Women diagnosed with ADHD as adults open up about the life-changing event

ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in children, but in recent years a growing number of women have been diagnosed as adults. It's a life-changing diagnosis that comes at a time when doctors are gaining a new understanding of how ADHD appears differently in girls and women.

For Jessica Covington, after struggling with things like organization, staying on task and remembering details throughout her entire childhood, it was a relief to find out she had ADHD.

"I believed the lies that I was lazy, dumb, unmotivated," Covington said. "I always felt a sense of not being good enough if I had to do something in a different way."

In 2014, Jessica received a diagnosis that changed her life. Jessica is part of a growing trend of women being diagnosed with ADHD or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This condition originates in childhood and often comes with lifelong symptoms.

In adulthood, numerous women unexpectedly receive ADHD diagnoses later in life, frequently following the identification of ADHD in their own children.

Covington decided to get evaluated for ADHD after reading the book, "Super-parenting for ADD" by Edward M. Hallowell. She was reading it from both a parent's perspective and also from the standpoint of "this misunderstood kid" she recognized herself to be while growing up.

After her child was diagnosed and learning more from him about it afterward Covington went to her therapist if she might have ADHD and got a surprising answer.

"She kind of looked at me and said, 'huh, it's interesting that you got to be this age and didn't know,'" Covington said.

According to board-certified psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Judith Joseph, individuals with ADHD have different brain structures. These differences manifest in persistent challenges with time management, planning, organization, focus, attention and hyperactivity.

Recent studies from Epic Research have shown a significant increase in ADHD diagnoses among women ages 23 to 49 from 2020 to 2022. The number of diagnoses has nearly doubled during this period. Experts believe that this rise is partly due to a better understanding of how ADHD affects girls and women.

"There's this inherent bias within our culture that boys are the ones that have ADHD," Joseph said. "But studies show that girls present with inattention. They may not be jumping up and down, but they'll be twirling their hair, clicking the pencil, shaking their legs. And they get overlooked and it's really devastating because they don't get the support."

Lately, women on social media have been realizing that their inattentive traits may be signs of ADHD. Many women have been sharing videos about their experiences with being diagnosed with ADHD, and this has been a source of relief for others who didn't understand why they were behaving in certain ways.

Parenting influencer Libby Ward credits certain types of videos with helping her realize she might have ADHD, leading her to seek evaluation and treatment from a health care provider.

"It was kind of a relief to consider that there might be a reason why I struggled with so many different things," Ward said. "But it was also very confusing because I had been shaming myself for so long for all the ways that I struggled to adult essentially."

Ward joined a social media community of women diagnosed with ADHD and shared her experiences. Her video, along with others, prompted ABC News' Diane Macedo to consider whether she also suffers from ADHD.

As someone who had personal success as an honor student, best-selling author and news anchor, ADHD wasn't even on Macedo's radar. She thought everyone's brains worked the same way. But she finally booked a formal evaluation and was diagnosed with ADHD. The experience was eye-opening.

During her evaluation, Macedo got emotional when explaining to the doctor that packing is difficult for her.

"All my coping mechanisms worked really well for me until I became a mom and now I have two kids and I love them dearly," Macedo said. "Despite I think most people associate me with my career, you know, I really value being a wife and being a mother and I take those roles really seriously. And I just find it really hard sometimes to manage all of that and the expectations that I put on myself when I feel like I have to battle my brain in doing it all the time."

People with ADHD can also be extremely bright and often excel in areas like creativity and problem-solving, and have an ability to exhibit a laser-focus in certain situations. Experts say people with ADHD often become perfectionist overachievers, desperately trying to prove their worth as good mothers, good adults, and good people.

"What I see when these girls grow up is that they spend so much energy trying to compensate for the fact that it takes them longer to plan," Joseph said. "Creating awareness is so important because there's just so much power in knowing what ADHD is and how it's impacting you because then you can actually set up your life to be successful living with ADHD."

If you suspect that you may have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), it is advisable to seek a comprehensive evaluation from a qualified health care professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or primary care physician.