Member Reviews
This was a very interesting and useful read. This topic is now widely written about, even today and Skoglund offers a useful perspective.
Translated from Swedish, ADHD Girls to Women provides a much needed overview of the (unsurprisingly very little) research that has been conducted into ADHD people assigned female at birth. Rather than drawing on the testimonies of specific individuals through interviews, it makes insightful generalisations into the female ADHD experience and opens up pathways of questioning, outlining avenues for future research.
For people questioning whether they or people around them may have undiagnosed ADHD, it's a useful guide to the often minimized or misdiagnosed that AFAB ADHD people experience, and key ways they may have been masking.
I hope this will kickstart the introduction of more trade books exploring the subject.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I'd like to lead my review by highlighting that I am a mental health practitioner that works extensively with young women and girls with ADHD. I am also a neurodivergent-affirming practitioner that approaches this diagnosis from a strengths-based perspective.
I was looking forward to reading this one, as there is a severe lack of research concerning AFAB ADHDers. Presentation is often vastly different to those who are diagnosed and AMAB. Research suggests this is due to gender role reinforcement from a young age (how often have we heard the term "boys will be boys"?), among other factors like family history.
Unfortunately, from what I can tell, this book was written with the intention of highlighting all of these difficulties unique to girls/women, but in a way that left the reader feeling like there is no good to come of their diagnosis (see: me, I am the reader, a diagnosed AFAB ADHDer).
If I could provide any feedback, it would be to look into ways that ADHD benefits these young AFAB people too. While the neurotype doesn't always fit into our current modern world on its own, with support, these AFAB people will be able to thrive within their differences.
Thank you for collating a great resource for the research that is out there, however, and for presenting it in a way that was easy to read.
As a lady with ADHD who was diagnosed much later than my male peers, I found this book highly informative. Very much recommend this book
As a woman with ADHD, this book was life changing. I appreciated that the differences in this book weren't just alluded to, they were clearly spelled out. As someone who has ADHD/Autism/OCD I have forever just been diagnosed with "anxiety" and it is so frustrating that I've wanted to punch a doctor before.
This book helped me feel seen, heard, and starts an incredibly important conversation in our society about how we view girls and women in their mental health struggles and neurodiversity.
4/5 stars,
I loved this book. As a woman with ADHD, I have yet to find a book about mental health and ADHD that was so relatable and I felt very seen. I also got a chance to think of other ways my ADHD affects my life that I wouldn't normally associate with ADHD. It was very insightful but also very informative.
Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
Having a job where I support young teens and adults with ADHD means that I will automatically read a book that might educate me further.
With not a huge amount on the market catered at women with ADHD, this was a fantastic read and is now on my recommended list for parents to look at following a diagnosis.
There was a lot to like about this book. So many times the narratives struck home and the well researched explanations of why ADHD brains behave this way was enlightening. Compared to how much of ADHD diagnosis and treatment occurs here in the US, focusing almost entirely on the experience of white boys, this approach to understanding and managing symptoms feels light years ahead. However, and here is where it becomes only a middling book, some of the information felt surprisingly dated. The entire book is strictly binary when it comes to gender and treats sex and gender as one synonymous entity.
ADHD Girls to Women is a comprehensive, well-researched book that is specific about the impact and implications of ADHD diagnoses on girls and women. Skoglund draws from her expertise as a clinical psychologist to navigate the complex journey of females with ADHD.
While this book is a short read, it unfortunately leaves me wanting more - I understand that the research on ADHD in females is lacking, but there is no commentary on where we go from here.
However, I am impressed with how detailed Skoglund is from a biological standpoint. She touches upon structures of the brain and emotions and how this impacts the patient as they develop through life.
I would like to see Skoglund's expertise on the treatment of ADHD women, especially the effects of medication on the biological level.
Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingley Publishers for the ARC.
I liked this book a lot. As a woman with adhd I appreciate that more research is being done on girls & women. (Our symptoms/issues are completely different than boy/mens.) This book focuses on that difference and ways to help in a nonboring way.
