ADHD and Mental Health Challenges in Women & Girls (featuring Special Guest Storyteller Ava Woodall)

With a significant increase in the number of women diagnosed with ADHD as adults, we are finding ourselves having to relook our entire lives just to get a diagnosis.

Having a psychiatrist ask you deeply personal questions can bring back a lot of painful memories and emotions. The lives we led while not knowing how our brains work brought about significant mental health challenges, which is often only visible to those closest to us.

In the UK, the ratio of girls to boys diagnosed with ADHD is 1:6, and in other neighbouring countries, the ratio ranges from 1:3 to 1:16. In adulthood, this ratio equalises to 1:1.

The lack of updated national data on ADHD poses a challenge in trying to understand if there has been any improvement in assessments and support for ADHD, particularly for girls and adolescents.

What we do know, is that there are still so many girls with ADHD who are being misunderstood and mistreated in schools that do not understand their needs – perpetuating needless trauma and mental health challenges.

Below is a first-hand account of Ava Woodall, a 13-year-old girl who identifies with being a neurodivergent but finds it hard to get referred for an official ADHD assessment due to the gender biases in ADHD rating scales and the initial lack of understanding in school about what ADHD looks like in girls. Ava also tells us how she thinks her school can help.

“My mental health suffered as a result of receiving negative feedback in school”

Hi, my name is Ava Woodall. I am 13 years old and this story is about me, the types of things that I struggle with and how this makes me feel.

For the past couple of years, I have been really struggling with anxiety, depression and self-harm.

My mental health struggles at school too sometimes, particularly when I don’t receive support and when I get negative feedback from teachers. This makes me feel rejected and not cared about.

Things got a lot more difficult in August when I had to go into hospital, but I am getting better now.

“My brain is wired differently, and I can struggle to keep up with my school’s demands” 

Neurodivergence is about how your brain is wired. People’s brains can be wired differently, like mine. This makes it difficult to complete my schoolwork and I struggle with it. This can be really hard to cope with because I can fall behind in my subjects.

I can also struggle to control my emotions, which I can get from very happy to very sad, to angry, which is emotionally draining. Being ‘different’ to average 13-year-olds can be hard because I experience my emotions differently to other people my age, and it can be hard to live with. 

“I have a lot of pride in my difference and feel that I have something unique about me that sets me apart”

But it can also feel good that I am not the same as everyone else, and there are lots of positives. I am really passionate about things and work really hard at them - for example, my writing. When I write about a topic that I enjoy learning about, I do really well and excel in it. This also means I am creative and that I think very hard about things and come up with lots of ideas - I have a lot going through my head! I also really persevere and don’t give up trying to do something if I really want to. Even though being different can be challenging, there are a lot of strengths to being a neurodivergent teenager.

“Here's what I think teachers can do”

Teachers can be less harsh on students with ADHD, and try to support them, instead of bringing them down.

Stop dishing out behaviour points and know their strengths to push them to do even better and give out more achievement points, and know their weaknesses and try to support them in the classroom, and outside the classroom. 

Boys are more likely to get diagnosed with ADHD, because the majority all have one symptom in common which is ‘hyperactive behaviour’, but this isn’t common in girls, so it is much harder to diagnose them, so doctors often miss the condition. This can make girls feel alone and like they will never find out what the problem is.

I hope you enjoyed reading my story, and I hope I put my point across in an understanding and helpful way.

Ava Woodall, 13

Note: Ava's story is printed with permission from her father, Joe Woodall.

What ADHD Girls is About and How Schools Can Help ND Girls Thrive

ADHD Girls is a company with a dual mission to empower girls and women with ADHD to thrive in society and to improve neurodiversity understanding via an intersectional lens.

Many neurodivergent girls face school anxiety due to the misunderstanding that often lead to mistreatment, and fear of public shaming, which can negatively impact their self esteem early in life.

Sometimes, the biggest difference can be made with the smallest of efforts, beginning with understanding that the "disruptive behaviours" perceived are simply due to the neurodivergent brain being wired differently. A school-wide neurodiversity awareness talk can be an effective way to set the scene for neuroinclusion among teacher-student and peer relationships, modelling a culture of compassion from ground up.

Our experiences in school largely shape our endurance, self belief, and the way we go in life. As an educational provider, taking an interest in neurodiversity, particularly in how neurodivergence manifests in girls and other underrepresented groups could go a long way in rewriting their future narratives.

Dr Samantha Hiew is an award-winning Founder of ADHD Girls, Neurodiversity and ADHD Keynote Speaker and Consultant.

Through fun, accessible, and powerful storytelling, Sam catalyses positive conversations and actions around neurodiversity & intersectionality within workplace teams, educational settings, and the public at large.

Her work has been recognised with a Difference Maker Award, alongside nominations for Rising Star, Stereotype Buster and Community Choice awards. As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Sam is chairing a panel about The Experiences of Neurodivergent Women and Girls.