Dr. Asad Rafi

As you say, it's how it manifests.

And the gentleman that you described there, and I think this is...

This is a reflection of the society that we now live in.

It's not necessarily just about ADHD.

We live in a society due to social media and everything else where we seek that validation externally.

And when it comes to the male presentation, it is difficult because they're told showing emotion is almost akin to being weak.

And there's a certain shame in that, shame in disclosing things, talking about how you feel.

And what we tend to see is that when the RSD does start to become more apparent, for a lot of women it's more internal and it's more emotional.

For the men it's more external.

And often it manifests as being angry, overworking, overcompensating for things.

Again, going back to the conversation about avoidance, they will avoid thinking about what's the root cause of the problem and will rather do things that prevent them from having to face that reality.

But ultimately then it also manifests with how they manage those moods and emotions by use of substances, by use of certain behaviors.

And again, that addictive profile can differ between women and men quite significantly.

I would say that when I describe ADHD, it's a condition where you're all or nothing.

It's...

When are you going to do that particular task?

It's now or not now.

They're the two options.

All or nothing type individuals, we struggle with balance.

And when we are at 100 miles an hour, we don't usually leave much fuel in the tank.