If you read my previous Letterlife blog post, I hope you took away at least two things. First, ADHD and autism often overlap, meaning that if you suspect one, traits of the other may be present. Second, girls receive their diagnoses later than boys, and girls often mask their difficulties. This poses a challenge in the assessment of girls (and women). The first challenge Revolves around even getting to the point of an assessment. As healthcare is organized in many countries today, you often need to get a first evaluation in one setting, followed by a referral to a specialized

Tears roll down the cheeks of a girl sitting on her bed, staring into the air in despair. “Mom, I can’t take it anymore. I really can’t. My brain is breaking.” She’s in her first year of the economics program in high school. While she managed through middle school quite well, high school has become overwhelming. The constant demand for studying, homework, and exams has left little room for recovery. The emphasis on completing tasks rather than focusing on learning is a pervasive issue in Swedish schools, affecting all students but particularly those with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), like ADHD. As

Over the past years, ADHD coaching has gained popularity, with an increasing number of professionals promoting their services. However, differences in requirements of formal licensing and limited scientific literature have led to ongoing debates about the effectiveness and legitimacy of ADHD coaching. Despite the absence of conclusive research though, ADHD coaching, with its common-sense and economically feasible nature has found its place in the ADHD treatment landscape. So how do you know if coaching is for you and how do you know that your coach has the proper training and experience? In this week’s blog from Letterlife we go through

Suffering from the broken record syndrome? You are probably already painfully aware of how your ADHD and hormones create devious challenges in your everyday life. Maybe you also experience that traditional treatment approaches don’t quite provide the personalized and practical support you need to get on with your life. This is where ADHD-coaching works as complement to conventional treatment.  The glass half full? As a doctor and researcher my focus is to explore, identify and treat psychiatric conditions, problems, and suffering based on individual vulnerability. A coach focus on enhancing strategies, developing new skills, and improving daily functioning based on

Unrecognized Struggles Research show that girls with ADHD show fewer externalizing symptoms and more often get an ADD-diagnosis. However, these girls exist and are struggling without being recognized. They experience social and academic challenges, keeping it together in school, exploding at home. The masking and compensating drain their energy, and the meltdowns and tantrums hurt their self-esteem. When these girls grow up and enter puberty, a period of intense biological, social and existential changes and challenges everyone can suddenly see them! Young women with ADHD will be increasingly impaired by emotional dysregulation and show up in healthcare for depression, anxiety,

I found myself staring right into the computer screen without knowing what I was doing. I had no idea how long I had been sitting there. Five minutes, half an hour, or several hours? I looked at the screen and saw that I had an email open and realized that I had been about to open my calendar to schedule something. I became really scared. But things like this continued to happen. I was fighting a massive brain fog. Suddenly, my brain didn’t cooperate anymore. Oh no, I don’t want to run into that infamous wall. I’ve already done that

ADHD is the most common diagnosis in girls with autism and autistic traits or an autism diagnosis are also common in those with ADHD. Therefore, when meeting individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ND), it’s essential to consider both ADHD and autism. Girls and women are still sadly underdiagnosed, often because they are better than boys at masking their difficulties. Many parents describe how their girls are overlooked in both school and healthcare, requiring themselves to drive the process of assessment and obtaining the right diagnosis. Even at a young age, neurodiverse girls often find it challenging to keep it together in

A new year – a time for new beginnings! For those of us embracing life with ADHD however, the New Year might be about much more than turning a page. It might be about creating an entirely new chapter full of unexpected plots, excessive use of post-it notes, and the perpetual search for misplaced phones, glasses, or keys. But, how about aiming for a year where you start working in line with your ADHD-brain? If these New Year’s situations resonate with you, you are probably one of us in the Letterlife tribe! Countdown Conundrum Living with ADHD is by many

When you read about the holiday season it always seems to be such a magical time filled with joy, gifts, and quality time with loved ones. For others at least. But would anyone agree that for some of us there’s also potential for some serious ADHD-induced chaos? From navigating social gatherings with unspoken rules or silent agreements to managing overwhelming sensory overload of lights, sounds and strange foods. Not sure how you manage the miracles of Christmas, but here are some tips and tricks from us at Team Letterlife. And please share your best lifehacks for not just surviving but