Work is a big part of life for most of us, and unfortunately, it is common to have problems at work, just as in any area of life. As a psychologist and Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME; in some cases called an Agreed Medical Evaluator or AME) for the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC), I see many workers with injuries arising from stress at work.
Many women have felt overlooked in their own healthcare; research shows that doctors tend to dismiss complaints of pain from women and are more likely to assume psychological causes of physical symptoms reported by women.
In addition, much medical and psychological research in the past was conducted with only men, which means that our understanding of some diagnoses and treatments are based on studies of only half of the population. This can result in women being misdiagnosed or overlooked because they present with “atypical” symptoms…actually, those symptoms may be very typical for women, but women weren’t included in the studies! In the case of ADHD, the “traditional” symptoms that get the most recognition tend to show up more in boys, so girls and women with ADHD face unique challenges throughout life.
ADHD is neurodevelopmental (symptoms usually begin in childhood), and often looks different in girls vs. boys. There are two main types of ADHD symptoms, with some examples:
Inattention
Poor attention to detail
Seeming not to listen when spoken to
Failure to follow through on tasks
Difficulty organizing activities
Losing things
Hyperactivity/Impulsivity
Fidgeting
Difficulty staying seated
Running or climbing when inappropriate
Unable to take part quietly in leisure activities
Talking excessively/interrupting
Girls and women with ADHD tend to have inattentive symptoms more often, and boys and men tend to have hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. (These are general patterns, not necessarily true for every individual).
Because hyperactive and impulsive symptoms tend to be more “external” and disruptive, boys are more often noticed and diagnosed with ADHD. Inattention symptoms in girls with ADHD often go unnoticed and they may quietly miss out on the support they need to learn and succeed in mainstream settings.
Without a diagnosis, more girls go untreated for ADHD. Treatment can involve medications, but it can also involve therapy to help build organization skills as well as coping skills to help protect against the emotional wear and tear that can come with having a neurodivergent brain in a neurotypical world. If a child is undiagnosed, their ADHD-related behaviors are often viewed as purposeful, which can lead to painful and confusing experiences of being disciplined, ridiculed, or labeled for things they don’t understand.
Because many girls with ADHD don’t have the support to build organizational skills over time during childhood and adolescence, adult women with undiagnosed ADHD often feel like they are falling short, or missed some class everyone else took.
Brain function is impacted by the natural hormonal shifts that happen across a woman’s lifespan, and in a brain with ADHD, times of hormonal change like adolescence and menopause can cause symptoms to get worse. For women with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD at any age, aspects of adult life feel impossible. Things like:
Maintaining a schedule
Meeting work deadlines
Being on time
Finishing projects
Managing household tasks
Saving and financial planning
If this resonates with you, a neuropsychological evaluation for ADHD may help. A neuropsych assessment for ADHD involves an interview to gather information about your history and symptoms, as well as paper-and-pencil or computer testing to measure brain function in several areas (like executive function, memory, attention, processing speed, and visual-spatial function). This is for a few reasons:
To reach an accurate diagnosis
To rule out other problems or explanations for your symptoms
To make sure we don’t miss anything
Sometimes people ask why ADHD testing is so comprehensive when we already “know” what’s going on. ADHD can come with other problems that cause or worsen symptoms, like learning disabilities, depression, anxiety, or OCD. A thorough evaluation ensures we’re addressing everything that contributes to your symptoms because we make recommendations based on the test results. Recommendations inform you about the best treatment options for you, and if we don’t do thorough testing, we might miss something that impacts your treatment success.
Because women with ADHD are often misunderstood, testing can provide a new view of themselves and their experiences. It is healing to know that your struggles are not personal failings, but simply signs of a brain that is functioning differently. It is healing to know that there are things you can do to support your brain and strategies you can use to succeed in environments that thrive on deadlines and projects if that is what you want. It is also, hopefully, a very compelling reason to offer yourself compassion and grace as you navigate a new understanding of yourself.
