Hi Naomi, thanks for your question.

We've put it to Dr Tamara May. Here's what she said:

People with ADHD can experience intrusive thoughts, and because of the core symptoms of ADHD such as difficulties with flexibly directing attention, they can find it harder to switch off from them.

Getting bored is a very common experience in ADHD. This can happen when there is not enough stimulation from an activity or it is no longer novel and exciting or engaging. At these times of boredom there can be many thoughts occurring in a busy ADHD brain, as there is no direction of attention. This could be when an intrusive thought comes up and then the mind can get stuck on it.

I would suggest talking to a health professional such as a psychologist if your son finds these distressing.

Is there any point in seeking a diagnosis for ADHD if you are an adult and suspect you may have it? – Anne

Hi Anne, thanks for writing in. We've had a lot of questions similar to this.

Here's what Dr Karuppiah Jagadheesan says:

Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD in adulthood can contribute to poor psychological health and dysfunction affecting various aspects of life.

Like any other mental health problem, if an adults suspects to have ADHD, it is important to seek help.

Hi there, thanks for your question.

Here's what Dr Karuppiah Jagadheesan says.

ADHD is a clinical diagnoses. There is no specific test to make this diagnosis. The reasons for lack of improvement in ADHD include inadequate medication doses, not on right medication, untreated co-existing other psychiatric disorders and psychosocial factors. A right therapeutic approach will take these factors into consideration to optimise treatment.

What has been your biggest revelation or epiphany since diagnosis? – Kat

Here's Em Rusciano:

"That I am really good at hard things!

"And if there was ever a Zombie Apocalypse I would want an army of ADHD-ers behind me."

Hi Joan, thanks for joining us today and for sending in your question.

Here's what Dr Madelyn Derrick says:

Funding for training, and for reimbursing and incentivising multi-disciplinary practice and collaboration in the private setting. The rigorous assessment process could become a lot more efficient with multiple sets of hands on deck (at different pay grades, and with different extent of demand).  Current Medicare items don’t allow for this currently but some changes there would be likely to ease the bottle necks and be more cost effective to the public purse.

How do you bring yourself back on track if you got distracted while doing something? – Ella

Here's Em Rusciano:

"I mean you’re assuming I do!

"I gently steer the ship back towards my original task, I also promise myself a treat for once I’m finished."

Hi Rochelle, thanks for writing it. I think a lot of people would relate to your experience.

We've put your question to Dr Madelyn Derrick. Here's what she said:

Knowing your ADHD, knowing what you find interesting and what is boring is key here. And then planning ahead with full acceptance of this (i.e. no more "I'll just try harder to make it work for me" type of thinking!). You want to 'lean in' to your ADHD brain and work with it, rather than setting yourself up to work against it.

Look for roles where there will be frequent injections of novelty — new projects, new directions, new locations, rapid promotion opportunities – these will help. Contract work is good – the gig economy can be a good thing with ADHD. A lot of people with ADHD do end up self-employed for this reason. Autonomy, the authority to choose when to wrap up a task and move on to the next, the ability to do tasks in the way that you need so that you're not draining your resources doing the boring stuff… combine these with an area of great personal interest one that is in line with your strengths (including those ADHD-related ones) and you will be heading in the right direction.

Hey Sarah, thanks for writing in.

Here's what Dr Tamara May says:

Yes! It depends on the person and their job. Reasonable work adjustments might include some of the following. There is also a good resource for employers here.

• Providing a quiet environment to work in, with minimal distractions, such as a desk in an office rather than an open plan desk, a desk away from foot traffic or other noise
• Flexible start and end times
• Allowing employees to work when most productive
• Vary work activities such as through swapping repetitive tasks for novel tasks, provide physical or social tasks
• Allow the person to wear headphones (to cancel noise or have background music to assist with focus)

How do you approach motherhood as someone with ADHD? What are some of the challenges you've faced? – Rochelle

Here's Em Rusciano:

"My approach has been to 'hold on for dear life' and hope I don't forget anything too important!

"I've faced organisational challenges obviously, perhaps subconsciously that's why I have such huge age gaps between my kids?! I knew deep down I wouldn't survive the whole three under five life."

Hi Lynne, thank you for sharing your experience with us.

We've put your question to Dr Madelyn Derrick. Here's what she had to say:

I'm so sorry you've had this experience. I understand it can feel really isolating, and be very invalidating and demoralising. There is a community of women like yourself that are worth connecting to — try searching Facebook for 'women with ADHD'. Searching on the AADitude website will give you some great articles too.

There is a huge amount of awareness raising going on, internationally, around women and ADHD as you are unfortunately not alone in your experience. It will take time for all health professionals to be up to speed.

