Oxfordshire counsellor suggests societal pressures are behind late ADHD diagnoses in women
It comes as Oxford University researchers observe an increase in women over 25 using medication for the disorder
Women are being diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in life due to societal pressure and growing awareness, says Oxfordshire-based counsellor Jill Beeson.
Jill gave her thoughts after researchers from the University of Oxford highlighted a significant increase in the number of adults – particularly women – using ADHD medication across Europe.
They found an over 20-fold rise in medication use among UK women aged 25 and over between 2010 and 2023, which they say reflects increased awareness of adult ADHD diagnoses.
Sharing her own experience, Jill explained that she was diagnosed with ADHD during the early stages of lockdown in May 2020, at the age of 50.
Having worked with ADHD and autistic children, she said she had never considered that she herself might have ADHD because she didn’t “identify or match” the behaviours she had seen.
Jill noted that ADHD symptoms vary in different people, but expectations for woman often lead people to suppress them.
"As a woman, as a mother, as a primary carer, carrying all the thinking and the invisible hard work, it meant for me it was so easy to subconsciously mask," Jill said. "If you're somebody that has to fit in and has to keep quiet, then you're more likely to mask and deny yourself."
"There was always a sense of shame that I had to work so hard at hiding parts of me, like my forgetfulness, my inability to stay focused on things that I struggle with that aren't naturally lighting me up, my emotional dysregulation," she added.
Jill believes these pressures to conform are a key factor behind the rise in later-life diagnoses among women.
However, she also agreed that growing awareness and access to information has helped more people recognise ADHD symptoms in themselves.
"We haven’t just suddenly created this bunch of over 25s, predominantly female people, that have got ADHD – we’ve always been ADHD, but it’s coming into our awareness more," Jill said.
She added that the internet has played a significant role in spreading information about the signs of ADHD and helping people better understand their experiences.