ADHD testing can help you better understand your symptoms and how your unique brain operates. As a Los Angeles Psychologist, I would be honored to help provide the insight to help you better understand yourself. You can learn more about what you can expect from neuropsychological testing with Dr. Reger by doing the following:
Reach out for a free consultation.
Schedule neuropsychological testing with Dr. Reger.
Start the ADHD testing process!
I understand you may need more support in addition to neuropsychological testing. This is why I’m happy to offer several types of assessments and services around Southern California. I also offer psychological evaluations for workers’ comp, preoperative assessments, individual therapy and therapy for older adults. Visit my blog for more helpful information today!
I work with many adults who coordinate care for an aging loved one (for the sake of this blog post, we’ll say “parent,” though of course there are many people we may end up supporting in this way – siblings, grandparents, neighbors, friends, or even adult children). The day-to-day tasks of bathing, toileting, dressing, and managing meds can be overwhelming (a topic for another blog). There are different challenges to managing medical care: scheduling many appointments, transportation, time off work, writing down information from doctors, and following up on recommendations. When you’re juggling so much, it can be hard to communicate with your parent effectively.
As a psychologist who does neuropsych assessments, I’ve met many caregivers who aren’t sure how to talk to their parents about medical care and psych testing. A neuropsych evaluation for dementia or other concerns can be a sensitive topic for many reasons. These conversations are especially hard when your parent:
Has memory or other cognitive problems and doesn’t remember every incident
Doesn’t see the problem
DOES see the problem and feels defensive
Is afraid of what testing might find
Is resistant to having you manage their care in general
These barriers are common, but make things harder for everyone. If you’ve noticed a cognitive change and believe your parent should have neuropsych testing, here are some ideas about the best way to approach the conversation.
There are some basic communication skills that make any complex conversation easier:
Timing is everything. Bring the subject up when you have plenty of time to talk and won’t be rushed.
Location, location, location. Talk in private, in a space free from distractions, and where you can look at one another while you talk (while driving is never a good time for a serious talk).
Put yourself in their shoes. It’s frustrating when a problem is obvious to you and your parent seems to be in denial. Imagine how they may feel: afraid, sad, embarrassed, confused, angry…or all of these. When you start with empathy, you have a better foundation for a tough conversation. Try “I know this is hard to think about. I haven’t known how to talk with you about it because it’s scary, but I love you, and we can get through this together.”
Once you’ve got the basics, here are some strategies that have helped me to engage reluctant or angry testing patients over the years:
Sugarcoating doesn’t help. Do your best to keep a neutral tone, and keep your own feelings (anger, frustration, fear) in check. For example, “I know this may be hard to hear, but we need to talk about it. I’ve noticed you forget things lately. Yesterday when you had your hair appointment at 2, I reminded you three times to get dressed. Earlier, you turned on the burner and forgot, so the smoke alarm went off. Dr. Smith has noticed you repeat what you’ve already told him during appointments, and he said you need some testing to find out more about what’s going on. Neuropsych testing can give us some answers.”
Especially in the early stages of cognitive change, your parent may feel embarrassed or blame themselves, which will only get in the way of getting testing and support. Try, “It must be scary to forget things and feel like your thinking is slower, but this is not your fault. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Caring for your parent is a role reversal that can be very hard on everyone. Pursuing a neuropsych eval is one instance where you may need to decide what is in their best interest, even if they’re angry. You might say “I know you don’t want to do neuropsych testing, but you and I have both noticed changes in your memory and speech, and it is time to get some answers. I’ll make the appointment because I know it’s the right move. I hope you’ll agree, but either way, we have to move forward.”
If all else fails, say this. “I know you don’t see the problem. Think of it this way: if you do the neuropsych evaluation and something’s wrong, we’ll get help. If you do the testing and it turns out nothing’s wrong, then at least you’ll get me and Dr. Smith off your back about it!”
