We all know how difficult it can be as a white woman to obtain a diagnosis for ADHD in the U.K.
It broke my heart to hear that women of colour or women in the BIPOC community living in the UK are 4 times less likely to receive a diagnosis than white women like myself.
It was hard enough for me to be diagnosed and it nearly cost me my life - not to mention the carnage it caused to my self esteem, relationships, career, education, family, financial, mental and emotional well-being.
How can we raise awareness or support those who are less privileged in our community or country?
Anyone have any experience of this discrimination first hand and is there anything we can do to help?
Big hugs and love xx
Written by
Mini-S8
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6 Replies
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Hi Flamingo30, first of all, thanks for caring about people of color and being concerned. It’s deeply appreciated. I’m black and I have ADHD. To be more specific, I’m biracial, but in America, I’m seen as a woman of color and I am. I can tell you my experience. When I was like five, I was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder, it’s a disorder that makes it hard for us to distinguish words that sound similar. You should google it if you’re curious.
Anyway, someone thought I had ADHD when I was five, but it was swept under the rug and someone else said “if she had ADHD, I’d be exhausted.” I didn’t get diagnosed until high school. And taking Methylphenidate has made a big difference. I looked up info about Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and ADHD and their symptoms are SO similar. That’s probably why I wasn’t diagnosed as quickly. My dad, who’s African American, was the one who found me Stephen Camarata, the person who diagnosed me with my learning difference. And my dad also found me resources on ADHD. I don’t remember being discriminated against much, but I’ve been told that some people and some teachers thought I wasn’t capable. I have been misunderstood and kids found me odd. I went to a school that was mostly white, I was never the only person of color, but it was still mostly white. I have felt invisible because I never felt like I could relate to people who looked like me since there’s so much bias around African Americans and many negative stereotypes. When I realized I could, I realized there’s so much implicit bias around African Americans. I think the best way to raise awareness is to educate yourself. And there’s a YouTube channel called ADHD is the new black, you should check it out. Here’s some other resources too. I know that was a lot, but remember that people of color are individuals. I hope this helps.
I’m not sure there anything specific that can be done until factors like social injustice and racism are addressed. Statistic of people of color being under diagnosed it just one condition in a cesspool of conditions that POF are undiagnosed and h heard in. Just like the static of Black women being more likely to died in child birth. Black babies being more likely to died than white babies. It’s all evidence of the deepest problem of all. Social injustice and racism. The Black Lives Matter movement and bigger more systematic movements are the best way to combat these things (hopefully with a government that can implement REAL CHANGE). The grassroots manner that you can take on with BLM is a great start. Be a supporter. Voice your support. Spread the word. Get involved in local programs. We need to be bigger and louder than the voice of opposition. The opposition needs to feel like the outlier. They need to feel outnumbered and unheard. They need to believe their thoughts are wrong and that no body wants to hear them. Then, hopefully not still another 50-100 years later, change can happen on the inside of these people.
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