im.sommia avatar
im.sommia
24
5 months ago

i just want to be normal! - late diagnosis on women

hi, thereee! last january I won a journalism grant to write a piece about women with ADHD, late diagnosis and how the gender bias in medicine influences our mental health. I interviewed 8 young and adult women, read a loooot of scientific papers and wrote (and cried) this cathartic piece. I would love to hear your opinion, your feelings, your experiences. I tried to craft this text with love and tons of care, trying to honour my own experience and those eight women’s. My family received it with a bit pain but also with a lot of comprehension and love. It is, indeed, difficult to raise a neurodivergent child, but not knowing we “are not normal” in a world aiming to normalise people, it was deeply painful for myself. I hope this text brings light to past stories, forgiveness and that it helps to create more awareness to the women issue in the neurodivergence sphere. Tons of love! 🧚🏼‍♀️ I want to be normal! https://www.eurozine.com/i-just-want-to-be-normal/

Posts and comments here share personal experience — not medical advice. For treatment questions, talk to a clinician.

TryEachDay avatar
TryEachDay
4mo

I read it and could find myself in a few situations. I'm in the process of getting diagnosed but due to a lot of people telling about their life with ADHD I feel less like an alien. I didn't understand why everything is so hard for me. Since I implemented some helpful tips for people with ADHD and realising that I'm okay the way I am it got a lot better

shellyk avatar
shellyk
4mo

I was diagnosed in my 40s 😬

im.sommia avatar
im.sommia
4mo

and how was the experience for you??

sonnek avatar
sonnek
4mo

Definitely going to read this 😊!

im.sommia avatar
im.sommia
4mo

thanksss! looking forward to hear your opinion! 😌

spicy  avatar
spicy
4mo

Wow wow wow 🫶🏼 your writing is incredible. Excellent piece on what it’s like to have adhd as a female and all of the struggles and masking and never quite feeling normal, ever! I related to every word. The struggle is real and to maintain any semblance of equality with non adhd individuals, the person with adhd has to work twice as hard and twice as long for the same outcome. It’s exhausting and people really don’t understand unless they have lived it. Thank you for writing this. Also as a senior I can relate to everything you said. The struggle doesn’t change with age. On the positive side, adhd and the whole problem with time, keeps us young at heart and we never really feel our age. (At least not mentally) ❤️

im.sommia avatar
im.sommia
4mo

thank you very much for your words!!! 😭😭 i guess, now that i know my condition, why i am as i am, i can take also that positive side: i will always be a child, a young soul eager to feel and live everything life has to offer. that’s the main reason i believe it is so important to arise awareness about ADHD on women: so we can understand and embrace ourselves. 🧚🏼‍♀️

AZSundog avatar
AZSundog
4mo

Thanks for this! I'm a senior citizen recently widowed and diagnosed with ADHD. I hadn't realized how much my hubby had been tag teaming me around the house all these years until he was gone. I downloaded this and look forward to reading it. 

im.sommia avatar
im.sommia
4mo

ohhhh! i didn’t have the chance to interview senior women for the piece. looking forward to knowing your experience and opinion. 🫶 sending you strength and love for this new chapter in your life. 🫂

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