For now, if you are receiving a negative response, move on to another health professional. It's not worth the damage to yourself to persist – seeking help needs to be helping with your struggles, not adding to them. If you feel it would help you to have some satisfaction that you did something to try and address the problem, I recommend arming yourself with information to hand out if you receive this type of response again. There are Australian clinical guidelines approved by the NHMRC coming out soon -watch out for them on the AADPA website in a few months time.

Hi Jodi, thanks for writing in. I think a lot of people will relate to your comment.

Here's what Dr Tamara May says:

ADHD affects probably around 7% of children and adolescents, but in adulthood far fewer are diagnosed. This is because many children, particularly with the inattentive presentation, didn't get identified, particularly girls and women.

People were also told they would grow out of their ADHD when they turned 18 which is not the case for most people. That means there are many adults with ADHD who have been missed. If you are not sure, speak to your GP if you want to explore it further.

How different is your life (or perception of it) post diagnosis and what words of advice would you give to those unsure if they have a similar neuro diverse condition? – Genevieve

Here's Em Rusciano:

"My diagnosis changed the very core of a lot of the beliefs I had about myself. It gave me a reason for some of the things I have found most challenging about being me.

"My advice is to learn how to advocate for yourself, little by little you can learn how to stop masking and then the exhaustion from trying to fit in to neuro-typical society gets less."

Hi Michael, thanks for writing in.

Here's what Dr Tamara May recommends.

This is a really common challenge for many folks who are neurdivergent, as the brain of people with ADHD is generally under-stimulated. That means it can have difficulty doing tasks that aren't immediately interesting or rewarding for the person.

With ADHD treatment including medication and cognitive-behavioural interventions people can find these tasks less difficult and learn strategies such as making changes in the environment to make it easy.

It might including him getting extra help such as having someone start tasks with him, or even considering whether getting a cleaner is possible.

How do you look after your own well-being when so many people have so many expectations of what you can do with your celebrity and ND status? – Callie

Em Rusciano says she puts "iron-clad boundaries" in place.

"I don't work at night anymore (answering emails I mean), when I'm with my kids — I am with my kids. No more split attention, I set myself up to win more, because I now understand the ways in which I was sabotaging myself."

Great question Olivia, thanks for asking.

Here's Professor Mark Bellgrove. 

Short Answer: Build awareness that the presentation of symptoms across girls and women can be different. Its unlikely to be the stereotypical pattern that we see in boys. More inattention, more shyness but better social skills that allow them to cope and mask….until they can't anymore.

Adolescence is likely to be a real trigger point as the social and educational demands start to increase. We need more longitudinal research to know how the presentation changes over development and into adulthood and to work out the best ways to help.

Hi Lux, thanks for writing in.

I've put this question to Dr Tamara May. Here's what she said:

Good question. As an adult I would suggest seeing either a psychiatrist who specialises in adult ADHD; or a psychologist experienced in the diagnosis of ADHD.

The important thing is to find one who has experience and knowledge of ADHD.

When did you first realise you were neurodiverse? Like if you always knew, when did you really realise what it meant, or if you were diagnosed as an adult, when did you suspect something? – Liz

Em Rusciano says "I always knew I was wired differently."

"I saw things from 15 different angles instead of a couple but I didn't know what it was until I got the diagnosis at 42.

"The pandemic pushed me into going to the doctor because I'd stopped being able to function almost entirely."

My partner has ADHD and struggles with balancing finances due to the focus needed. He openly talks about it and it's a point of weekly frustration for him. Do you have any suggestions or tips to help him? – Anon

Hey Anon, thanks for this. Here's Dr Madelyn Derrick's top tip:

Outsource! 'Trying harder' often sets people up with ADHD for ongoing failure, and if they do manage to get through the task, they have done it at a huge cost (to their energy, resilience, mood, stress levels etc.).

The smart move is for him to outsource challenging tasks to others, and spend his time and resources on things he's interested in and good at.

In a partnership you can approach your shared obligations as a team – divvy tasks up according to each of your strengths. Your 'team' will perform better overall.

Hi Court, thanks for writing in.

Here's what Professor Mark Bellgrove had to say:

That is an interesting question.  What I actually think is that we first need much more research into ADHD in girls and women. How does it present and how/why are strategies like masking used.

 We also need more longitudinal studies to chart the development of girls and close monitoring particularly during adolescence where some of the coping strategies start to break down and symptoms and problems start to emerge. So, I think we need more research before we revise the diagnostic criteria.

How do you contend with the grief of being diagnosed with ADHD? Specifically, how do you move past the what-if's/could-have-been's, had you been diagnosed as a child? – Olivia

Here's Em Rusciano's response:

"I went back and took little Em by the shoulders and told her that she was and always has been enough.

"I also know I perhaps wouldn't have achieved some of the things I have, if I had've been diagnosed earlier.

"I guess that's the whole point, I'll never know will I?

"So I have two choices, I can sit in sadness or walk forward with this new knowledge about myself and do my bloody best with it."