Nobody likes to think of themselves as getting older, but it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. I read an article the other day that says as we get older dopamine levels decrease by 10% for each decade. Wait, hold on a minute, no wonder I feel like my ADHD is getting worse with age, but then what does that mean for people who get diagnosed with ADHD in their 50s-70s, could it mean their brains are struggling to adjust to lessening dopamine levels?
I mean most people who I speak to who got diagnosed with ADHD in their 50s-70s have told me they’ve spent their whole life fighting to be taken seriously for their ADHD symptoms so it’s probably not the case. However, theoretically a lot of these people could have been just below the borderline for ADHD when they were younger but suddenly developed it as they got older. Nuts, right?
“This whole blog article was inspired by something my mum said to me.”
ADHD gIRL
It certainly could explain why some of these people managed to muddle their way through school and still achieve, then again it could just be that a lot of these people are women who simply got overlooked and did whatever they could to mask. To be honest this whole blog article was inspired by my mum saying that she took my ADHD quiz (available here) when I first put it on the website (about a year ago now) and it said she didn’t have it. Well she’s done it again recently and it now says she might possibly have ADHD. She’s said things such as brain fog and forgetfulness are getting worse as she ages (us ADHDers have got lots to look forward to, right?), but it’s probably her age, which is a valid point.
It’s subjects like this that reiterate why ADHD is such a complex and often misunderstood condition. While it has a basis in science, a lot of it is social science which is usually up for debate. Whatever, the answers, I’m really not sure that there are people get diagnosed with ADHD in their 50s and 70s just because they want the label or suddenly have brain fog, but hey in today’s society where a lot of people are obsessed with labels, you just never know!
Look after those remarkable brains ADHDers (maybe we should do crossword puzzles just in case???)! In the meantime, I’ll be taking a three-week break from my weekly blog aritcles while I enjoy some much-needed downtime and go on holiday.
So, I shall see you all again on the 29th of August. Have a great summer!
