Bitesize Moment: "She Wasn't Lazy. She Was Drowning." — Dr Sarah Carty on ADHD in girls
About this episode
Dr Sarah Carty discusses the unique presentation of ADHD in girls and its long-term effects.
In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, GP Dr Sarah Carty explains why ADHD looks so different in girls and women — and why so many only recognise it years, sometimes decades, after it first showed up. She tells Laura how the "quiet" presentation — daydreaming, internal restlessness, working twice as hard to look fine — slowly turns into anxiety, perfectionism, and a quiet erosion of confidence. It's a clip that gives language to something a lot of women have silently carried for years. 🔑 Key Points Why girls are diagnosed much later than boys — and what gets missed Masking, and how it shows up as perfectionism, daydreaming, or "just being quiet" The link between unrecognised ADHD and anxiety, panic and exhaustion How girls end up labelling themselves as "stupid", "lazy" or "not academic" — and why that's so far from the truth Why the right diagnosis can change a person's whole self-story 🎧 Listen to the full episode here. Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here . Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more…
People in this episode
Host: Laura Dowling
Guest: Dr Sarah Carty
Topics covered
- ADHD
- girls
- mental health
- anxiety
- perfectionism
Keywords
- ADHD
- girls
- mental health
- anxiety
- perfectionism
- diagnosis
- self-esteem
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