Woman diagnosed with ADHD at 28 reveals one common question which might hint you also have the condition
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects concentration, impulse control and activity levels.
According to Olivia Brooke, 29, from the Appalachia mountains, in the US, asking if everything is OK or if people are annoyed with you might be a sign of rejection sensitivity disorder (RSD), which has been linked to the condition.
In a video posted on her TikTok page @oliviabroookee which has been viewed more than 1.7million times, the mother, who was diagnosed with ADHD last year, described it as like 'feeling like everyone hates me'.
RSD isn't a recognised medical condition, nor is it an official symptom of ADHD.
However, many people who have ADHD report having RSD, and it acknowledged as a comorbidity of ADHD by a number of local NHS trusts.
One trust describes it as an extreme emotional response to either real or perceived criticism or rejection.
Other symptoms Ms Brooke experienced before being diagnosed included forgetfulness, difficulty sleeping, bad time management, and mood swings.
In a comment on the post, the Ms Brooke said: 'I was told it was just anxiety! I've also been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder when I was 16.'
But when the symptoms made juggling the endless tasks of motherhood harder, she spoke to a doctor.
Just two months ago she started the stimulant ADHD medication Vyvanse, and has already seen improvements.
In another video, she showed her kitchen looking messy and filled with items left from 'half done tasks', before it suddenly became neat and tidy after she started taking the medication.
Now through her TikTok videos, Ms Brooke has urged those who experience the symptoms to talk to their doctor.
In a comment she said: 'Medicine can help and so can talking to someone to help get an understanding how your brain works and things you can do to help.'
After posting the original video, she received over a thousand comments from social media users who related to the symptoms.
One user said: 'I have ADHD, and all of this is painfully relatable. I'm naturally a pretty chill, happy-go-lucky person, but man my brain is mean to me some days.'
Another commented: 'My rejection sensitive dysphoria is bad. I constantly feel like everyone hates me and doesn't want to be my friend.'
It comes amid a sharp rise in the number of adults seeking ADHD diagnostic assessments later in life.
In recent years diagnoses have soared, with more than 2.6 million people in the UK now estimated to have the condition.
Some have suggested this is because too many incorrectly people think they have the condition, while others put it down to better awareness of how it affects women.
A review of research published from 1979 to 2021 about females with ADHD showed girls and women tend to show inattention and internalised problems,
Meanwhile, in contrast, men show greater hyperactivity, impulsivity, and externalised problems.
The study also found clinicians may overlook symptoms and impairments in females because they appear less overt, despite still impairing them.
Concerningly, it also revealed that up until recently, almost all research on ADHD has focused on boys and men.
However, a recent report by MailOnline revealed thousands of women diagnosed with ADHD may in fact have an iron deficiency.
Josie Health-Smith, 44, had suffered from brain fog, fatigue and an inability to concentrate for as long as she could remember.
So, when she watched TikTok videos in which women shared their 'day in a life' with ADHD, she sought a diagnosis—and got one.
But after trying medication which caused her side effects, her extreme tiredness and forgetfulness continued.
In July 2023, she returned to her GP who, this time, ordered blood tests which revealed she was dangerously low in iron.
The essential mineral, iron plays a vital role in energy levels, cognitive function, digestion and immunity.
It is common for people to suffer from iron deficiency, which is estimated to affect 36 per cent of UK women of childbearing age, with only a quarter diagnosed.
