A Cork woman who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30 said it helped her realise for the first time in her life that she is, “actually not stupid”.
Ailín Kennedy was diagnosed with ADHD after years of struggling with her mental health and education.
On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, she said her diagnosis changed her life, noting that she finally has an explanation for her past struggles.
She said she has since made it her mission to coach others who are struggling to navigate their ADHD.
ADHD Coach Ailín Kennedy.Ms Kennedy said it has been a long road to get to where she is now.
“I always struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember and I did look for help when I was a teenager and all through my 20s,” she said.
“I was going to therapy and doctors and getting different diagnoses, but it never really told the full story.”
Diagnosis
Eventually, aged 30, Ms Kennedy finally got the life-changing diagnosis.
“I always thought my attention issues were because of my poor mental health,” she said.
“I really thought that I was struggling to study and struggling in school because I was stupid.
“I wasn’t able to take things in and I always felt terrible about my exam results until after I got diagnosed with ADHD.”
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Ms Kennedy said the diagnosis has been incredibly helpful for her.
“I was able to stop saying I was stupid and find an explanation and language to explain all of the struggles I’ve always had,” she said.
“Now I’m able to look at it a different way and, after being able to say, ‘oh, I’m not stupid,’ I’m now learning in a different way that suits the brain I have.”
ADHD Ireland CEO Ken Kilbride said it is not an issue exclusive to children, as had previously been believed.
“The condition is genetic, so you are born with it, and affects you across your entire lifespan,” he said.
“It’s only in the last 40 to 50 years in medical psychiatry that we are starting to understand ADHD and it’s only in the last ten years that we’ve been diagnosing adults.”
Impact
ADHD impacts approximately 5% of the population in Ireland.
Mr Kilbride said that of all the symptoms arising from ADHD, the attention deficit is the one, “that affects [people] across their entire lifespan”.
“Adults who go untreated have higher rates of unemployment, higher rates of marital breakdown, and higher rates of substance abuse around alcohol and cannabis,” he said.
Mr Kilbridge said the good news is that it can be treated:
“One-third to half of people with ADHD probably require medication and when it does work, it’s life-changing,” he said.
