Danielle Elliott

Sari was deep in this fight. She never planned to be a pioneer. But she became one when she wrote about what it's like for women with ADHD.

That's next time on Climbing the Walls. Climbing the Walls was written and reported by me, Danielle Elliott. It was edited by Neil Drumming. Sound design by Cody Nelson. Brianna Berry was our production director. Ash Beecher was our supervising producer. And Diana White was our associate producer. Fact-checking by Mary Mathis. Research by Karen Watanabe.

That's next time on Climbing the Walls. Climbing the Walls was written and reported by me, Danielle Elliott. It was edited by Neil Drumming. Sound design by Cody Nelson. Brianna Berry was our production director. Ash Beecher was our supervising producer. And Diana White was our associate producer. Fact-checking by Mary Mathis. Research by Karen Watanabe.

Our music was composed by Kwame Brant Pierce, with additional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions, and our mixing was done by Justin D. Wright. This series was brought to you by Understood.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia.

Our music was composed by Kwame Brant Pierce, with additional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions, and our mixing was done by Justin D. Wright. This series was brought to you by Understood.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia.

From understood.org, our executive directors are Laura Key, Scott Cochier, and Seth Melnick. A very special thanks to Ray Jacobson, Julie Zietz, Jordan Davidson, Sarah Greenberg, and Kathleen Nadeau. If you want to help Understood continue this work, consider making a donation at understood.org.

From understood.org, our executive directors are Laura Key, Scott Cochier, and Seth Melnick. A very special thanks to Ray Jacobson, Julie Zietz, Jordan Davidson, Sarah Greenberg, and Kathleen Nadeau. If you want to help Understood continue this work, consider making a donation at understood.org.

Terry reminds me of so many of the women who have been diagnosed in the last five years, and it doesn't make sense to me that they have the same stories 30 years apart. It seems like it could have been so simple. Doctors could have started addressing adult ADHD by 1992 in the wake of Driven to Distraction.

Terry reminds me of so many of the women who have been diagnosed in the last five years, and it doesn't make sense to me that they have the same stories 30 years apart. It seems like it could have been so simple. Doctors could have started addressing adult ADHD by 1992 in the wake of Driven to Distraction.

Then, three years later, when Sari wrote about the emotional toll that ADHD takes on women, scientists could have taken her findings seriously and started developing better treatments. Instead, diagnosis rates remained mostly stagnant for women for the next 30 years. Most of the people being referred for treatment in the 90s were boys. White boys. There's a long history of why this is true.

Then, three years later, when Sari wrote about the emotional toll that ADHD takes on women, scientists could have taken her findings seriously and started developing better treatments. Instead, diagnosis rates remained mostly stagnant for women for the next 30 years. Most of the people being referred for treatment in the 90s were boys. White boys. There's a long history of why this is true.

In the simplest terms, teachers are often the first to suggest a parent look into ADHD. So a teacher's perceptions dictate who gets tested. When Black and Hispanic boys acted out in class, they often got disciplined. When white boys were hyperactive or argumentative, the teachers referred them for treatment. They got help.

In the simplest terms, teachers are often the first to suggest a parent look into ADHD. So a teacher's perceptions dictate who gets tested. When Black and Hispanic boys acted out in class, they often got disciplined. When white boys were hyperactive or argumentative, the teachers referred them for treatment. They got help.

When women did get diagnosed, it was often because, like Terry, they went in search of more information about their kids' ADHD and, in the process, realized... Oh, I also have this. And because most of the kids being diagnosed were white boys, most of the parents recognizing their own ADHD were, yes, also white. Things started to improve in the early 2000s.

When women did get diagnosed, it was often because, like Terry, they went in search of more information about their kids' ADHD and, in the process, realized... Oh, I also have this. And because most of the kids being diagnosed were white boys, most of the parents recognizing their own ADHD were, yes, also white. Things started to improve in the early 2000s.

From 2000 to 2010, diagnosis rates increased the most among Black girls. The rates among adults rose, but not nearly as much as they would rise starting in 2020. Seri said this is all about research. Doctors rely on scientific research and the diagnostic criteria in the DSM. Seri and other clinicians base their findings on their patients.

From 2000 to 2010, diagnosis rates increased the most among Black girls. The rates among adults rose, but not nearly as much as they would rise starting in 2020. Seri said this is all about research. Doctors rely on scientific research and the diagnostic criteria in the DSM. Seri and other clinicians base their findings on their patients.

So, as accurate as their work might be, it's not considered scientific in the traditional sense. For that, it would need to be validated by scientific researchers. And it never was. So it never became accepted science. And if it's not science, it's not incorporated into science and medical curriculums.

So, as accurate as their work might be, it's not considered scientific in the traditional sense. For that, it would need to be validated by scientific researchers. And it never was. So it never became accepted science. And if it's not science, it's not incorporated into science and medical curriculums.

So nobody recognizes it. And as a result, women have for decades been misdiagnosed. Terry agreed.