Remarkably, after being prescribed a course of iron injections, not only did her energy return, but her ADHD symptoms all but disappeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Obesity fuelling UK's sleep problems as apnoea cases soar by 214% in decade
Rising obesity is a key factor in the soaring cases of sleep apnoea in the UK, experts have said, as new data shows cases have tripled in the last decade. Analysis of NHS data in England and Wales between 2014 and 2024 revealed a sharp rise in diagnosed cases of the condition. The figures showed there were 114,640 cases reported across NHS trusts in 2014. But by 2024, this had risen to 360,070, marking a 214 per cent increase in diagnoses over the last decade. The data, obtained by The Odd Company through Freedom of Information requests, showed cases rose on average by 13.69 per cent year-on-year, with over 2 million cases diagnosed overall in the period. Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder that causes repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. As well as resulting in ongoing tiredness, if left untreated, it can potentially cause various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and depression. Dr David Garley, director of The Better Sleep Clinic, explained: 'It's a disorder of the upper airway where it repeatedly closes as you sleep. 'Your upper airway is held open by muscles, so as you fall asleep your airway naturally narrows in on itself. The first thing you find is the airflow gets turbulent, so that makes the soft structures vibrate, which is snoring. 'But with sleep apnoea, it actually closes and you have this period of not breathing. Your body will only tolerate this for a period of time before it actually has to wake you up and pull you back from the deep state of sleep, into a shallow state or completely awake. So you get really fragmented, poor quality sleep.' He said one of the main factors in sleep apnoea is obesity, which is also on the rise in the UK. 'Anyone can get sleep apnoea, but the biggest risk factors are age and carrying extra weight - and both of these factors are increasing in the UK and that's why obstructive sleep apnoea is on the increase,' he told The Independent. 'What you're looking at is the collapsibility of the upper airway, so this happens because the muscles relax as you fall asleep. If you've got more weight around your neck, it just pushes in a bit more. 'Menopause is another risk factor. That's often to do with the redistribution of weight in the body as you go through that transition, so you tend to get a bit more around that area which pushes in.' He added that 85 per cent of people who have sleep apnoea are undiagnosed due to the difficulties in knowing whether they are displaying symptoms. Some of the rise in diagnoses could also be thanks to an increase in awareness of the condition. Symptoms of sleep apnoea According to the NHS He said: 'Hopefully some of it is because we're eating into that 85 per cent, but inevitably it's because more people will have sleep apnoea. 'Some of the increase is because of awareness, and others is because undeniably there are more old people and obesity is a bigger issue.' According to the NHS, sleep apnoea can sometimes be treated by making lifestyle changes like losing weight, giving up smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. But many people need to use a device called a CPAP machine, which gently pumps air into a mask worn over the mouth or nose during sleep. The government is planning a wave of new measures to reduce levels of obesity, after the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimated that more than a quarter of the English population is now obese. Rates of obesity have doubled since the 1990s, costing the NHS an estimated £11 billion a year, which is three times the annual budget for the ambulance services. Health secretary Wes Streeting has warned that, unless the 'rising tide of cost and demand' is curbed, the NHS 'risks becoming unsustainable'. Ministers are also planning regulations for restaurants to monitor diners' calorie intake and drive it down further.
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
My moobs halted my love life as I'm too self-conscious to go topless – girls have made cruel jibes since I was a kid
'Moobs' may be more common than you think - read on for everything you need to know about the condition causing them 'SICK OF IT' My moobs halted my love life as I'm too self-conscious to go topless – girls have made cruel jibes since I was a kid Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN claims his 'moobs' have stalled his love life as he's too self-conscious to take his top off on dates. Thabo Methie, 31, was just 10 years old when he started noticing that he seemed to be developing breasts instead of pecs. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Thabo Methie has felt self conscious about his chest since he was 10 Credit: SWNS 5 He was diagnosed with gynaecomastia, which causes enlarged breast tissue in men Credit: SWNS 5 Thabo swathes himself in baggy t-shirts to hide his body Credit: SWNS Sporty Thabo says he was bullied at school - with kids saying they were "bigger than some of the females". Thabo stopped participating in sports like swimming aged 11 as he was too self-conscious to take off his top and he says he became "sick" of being the brunt of every joke. He went to the doctor and was diagnosed with gynaecomastia – when boys or men have more breast gland tissue than usual. Having lived with the condition for 21 years and worn oversized T-shirts to hide his chest, Thabo has decided to have his breasts surgically removed. As the surgery is deemed cosmetic, Thabo says it can't be done through the NHS. Instead, he's set up a GoFundMe to raise the £6.5k required for "life-changing" private surgery to remove the breast tissue he says has been holding him back for years. Thabo, a healthcare assistant for the NHS blood and transplant service, originally from Marondera, Zimbabwe, but living in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, said: "It isn't painful, but it has mentally affected me because of how people were to me. "I went for quite a while without dating someone because I didn't want to take my clothes off. "For such a long time, I would debate getting a knife and cutting it off myself. "The moment people started making jokes, that really hurt me and that stuck with me, especially when people pointed them out to me. Dr Philippa Kaye Answers Most Embarrassing Men's Health Questions Part 2 "Some girls were laughing about it at school, and the most heart-breaking one was my then-crush telling me that I could breastfeed." Thabo's insecurities grew when he attended boarding school at 13. He says he became a recluse, trying to avoid any interaction with his peers. He went on to spend the next four years trying to wash when no one would see him - which proved difficult sharing a communal bathroom with 23 other people. 