City Research Online

Abstract

Aim
To explore the experiences of women diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, in the UK.

Methods
Eight women, aged between 28 and 53, were interviewed about their experiences of having an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the resulting data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were developed around women’s experiences.

Findings
‘A childhood of undiagnosed ADHD’ revealed that participants experienced distress from a young age and reported low self-esteem. The shared narrative of being misunderstood and dismissed by professionals from a young age, with some reporting that the ADHD diagnosis was overshadowed by another diagnosis. ‘ADHD as a possibility and seeking out a diagnosis’ captured the series of events that led to participants seeking out a diagnosis, with a running theme of self-advocacy being present. ‘Receiving an ADHD diagnosis’ highlights the mixed emotions following diagnosis, the process of re-framing past experiences through the lens of ADHD, and the support offered post-diagnosis. ‘Life with an ADHD diagnosis’ highlights the impact that the diagnosis had on participants’ sense of self and identity and the interplay between the diagnosis and other identities. Participants’ accounts also revealed the impact that stigma had on their experience of ADHD.

Conclusions
The findings illuminated the experience of participants navigating mental health, identity and multiple systemic barriers in the context of ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Publisher Keywords:	ADHD; women; adulthood; mental health; diagnosis
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform R Medicine > RC Internal medicine
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Psychology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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