SELLEST OSAST
Earlier this year, Hyperfocus took a field trip to San Diego for an ADHD conference called APSARD, which stands for the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (quite a mouthful).
A conference of ADHD professionals might not sound fascinating, but it was — and we learned a ton. But there was one person and one talk I really wanted to find: A keynote speech about how ADHD affects women’s bodies by Dr. Sandra Kooij.
What Sandra is doing is something so sensible and radical: Looking at ADHD as a whole-body issue. Digging into how it can affect women’s hormones, our health, and especially our hearts.
I find Sandra’s research fascinating and was thrilled when she agreed to sit down for a conversation with me. We didn’t waste any time and quickly set up a makeshift studio for this week’s episode of Hyperfocus.
Also, a quick note on the audio this week: We had to record this episode outside the conference hotel, on a bustling patio full of ADHD professionals and some noisy birds. So, please forgive the extraneous sounds.
Related resources
- MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel
- Did my ADHD make me more likely to have postpartum depression?
- ADHD Powerbank: Sandra’s video platform
- The Head, Heart, Hormones foundation (in dutch with translations)
- Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD
- The heart health and ADHD connection
Timestamps
(4:07) Swedish registry study data on diseases in people with ADHD
(7:06) ADHD and hormones
(13:56) Cardiovascular disease in women
(20:21) Talking to your doctor about diseases related to ADHD
For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Hyperfocus page on Understood.org.
We’d love to hear from you. Email us at hyperfocus@understood.org
Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
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