Once you have made the appointment, you can also enlist the help of your psychologist, who can further explain the value of testing and what to expect.
Talking to your loved one about a neuropsychological evaluation can be difficult, but the benefits are worth the conversation. As a Los Angeles Psychologist, I would be honored to help provide the insight to help you better understand what care your loved one may need. You can learn more about what you can expect from neuropsychological testing with Dr. Reger by doing the following:
Reach out for a free consultation.
Schedule neuropsychological testing with Dr. Reger.
Start receiving the support you deserve!
I understand you may need more support in addition to neuropsychological testing. This is why I’m happy to offer several types of assessments and services around Southern California. I also offer psychological evaluations for workers’ comp, preoperative assessments, individual therapy, and therapy for older adults. Visit my blog for more helpful information today!
I discussed symptoms of ADHD in adults in the first of this series, then in part two, I talked about when to seek neuropsychological testing for ADHD. If you get a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, you will probably experience emotions ranging from shock to fear or sadness. But you may also experience relief in finally having a diagnosis to make sense of symptoms you’ve been coping with for decades. Here are some tips to help you navigate after being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
It may sound cliché, but knowledge is power. Undetected ADHD symptoms can wreak havoc on your life and may have done so for a very long time. During that time, you may have gotten into unhealthy habits, like using caffeine or other substances excessively, poor sleep hygiene, undermining yourself in relationships, or underperforming or being chronically stressed at work. I highly recommend first learning a lot about ADHD, so you can begin to understand the breadth of the impact, and perhaps increase your self-compassion.
Read Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Dr. Russell Barkley, or any other well-researched book on ADHD by a psychologist or other clinician or scientist who studies ADHD. This is really helpful for understanding the basics of executive function and the causes and supports for ADHD in adults. (You might consider an audiobook if sitting to read is difficult. That way you can clean, exercise, or whatever else while you learn).
Listen to podcasts! There are plenty of great podcasts by ADHD experts out there, and these are in naturally bite-sized pieces. A few I like, with different perspectives, but generally focused on adults with ADHD:
If you have been diagnosed after getting adult ADHD testing, you have probably noticed that ADHD impacts your relationships. Undiagnosed ADHD can be frustrating, both for people with symptoms and for others close to them. You may have experienced the interpersonal impact of things like
Chronic lateness
Forgetting important tasks or milestones
Difficulty following through with promises
Difficulty paying attention in conversation
Lack of motivation to do undesirable tasks
These types of symptoms wear on relationships over time, and there can be great relief and forgiveness (of the self and each other) once you have a diagnosis and understand ADHD. Although you may feel ashamed or afraid of sharing because of mental health stigma, there is power in naming what’s happening. It is also important to allow your loved ones and friends to understand and support you as you learn how to navigate ADHD more effectively. Neurodiversity is discussed more and more openly in the mainstream, and you might be surprised that others you know have or have been impacted by ADHD themselves.
Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can begin to connect with others in the ADHD community. Talking to and learning from others with shared experiences can be very healing, and it can also teach you some strategies for approaching ADHD. Who knows, you may also have a thing or two to teach other people! Here are a few places to start for local and virtual support groups and other connections:
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Kaleidoscope Society (resources for women and nonbinary folks with ADHD)
If you have identified with some, or all, of the ADHD symptoms, talked about in this blog series you can get answers and accommodations through adult ADHD testing. With a diagnosis from a Los Angeles Psychologist, you can gain access to treatments that will improve your quality of day-to-day life and relationships.
Find out more about what you can expect from adult ADHD assessments with Dr. Reger by doing the following:
Reach out for a free consultation.
Schedule your adult ADHD testing with Dr. Reger.
Start your journey towards improved mental health, accommodations, and resources.
Dr. Reger offers several types of neuropsychological assessments around Southern California. She also offers psychological evaluations for workers’ comp and preoperative assessments. Additionally, offers individual therapy and therapy for older adults.
