Labels, do we need them?
Labels. I am too going to add my 2 cents to this debate, do we need them? My answer is clear, YES.
Society believes and understands things better when they're labelled, it makes things "official". This applies to just about anything that is labelled in any way, you trust what the label says (what it says on the tin).
The Power of Having an Active Listener
Not only do coaches help you navigate whatever it is that you’re trying to navigate in life (in my case as an ADHD coach it is to try to improve on your Executive Functioning skills), but they are active listeners. Having someone dedicated to listening to your every word and engaging in what you’re saying, without any selfish distractions is an amazing feeling.
The ADHD & PMDD Connection
If you have ADHD and notice that your symptoms seem to worsen right before your period, you’re not alone. Many women with ADHD experience increased emotional sensitivity, brain fog, and impulsivity in the days leading up to their period. This isn’t just a coincidence, there’s a strong link between ADHD and PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), and understanding this connection can help you manage both more effectively.
PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that affects mood, energy levels, and cognitive function. Unlike regular PMS, PMDD can cause extreme mood swings, depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms appear in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the week or two before your period) and disappear shortly after menstruation begins.
Living with your ADHD Diagnosis
As much as an ADHD Diagnosis can bring about this “finally I know what it is” sentiment which feels like relief, it can also feel like grief for some. Grief for their previous self and the many years they spent questioning, judging, being unkind to themselves and struggling in many areas of their lives (at least 2 to get diagnosed in the UK!).
The years they laid in bed for days, unable to start or finish even the smallest thing. The many different medications they were wrongly prescribed or self-prescribed (including the misuse of other substances to feel better). The many arguments or disagreements with family members, colleagues, friends or partners. The accidents and lost items. The many times they wish they could push a button and just “function normally”. The list goes on, but it’s a story I hear more often than not unfortunately.
ADHD Comorbidities
One thing that’s becoming clearer, is that ADHD rarely is a standalone condition. Right now the estimate is that 1 in 2 people with ADHD also suffer from another condition simultaneously.
The most common comorbidities (as they are called) are autism (AuDHD), anxiety, OCD, learning difficulties such as dyslexia and depression.
Without being a medical professional, I question whether anxiety or depression are highly likely for most people with ADHD seeing how much symptoms can impact people’s lives or whether they are in fact completely independent from the ADHD.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
For people with ADHD, this term means a lot. It provides an explanation for the many times they’ve found themselves reacting to any form of rejection, big or small with an immense amount of emotional pain and turmoil.
For people without ADHD, this may be one of those symptoms that is lesser known or they didn’t know it had a name and research attached to it.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is when someone feels extreme emotional pain from rejection, criticism, or even the possibility of disappointing others. It’s not just being a little upset—it can feel overwhelming, like a deep, intense sadness, embarrassment, or even anger.
Women and ADHD
Since I’ve become an ADHD coach, I am not only meeting people who proactively seek out my help, but also meeting people via a number of other circumstances, and even just at the pub who have either recently been diagnosed or are waiting to be diagnosed.
These people tend to be women which could be pure chance, the fact that I am a female coach, or actually just because more women are finally seeking out the help and support they need.
The real answer is complex, whilst there are more men than women who have had an ADHD diagnosis (about 3:1), there is evidence to suggest that due to the difference in women’s and men’s behaviour, that isn’t due to ADHD being more prevalent in men. Women are just incredibly good at masking to a point where they are often misdiagnosed.
Does caffeine help with ADHD?
Because of its stimulating effects, caffeine has sparked interest as a potential aid for managing ADHD.
Stimulant medications, commonly used to treat ADHD, work by increasing dopamine levels—a chemical linked to attention and feelings of reward.
Caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors in your brain which are in charge of your sleep and arousal. This means whilst it decreases the ability to sleep, it increases motivation, learning and pleasure.
This means caffeine may amplify dopamine’s effects in the brain, leading some to wonder whether it could help ease ADHD symptoms in adults.
What does an ADHD Coach do?
ADHD coaching is goal-oriented and centres on practical strategies to help people manage their ADHD-related challenges in daily life, these are oftentimes associated with Executive Functioning Skills.A list of these can be found on my page here, but they’re about improving organisation and motivation, time management, and setting personal or professional goals (big or small!). Coaches are trained to work collaboratively with clients to build routines and skills for better functioning.
The pros of having ADHD
A lot of content and articles focus on the negatives of having ADHD and all the ways in which it hinders many aspects of life. And I get it, it’s thanks to this education that people finally understand the symptoms they may have been experiencing their whole lives.
But let’s focus on the positives now, all the ways in which people with ADHD can actually excel thanks to having it.
What’s happening to ADHD NHS waiting lists and diagnoses
The two most common things I hear since I’ve become an ADHD coach are “I’ve been on the waiting list for so many years” and “I definitely have it, but never been formally diagnosed”.
I may have a controversial view on this topic, but whilst awareness for ADHD has considerably increased since 2020 (anecdotally and in the sheer increase in articles, books, podcasts and influencers on the subject) it has also resulted in many people jumping to their own self diagnosis too quickly. Whilst I don’t want to discount anyone who has genuine symptoms and understands these better now thanks to society’s increased understanding and empathy for the matter, I do think that there is also a flippancy to these self diagnoses too.
ADHD - Your Brain vs Trauma
One topic that isn’t spoken about a lot is the fact that childhood trauma can lead to or exacerbate ADHD symptoms. A comprehensive evaluation by a mental health professional can distinguish whether the symptoms being experienced are due to brain development or trauma responses. This differentiation will help to guide treatment effectively.
Performance Reviews and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
Performance reviews, 360’s, appraisals, employee evaluations or whatever you want to call them. They’re standardised and already flawed to begin with, let alone for someone with ADHD. An exercise whose only goal is to put people into boxes, including literal ones. Measuring everyone against the same criteria, when you consider that everyone is different anyway, the added layer of complexity of ADHD symptoms can make these very hard to swallow.