If you’ve taken a few ADHD tests, researched some of the symptoms, talked to other ADHDers, and are now wondering where to go from here, this post has you covered. We’ll go step by step, from curiosity to diagnosis and treatment, and everything along the way.
Step 1: Symptom Exploration
If I’m being honest, some of the information on the interweb is, shall we say off, when it comes to ADHD. So it’s really important that you explore ADHD from reputable sources. The main challenge there is the clinical jargon they typically use, which is a bit vague, and doesn’t give a great picture of what it really looks like to have ADHD. Don’t worry, though, Little Miss Lionheart has you covered. I’m an ADHD therapist who has ADHD and I make it my mission to give you clinically solid information and resources that aren’t so vague, dry, and boring.
The Little Miss Lionheart ADHD Test for Women
In that vein, the best place to start is the Little Miss Lionheart ADHD Self Test for Women. It will walk you through real-life examples of what ADHD symptoms look like in grown women.
The Most Practical Clinician approved ADHD test for women on the Internet.
A Realistic Picture of Undiagnosed ADHD in Women
This one article has led to a number of women discovering they had ADHD. I know because they message me to let me know and it makes my day every single time. I wrote this guide right after I got diagnosed myself. I’d been reeling from the experience of realizing so much of what I thought had been anxiety (and had been told was anxiety, and was diagnosed as anxiety…) was actually ADHD. This article was my way of processing that shift.
As far as real-life symptoms go, it is one of the best articles to learn from. It gives a deeper picture of how the symptoms in the ADHD test for women show up in an ADHD woman’s everyday life. Basically, it’s a deeper exploration of symptoms that helps you better explore if your experience matches up to ADHD.
If you’ve been told its anxiety, but suspect it’s really ADHD, this will offer clarity.
The ADHD in Women Checklist for Advanced Exploration
If you’re like me, exploring ADHD has taken you down the rabbit hole into wonderland. Well, Alice, this checklist is the beast of a resource you’re looking for. Fair warning, the checklist is long, but it gives practical, concrete, lived-experience examples of all 18 ADHD symptoms. Despite the length, The Ultimate, Officially Unofficial Little Miss Lionheart ADHD in Women Checklist is written with humor to keep you engaged. If you’ve already explored a lot of ADHD research, you can save yourself the time and just start here. Though, the last article is still worth taking a look at, in my mostly humble-ish opinion.
An ADHD Checklist for Deeper Exploration into your symptoms and possibilities.
Step 2: Getting the ADHD Assessment
You’ve explored the symptoms so deeply you feel like you’re the mad hatter. Now spidey senses are tingling with suspicion that you might actually, just maybe, probably, don’t know but it’s possible and maybe even probably…that you have ADHD. Now what?
Some people choose to stay here, and if that’s you, more power to you. But if you want to know for sure, or think you might want to try medications or other treatment options, you’ll need an assessment. By now, you may already know how challenging it can be to find a clinician that really gets ADHD and won’t send you out the door with bad ADHD information that was already debunked in the 90’s (yeah, unfortunately that’s still a problem).
How to Find a Doctor Who is Up-to-Date on ADHD
You’ve probably heard the stories. The first time a potential ADHDer brings the question to their primary care physician, they get dismissed. It’s usually some form of:
- “You’re holding a conversation with me; that means you can’t have ADHD.”
- “Now that you aren’t in school, there’s no need for treatment, anyway.”
- “You have anxiety. Treating ADHD is contra-indicated.”
- “If you weren’t diagnosed as a kid, you don’t have ADHD.”
- “Adults don’t have ADHD. That’s just a kid thing.”
In case you didn’t know, those are all BS. Stupidly common BS, too, unfortunately. Bringing up your suspicions, only to get dismissed with incorrect information is a fear a lot of people have when they are exploring diagnosis. It’s demoralizing and can shut us down from pursuing any further.
I was lucky that my primary care doctor was super knowledgeable; she was actually the one who brought it up. Unfortunately, my experience isn’t as common as I wish it were. That’s why I created this resource to help you find a doctor or clinician who is well versed in ADHD and not likely to vomit the dismissive BS drivel.
A Clinician’s Best Tips for Finding a Doctor or Therapist who knows ADHD well.
The ADHD Self Guide for Facilitating Your Assessment
Even when you’re reasonably sure you’ve found a doctor who isn’t stuck in the 90’s when it comes to ADHD, it can be difficult to figure out how to start the conversation. I think especially if you done a lot of research. At that point, all these ADHD threads are swirling through your head and they’re all relevant and important, but organizing and prioritizing them in order to communicate effectively may or may not go smoothly.
I created this ADHD Guide for Getting an Accurate Diagnosis to help facilitate the process. It starts with a self inventory for you to fill out that goes over the symptoms you experience. That inventory is a great resource to show your doctor or clinician at the start of your assessment. It’s based on the DSM 5 criteria for ADHD, which is also outlined in the guide, and it helps ensure you’re both on the same page.
Just in case you find yourself in front of a 90’s ADHD BS spewer, despite your best efforts not to, the resource also includes clinical information for your doctor, research studies, and credible sources that address most forms of ADHD BS. You know, to validate your lived reality and preserve your sanity. Hopefully, it educates your doctor in the process.
A Self-paced resource to help you get an accurate ADHD assessment.
Step 3: Explore ADHD Treatment Options
ADHD meds or no meds? It’s a common question the soon-to-be and/or freshly diagnosed struggle with. If you know you want to try medication for your ADHD, a formal diagnosis is necessary. If you don’t want medication, you don’t need the clinical validation of a diagnosis, or access to accomodations, you may decide to circumvent the diagnostic process and either avoid treatment altogether or go the natural route.
In order to really decide what’s best for you, it’s helpful to explore what your options look like. One of the most common questions I get from people exploring ADHD is ‘are medications even worth it, or am I better off not worrying about them?’ The answer to that is different for everyone, which is why it’s important to explore what each option has to offer you.
The Lived Pros and Cons of Taking ADHD Medication
After getting this same question too many times to count and having the same conversations with people every time, I finally turned my answer into an article. In it, I explore the honest-to-goodness good, bad, and ‘what-the-crap-is-this?’ about taking stimulant medications for the first time. The list is both my personally lived pros and cons, as well as common experiences I’ve heard from other first time ADHD med takers. If you’re on the fence about ADHD treatment, this is a good place to start.
An ADHD Clinician’s real-life pros and cons about taking Medication for ADHD.
The Natural ADHD Remedies that Might Actually Work
When it comes to supplements for ADHD, there are a few with some solid research behind them and a lot of placebos and snake oil in between. So figuring out how to differentiate your options is pretty important. That’s why I put a lot of time (and research) into figuring out exactly which natural remedies show promise and wrote this article to explain my findings.
Fair warning, research indicates natural strategies aren’t as effective as medication, but for some people it’s enough. If you aren’t able to take ADHD meds for health reasons, personal reasons, or accessibility, or you decide they aren’t currently worth trying for whatever reason, this article explains the natural options that are most likely to work based on the research that’s been done.
The Natural ADHD supplements that show promise according to the research.
Additional Resources for the ADHD Rabbit Hole
Step by step, that’s the process to further exploring your ADHD. But if you’re stuck on step one and still feel like you need more information about ADHD, here are some extra resources to take you deeper into the rabbit hole.
30+ ADHD Women explain what ADHD feels and sounds like in their head.
ADHD & Anxiety look ridiculously similar. Here’s how to tell them apart.
Masking can obscure ADHD. Here are common ADHD masks women wear.
For misdiagnosed ADHD women, these labels are the most common disguises.
