I wanted to share a story about one woman’s experience of how undiagnosed ADHD impacts new motherhood and contributed to her struggle with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.  

I truly appreciate her raw honesty and giving me permission to share. My hope is to raise awareness and understanding of how living with undiagnosed ADHD can impact the experience of becoming a new mother including putting her at risk for a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.

I will not provide her name in order to protect her confidentiality.

Here is her story in her words:

“For as long as I can remember, I have had a somewhat abstract awareness of my surroundings.  On top of that, when I do ‘wake up’ and engage with the world around me, it can be a shock to my senses.  I am a classic introvert on top of that.  So, people have not always known how to respond to me. At best, it might be said that I appear quiet and dreamy.  At worst, unresponsive, distracted, unmotivated, careless, or rude.