3:
Link to ADHD Alien: https://www.facebook.com/adhdalien
ADHD an Open Letter: Success
Description: ADHD an Open Letter is a podcast about ADHD in women filled with research, anecdotal information and commentary from the host, Ashley, a college student with ADHD. In this episode, Ashley discusses success stories of various women with ADHD.
Bibliography:
“ADHD Alien.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/adhdalien.
ADHD Editorial Board Medically reviewed by ADDitude’s ADHD Medical Review Panel on November 9, et al. “[Self-Test] Do I Have ADHD? Symptom Test for Adults.” ADDitude, 9 Nov. 2020, www.additudemag.com/adhd-symptoms-test-adults/.
“Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 June 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878.
“Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml.
Crawford, Nicole. “ADHD: a Women’s Issue.” Monitor on Psychology, American PsychologicalAssociation, Feb. 2003, www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/adhd.
Djinn, Gene. “12 Memes That Perfectly Capture ADHD.” Playbuzz, Playbuzz, 26 Nov. 2016, www.playbuzz.com/genedjinn11/these-memes-perfectly-capture-adhd.
Ellison, Katherine. “How Women and Girls with ADHD Are given Short Shrift with Treatment,Other Forms of Help.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 May 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-women-and-girls-with-adhd-are-given-short-shrift-with-treatment-other-forms-of-help/2020/05/15/a7971486-8596-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html.
Facebook, www.facebook.com/thesendtrainer/photos/adhd/845079236260941/.
Faulkner, Noelle. “The Lost Girls: ‘Chaotic and Curious, Women with ADHD All Have Missed”
Free Music Archive, “Shipping Lanes” from Arps by Chad Crouch. Released: 2019. Genre: Electronic., 2019, freemusicarchive.org/search?adv=1&quicksearch=%22Shipping%20Lanes%22%20&&.
Red Flags That Haunt Us’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Nov. 2020, www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/02/the-lost-girls-chaotic-and-curious-women-with-adhd-all-have-missed-red-flags-that-haunt-us?fbclid=IwAR31XPfZ0Iifo6kJk7k-uxVZNBvuaTAr_akmSU7-iTA9mEQuplCGk22Awdg.
Holland, Kimberly. “The History of ADHD: A Timeline.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Sept. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/adhd/history.
Holthe, Mira Elise Glaser, and Eva Langvik. “The Strives, Struggles, and Successes of Women Diagnosed With ADHD as Adults.” SAGE Open, vol. 7, no. 1, 2017, p. 215824401770179., doi:10.1177/2158244017701799.
Kee, Caroline. 23 Things You Shouldn’t Say To Someone With ADHD. 10 Jan. 2019, www.buzzfeed.com/carolinekee/no-you-cannot-have-some-of-my-adhd-meds
Kessler, Zoë. “‘I Wouldn’t Give Up My ADHD.’” ADDitude, 9 Oct. 2020, www.additudemag.com/women-leaders-with-adhd/.
Lasky, Susan. “12 Ways to Maintain Focus All Day Long.” ADDitude, 21 Apr. 2020, www.additudemag.com/slideshows/why-cant-i-focus-adhd-strategies/.
Littman, Ellen. “‘I’m Smart, So I Should Be Able to Overpower ADHD. Right?”.” ADDitude, 10 Dec. 2020, www.additudemag.com/high-iq-and-adhd-high-functioning/.
“r/Adhdmeme – I Made This Flowchart Today to Explain Why It Takes so Long for Me to Tell Stories.” Reddit, www.reddit.com/r/adhdmeme/comments/a5q9m8/i_made_this_flowchart_today_to_explain_why_it/?st=JPMOQTI4.
“r/Adhdmeme – Made a New Comic for World Mental Health Day + ADHD Awareness Month!” Reddit, www.reddit.com/r/adhdmeme/comments/j8qxun/made_a_new_comic_for_world_mental_health_day_adhd/.
“Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and ADHD.” ADDitude, www.additudemag.com/category/adhd-
add/adhd-brain/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria/.
Sinfield, Jacqueline. “How the ADHD Brain Biologically Differs From the Non-ADHD Brain.” Verywell Mind, 21 Sept. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/the-adhd-brain-4129396.
Young, Susan, et al. “Females with ADHD: An Expert Consensus Statement Taking a Lifespan Approach Providing Guidance for the Identification and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in Girls and Women.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 1, 2020, doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02707-9.