Episode 552: What it’s really like to have ADHD

Listen | 33:56
The Irish Times Women's Podcast: Brianna Parkins talks about being diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
The Irish Times Women's Podcast: Brianna Parkins talks about being diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a chronic condition that affects millions of people around the world. It is often associated with hyperactive or disruptive children, and as a result ADHD in women often goes undiagnosed. In today’s episode of the Irish Times Women’s Podcast Róisín Ingle speaks to two women who received ADHD diagnoses in their late 20s, the broadcaster and journalist Brianna Parkins and the barrister and coach Mairéad Deevy. Both were repeatedly misdiagnosed as they searched for explanations of their symptoms. Here they share their experiences of living with ADHD and the ways they’ve learned to manage it.