5 Thabo says he was the subject of cruel jibes at school Credit: SWNS 5 He's felt too scared to date as he doesn't want to take his top off Credit: SWNS Thabo said: "My entire life has been about wearing clothes that hide something that makes me deeply embarrassed and has gotten worse with time. "Even now when I want to swim, I worry what people will think of me and I want my confidence to come back and I don't want to worry about what other people think of me." When Thabo was 19, he took up running in an effort to shrink his chest and has more recently added strength training to his repertoire. The 31-year-old claimed he even tried taking weight loss jabs. What is gynaecomastia? Gynaecomastia, or 'man boobs', is where men have bigger breasts than usual. It's common and may not need treatment, but can sometimes be caused by other conditions. The main symptom is getting bigger breasts than usual. Your nipples or breasts may also look swollen or feel sore. One or both breasts can be affected. What causes gynecomastia? Hormone changes in men aged over 50, or during puberty Being overweight Certain medicines Conditions such as an overactive thyroid, kidney disease, or cirrhosis Drug use, including anabolic steroids The effect of pregnancy hormones on some newborn babies Treatments Gynaecomastia is often harmless and may not need treatment, but if it's a problem for you, your GP may recommend: Medicines that reduce or increase certain hormones Losing weight, if you're overweight If your gynaecomastia is caused by a condition, getting treatment for the condition may help reduce the size of your breasts. Surgery can reduce your breasts if other treatments have not worked, but it may not be available on the NHS. When gynaecomastia happens in newborn babies, or when it's caused by puberty, it usually goes away by itself over time. Though he's maintained an active lifestyle to try and manage his condition, he has gained 21kg and now weighs 19st. His breast tissue has grown more with time, affecting his self-esteem and mental health, he said. Thabo said: "This has been ruining my self-esteem and it's just making me feel depressed most of the time. "I have added strength training to the running but these can only do so much, especially as I gain weight. "I started eating healthier with food that has more fibre, and last year I started taking the weight loss injection, but I stopped taking it as it was really expensive." Gynaecomastia is fairly common and thought to be linked to an imbalance of oestrogen and testosterone. Conditions such as an overactive thyroid, kidney disease, or cirrhosis can cause it, as can taking certain medicines and being overweight. The NHS classifies surgery to remove breast tissue as cosmetic. It also requires patients seeking it to provide long-term UK-based medical records, which Thabo can't do as he only moved to the UK on a visa in 2023. Thabo said: "To have this surgery would mean the world to me. It would be a huge weight off of my shoulders. "I really hope the surgery can be as soon as possible. When I raise enough money, I will be booking the surgery straight away." You can visit his GoFundMe page here.
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
New SUPER-Viagra pill is stronger and could have fewer side effects, scientists find
NHS prescriptions for erection drugs are at a record high LITTLE BLUE THRILL New SUPER-Viagra pill is stronger and could have fewer side effects, scientists find Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCIENTISTS are developing a new super-Viagra that is stronger than the little blue pill at just a tenth of the dose. Experimental drug simenafil was tested on 706 men by a team at the Peking University First Hospital in China. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 NHS prescriptions for erection pills are at record highs (stock image) Credit: Getty Results showed that 12 weeks of treatment improved men's erectile function by an average of 12.3 per cent. The scientists said original Viagra, known as sildenafil, caused an approximately 11.8 per cent improvement in studies and other brands are less effective. The real catch is that the dose is tiny in comparison, they added – just 5mg compared to a standard 50mg dose of Viagra. This could make it cheaper or reduce the risk of side effects. The drugs are called PDE5 inhibitors and work by blocking an enzyme that restricts blood flow to the penis, causing it to relax and function normally for sex. Unwanted side effects might include headaches, sickness, hot flushes, indigestion, a stuffy nose or feeling dizzy. 'Effective at low doses' Writing in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, study author Dr Hui Jiang said: 'Owing to these adverse events, novel and alternative therapies are needed for patients with erectile dysfunction. 'The results so far show oral simenafil was effective and well-tolerated in male patients. 'Therefore, we believe that it will provide an additional reliable treatment option. 'Overall, the evaluation indicated that simenafil was as effective as other PDE5 inhibitors even at very low doses. 'It showed that intercourse satisfaction, orgasmic function, sexual desire and overall satisfaction increased.' Erectile dysfunction is common and becomes more likely with age, illness and weight gain. What is Erectile Dysfunction? At least half of men are expected to suffer once they get into middle and old age. NHS doctors last year prescribed record amounts of bedroom-boosting drugs like Viagra, dishing out 4.7million prescriptions at a cost of £17.6million.
