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READER’S DIGEST of people who have been diagnosed with ADHD as adults. ADHD among adults is now a significant global concern, affecting a substantial number of adults. Ac- cording to a comprehensive review of studies involving more than 21 million participants worldwide by Perth’s Curtin University, the disor- der affects a staggering three per cent of the global adult population. ADHD diagnoses among adults have been rising over the last two decades, but in 2020, when ma n y o f u s were spending more time online, the num- ber of adults seeking treatment sharply in- creased. What hap- pened, say exper ts, is that adults whose symptoms had been missed or misdiagnosed in child- hood were suddenly seeing them- selves represented in TikTok videos, Facebook memes and Instagram ads. “Adults with undiagnosed ADHD are more likely to have relation- ship problems, they’re less likely to achieve the same academic and em- ployment levels, and they’re more likely to use substances,” says Dr Lenard Adler, professor of psychia- try and director of the adult ADHD programme at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “Missi ng t h is d iagnosis and not treating ADHD has serious consequences, both for individuals and for society.” And those bearing the burden of a missed diagnosis are overwhelmingly women and margin- alised groups. “Growing up, I was regularly told that I had an attitude problem,” says Laura Gallant, a website developer who struggled throughout school and was eventually diagnosed with ADHD in 2021 at the age of 34. “It wasn’t an attitude problem. I’m just a woman with ADHD,” she says. The good news is that millions of people, most ly women, who once slipped through the cracks are finally getting the help they need. A 2023 st udy from Epic Research, an organisation that analyses medical re- cord data, found that the number of women newly diagnosed with ADHD nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022. WHAT IS ADHD? ADHD is a developmental disorder that begins in childhood and comes in three types: inattentive, hyperactive/ impulsive and combined. Symptoms of the inattentive type include poor listening skills, avoidance of tasks that require concentration, and being eas- ily sidetracked. Symptoms of the hy- peractive/impulsive type include rest- lessness, an inability to wait your turn, and being overly talkative. People can UNTIL RECENTLY, ADHD WAS LARGELY CONSIDERED A CHILDHOOD DISORDER 6 June/July 2025