Is It Really ADHD? Exploring Diagnosis, Medication, and a Deeper Path to Healing
“What if ADHD isn’t a fixed brain defect — but a reflection of how a sensitive nervous system has adapted to stress, trauma, and overwhelm?”
In recent years, ADHD diagnoses have soared, especially among children and mature-age women.
There is no doubt that many people are genuinely suffering with focus, energy, and emotional regulation. Seeking a diagnosis can feel like a lifeline, a validation that something real is happening inside.
However, when we zoom out, a bigger and more complex picture starts to appear.
Is It Truly ADHD — or Something Else?
The human brain and body are intricate, sensitive, and deeply interconnected with our life experiences.
Symptoms that mimic ADHD — such as forgetfulness, emotional volatility, impulsivity, and difficulty concentrating — can also arise from a range of other factors, such as:
Nutritional deficiencies, particularly low iron, zinc, copper, or B12 levels (Skalny et al., 2020)
Chronic trauma or adverse childhood experiences (Teicher et al., 2003)
Hormonal imbalances and life transitions such as peri-menopause (Barth et al., 2015)
Sleep deprivation, overstimulation, and relentless digital exposure
Lack of adequate movement, time in nature, or mind-body regulation
Yet too often, these foundational contributors are not thoroughly explored before an ADHD label is applied.
Hormones, Burnout & the Mature-Age Woman
Late ADHD diagnoses in women are rising. But so are cases of misdiagnosis. Why?
Because the symptoms of hormone imbalance — especially in perimenopause, postnatal depletion, or PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) — can mimic ADHD almost exactly:
Memory fog
Mood swings
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Exhaustion
Sensory overwhelm
The body is not separate from the mind. A woman in hormonal flux is not inherently disordered — she may be under-resourced, overwhelmed, or chronically dysregulated.
For more on supporting women’s health holistically, visit Therapy for Women.
The Medication Question: A Solution or a Band-Aid?
For some individuals, ADHD medications—particularly stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin) or amphetamine-based treatments (Adderall, Vyvanse)—can significantly improve focus, reduce impulsivity, and enhance daily functioning. However, it's essential to be fully aware of the potential side effects, both common and serious.
Common short- and medium-term side effects of stimulant medications include (HealthCentral, 2024):
Anxiety and irritability: Some individuals experience increased nervousness or mood swings .
Sleep disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep is a frequently reported issue.
Appetite suppression: Many people notice a reduced appetite, which can lead to weight loss.
Elevated heart rate and blood pressure: Stimulants can increase cardiovascular activity, which is concerning for individuals with underlying heart conditions.
Gastrointestinal discomfort: Nausea, stomachaches, or dry mouth are also common.
However, some individuals may experience more serious side effects, including:
Cardiovascular strain: Long-term use of stimulants can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate, raising concerns for potential heart problems, particularly in individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Mental health risks: In rare cases, stimulant medications can trigger severe psychiatric side effects, such as aggression, hallucinations, paranoia, or even suicidal thoughts.
Dependency and withdrawal issues: Stimulants can be habit-forming. Withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, depression, and intense cravings, may occur when the medication is reduced or stopped.
Growth suppression in children: Prolonged use in children may stunt growth, with some children experiencing slower height or weight growth.
It’s essential to remember that while stimulant medications can help individuals with ADHD manage their symptoms, they do not address underlying factors, such as trauma, stress, or environmental factors, that may contribute to ADHD-like symptoms.
These risks deserve to be fully understood and carefully weighed — especially when alternative explanations for symptoms have not yet been explored.
Medication may offer relief for some, but it is not a substitute for integrative healing of the root causes underneath our struggles. Medication should be considered as part of a broader, integrative approach to treatment that includes therapy, lifestyle adjustments, and careful management of underlying causes, like trauma or nutritional deficiencies.
Is ADHD Even What We Thought It Was?
Emerging science is challenging some of the very foundations of how ADHD has historically been understood.
The once-dominant theory that ADHD stems purely from a "chemical imbalance" in dopamine is now seen as incomplete.
While neurotransmitter dynamics play a role, newer research suggests that environmental factors, early life trauma, and nervous system dysregulation can contribute equally — and sometimes more significantly — to the development of ADHD-like symptoms (Teicher et al., 2016; Porges, 2011).
Even the subtle structural brain differences found in some individuals diagnosed with ADHD — such as smaller amygdala and hippocampal volumes — are now understood to potentially result from prolonged early stress exposure, rather than being purely genetically predetermined (Hoogman et al., 2017; Teicher et al., 2016).
ADHD is increasingly recognised as a complex, multifactorial condition, influenced by biology, environment, experience, and the plasticity of the nervous system.
Science is evolving. Our understanding must evolve with it.
Toward a More Compassionate and Comprehensive Approach
Rather than viewing a diagnosis as the end of the story, we might see it as an invitation to go deeper:
To explore underlying biological imbalances.
To examine how trauma and stress have shaped our nervous system and brain.
To nourish the body and mind with the environments and practices that restore true health and vitality.
For some, appropriate medication under careful guidance may be part of the healing path. But medication alone is not the answer.
What True Support Could Look Like
When someone is struggling with focus, motivation, or emotional regulation, we must ask why — not just what to label them.
This is where trauma-informed therapy, nutritional testing, somatic practices, and nervous system support become essential.
In my practice, I regularly witness how people reclaim clarity, focus, and calm not from a diagnosis — but through:
Processing unresolved emotional experiences
Regulating the autonomic nervous system
Nourishing the body with what it truly needs
Rebuilding trust in their own rhythms
Honouring Complexity in the ADHD Conversation
Diagnosis can bring relief. It can offer language and community. But it can also limit — especially when handed out too quickly, or when it becomes a substitute for deeper inquiry.
This isn’t a rejection of ADHD — it’s a call to widen our lens. To honour the lived experience behind the label. To move slowly, compassionately, and holistically through what the mind and body are trying to say.
Ready to go deeper?
If this blog resonated with you and you'd like to explore your story more fully — through a compassionate, trauma-informed lens — you're warmly invited to book an appointment or browse my services to find the best support for you.
Let’s walk gently together, and honour the full complexity of your healing.
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