After losing her mom at 23 and having kids starting at 27, writer Jen Barton, now 39 with four kids, was in a strange place. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t feeling overly anxious or depressed. She felt creative and was bonding with her kids. But still, something “wasn’t right.” She started looking under every rock for an answer to her disorganization, “ditziness,” and chaos. What she found was ADHD. 

Hear from Jen, who wrote the British Vogue article “Why Does No One Believe My ADHD Diagnosis?” She talks about ADHD in women, parenting with ADHD, and how her perspective has changed now that she’s been diagnosed with ADHD. 

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. 

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Related resources

• Jen’s British Vogue article: Why does no one believe my ADHD diagnosis?
• ADHD in women and girls
• ADHD and anxiety

ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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