As a psychotherapist that works with children and adults with ADHD, I was excited to read this book by Lotta Borg Skoglund on ADHD in girls and women. Much of the research on ADHD has been done with AMAB people and girls and women tend to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed later than their male counterparts. Literature on the presentation of ADHD in women is much-needed, and I was happy to see that the work of Swedish Psychiatrist Lotta Borg Skoglund had been translated into English in this edition.
Overall, I appreciated this book. I liked the vignettes that illustrated how ADHD affects women specifically. I did find it unsatisfying in terms of suggestions about how to support women and girls with ADHD. Skoglund emphasizes ADHD as a disability that has significant negative effects on girls and women. I wish that there had been some more of a strengths-based approach and/or thoughts on how to effectively navigate ADHD. I also felt that some acknowledgement of the nuances of gender identity could have been helpful.
All in all, this was an interesting book about an important topic. However, it had some shortcomings and ultimately will not have a significant impact on my clinical practice. This would likely be best for a woman who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and is trying to cope with shame surrounding this.
Thanks so much to Lotta Borg Skoglund and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for this ARC through NetGalley. ADHD Girls to Women: Getting on the Radar is available now!
Fascinating book that gave me great insight . Easy to read and very straightforward direction
I’ll be recommending to everyone that I know . If you haven’t seen this yet then add it to your shopping basket today .
"ADHD Girls to Women" is a timely and invaluable resource shedding light on the often overlooked experiences of girls and women with ADHD. Delving into various dimensions—social, cultural, medical, and historical—the book offers crucial insights and prompts deep reflection. While some sections may feel weighty and challenging to grasp, the text overall delivers invaluable, accessible, and insightful perspectives. It navigates through the complexities of ADHD with importance and sensitivity, making it an essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of this area.
A wonderfully informative book bringing the often overlooked or misunderstood subject of female ADHD into focus. It certainly explained so much for me. An invaluable guide for professionals and as a general read.
A look into what ADHD looks like in girls and women. Girls often get overlooked when it comes to ADHD diagnoses and this book dives into why that happens and how it manifest differently in girls.
I liked the info presented here a lot! I think it could have been organized in a better way because at times it felt repetitive. But otherwise, really interesting and informative!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this! I really liked this book although it was very information heavy as you would probably expect! As someone going through the process to see if I have ADHD as an adult, it was really interesting to learn more about the subject and relate to those struggles shared throughout the book. It’s great to raise awareness about the condition in girls and women, and I hope years into the future more girls and women get the help they need with ADHD.
Thank you, Jessica Kingsley publishers, Lotta Borg Skoglund, and Netgalley for an arc of this book. I love books like this that help normalize ADHD in women and give coping techniques and help hack your brain to be productive.
This is definitely a more academic and dry book than others recently published on this subject, but I still found this interesting and knowledgeable. 3.5/5 Stars
Incredibly informative book! Read from the perspective of a psychology student who might have adhd to be honest. It is good to bring the information forward that adhd in women needs to be looked into more, needs to be diagnosed correctly, and explained and treated in the right ways. This book, however is not focused on giving tips to women with adhd on how to deal with it. It can be very interesting if you have adhd, but if youre looking for self-help, this isnt it. I do think everyone psychologist should read into this and learn about this, and i for sure hope we can all work together to help women who struggle with adhd.
Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a nice counter to ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Where that book screamed "you're creative! and sensitive! and observant! hooray!" this one was a call to take ADHD seriously and get the people who have it help.
This book is probably most beneficial to medical practitioners and therapists. It could also be interesting for someone who knows someone with ADHD, or someone who suspects they have it. For me, it was more of the "these people sound just like me" feeling. It was also a bit of a downer, as the author really drove home the disability aspect and offered little to nothing in the way of remedies. As a mid-30s, recent diagnosee, I am aware of the negative repercussions of not having a diagnosis in childhood or early adulthood. Contemplating them at great length isn't helpful for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.