ADHD in High Achieving Women
balancing success and overwhelm Why So Many High‑Achieving Women Are Being Diagnosed with ADHD in Midlife For years, the cultural story about ADHD was simple: it was a childhood condition, mostly affecting boys, and mostly recognizable through hyperactivity. That story was never accurate—but it shaped decades of diagnostic practice. Now, as more women reach their 40s, 50s, and beyond, a striking pattern is emerging: high‑achieving women are being diagnosed with ADHD in midlife at rates never seen before. And they’re asking the same question: Did ADHD develop late, or did everyone simply miss it? The short answer: ADHD does not suddenly appear in adulthood. What’s changing is our ability to recognize it—especially in women whose intelligence, discipline, and masking strategies hid the symptoms for decades. 🌿 The Myth of “Late‑Onset” ADHD Current research is clear: ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that begins in childhood. What can happen in adulthood is that the scaffoldin...