Any woman who gets to live a long life will experience menopause and possibly all the disruptions that come with it. However, some women will go through menopause (and possibly before) with more pronounced symptoms than others due to ADHD. This may seem surprising since ADHD is a common diagnosis in children, not adults. Further, the diagnosis is more often associated with male gender. If you feel like the disruption is just too much to bear, this information may be what you need to manage your symptoms effectively and navigate this phase of life without having to feel like you’re broken and alone.
In today’s podcast episode, I welcome Diann Wingert. Diann is a psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience and is also a coach who helps driven but distracted women who are audacious enough to start their own business at midlife and beyond. We discuss how ADHD is the underlying core problem for anxiety and depression and the common misconceptions around ADHD and midlife. She discusses the gender bias in identifying ADHD and what a woman who thinks she has ADHD can do now.
Tune in to this episode and learn more about what ADHD is in midlife and menopause.
Resources:
• Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones (https://www.menopausemovement.com/podcasts)
• Connect with me on Instagram @drmichellegordon
• Follow me on Facebook
• Join in on the next beta group
• Visit Diann Winger’s Website
• Like and follow Diann on Facebook
• Follow Diann on Instagram @coachdiannwingert
• Check out Diann’s LinkedIn profile
• ADHD for Smart Ass Women Podcast
What’s Discussed in This Episode:
[0:00] Introduction and Opportunity
[3:06] Dian shares her story
[5:50] ADHD as the underlying core problem for anxiety and depression
[6:06] Gender bias in the identification of ADHD
[9:25] Menopause and identity crisis
[15:25] Common misunderstandings of ADHD and midlife
[21:07] Menopause makes you pay attention
[23:37] Recommit, reinvent, or reject
[25:15] Radical self-acceptance
[26:19] Neurotypical and neurodivergent
[29:05] Dr. G shares how she created the life that aligns with who she is
[32:52] Rejection sensitivity and its effects
[41:33] What a woman can do if she thinks she has ADHD
[41:54] ADHD and ADD
About the Guest:
Diann Wingert had been a psychotherapist for over 20 years, who, like most clinicians, knew little about ADHD in girls and women. It was only after her midlife diagnosis of ADHD that Diann learned that the fastest-growing group of adults being diagnosed with this condition are women over 40 and that menopause has a lot to do with it.
Now in her 6th decade, Diann is continuing to learn, evolve, and defy her limits while helping others do the same. She has a particular fondness for coaching driven but distracted women who are audacious enough to start their own business at midlife and beyond.
Diann’s website is www.diannwingertcoaching.com, and her podcast is The Driven Woman on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, and all popular platforms.