Trauma survivors can be like cats

When Perimenopause Meets ADHD: 4 Important Insights

Perimenopause is highly impairing for women with ADHD, who experience more severe symptoms and at an earlier age than neurotypical women.

By Nathaly Pesantez | Updated on June 9, 2026

Perimenopause is the most impairing phase of life for women with ADHD. From worsening ADHD symptoms to mood changes and sleep issues to brain fog, fluctuating and decreasing estrogen levels wreak havoc on the lives of women with ADHD, whose brains are far more sensitive to hormonal changes. (In an ADDitude survey, 94% of women said their ADHD symptoms grew more severe during perimenopause and menopause.) Despite this, many neurodivergent women going through this transition still aren’t getting adequate care.

“Perimenopause is when you need the most help, the most support,” said Patricia O. Quinn, M.D., during her May 6 ADDitude webinar, “Perimenopause in Women with ADHD.” “You need to take care of yourself during this time.”

Here’s what all women with ADHD and their health care providers should know about the perimenopausal transition.

Perimenopause Occurs Earlier in Women with ADHD

Perimenopause begins up to 10 years earlier for women with ADHD, who report in one study that their more severe perimenopause symptoms occurred between the ages of 35 and 39, compared to ages 45 and 49 for neurotypical women.

What’s more, women with ADHD report more severe perimenopause symptoms across all categories — somatic (e.g., hot flashes), psychological (e.g., depressive mood), and urogenital (e.g., vaginal dryness) — compared to women without ADHD.

“This is something that needs to be addressed in women with ADHD in addition to their ADHD symptoms,” Quinn said.

Estrogen and Medication Changes May Be Warranted

Research on the most effective treatments for ADHD during perimenopause is limited, but available data and observational evidence suggest that many women benefit from estrogen supplementation and increased stimulant dosages during this phase.

“Estrogen… makes your stimulant more effective,” Quinn said, emphasizing that all treatment decisions must be made in consultation with a doctor who considers the patient’s family medical history and individual risk factors.

Read more on ADDitude.

All but one.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von CPTSD COMMUNITY FOR COMPLEX TRAUMA SURVIVORS | HUB | SUPPORT (@healing.and.cptsd)

 48 years!

RSD and ADHD/CPTSD

How to Control Your Emotions and RSD in Real Time
When RSD hits, it hits hard. Use this guide to manage intense emotions in the moment.
Read the article here.

“How I Dismantle My RSD with Mindfulness”
“I don’t always get it right, and RSD sometimes gets the best of me, but regularly practicing mindfulness has undoubtedly upped my emotional resilience. Most importantly, I’m learning to be gentle with myself.”
Read the article here.

For many people with ADHD, rejection doesn’t just sting; it overwhelms. A passing comment, a shift in tone, or a feeling of being left out can trigger rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) — an intense emotional reaction that is rapid, physical, and almost impossible to control.

Learn what is currently understood about RSD, why it remains under-recognized in research, how it shows up in everyday life — and what helps in the moment of emotional overwhelm.

You will learn:

• What is happening in the brains and bodies of people with ADHD to make rejection sensitivity feels so intense
• How rejection sensitivity can shape behavior patterns, such as self-abandonment, avoidance, and perfectionism
• What to do in the moment when you feel triggered
• Practical ways to build emotional resilience and raise your threshold for triggers over time
• What partners, family members, and colleagues can do to respond helpfully (and what to avoid)

EXPERT: James Kustow, BMedSci, BMBS, MRCPsych 

DATE and TIME: Thursday, June 11, 2026 @ 1pm EDT 

 This webinar will be recorded. Register here.

 

All 8 💪🙃

Hope you’re having a gentle Weekend!

!

Nervous system dysregulation

Stay on your side!

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Efthymia Kli 🔹️ Trauma & Somatic Practitioner (@the.trauma.educator)

Pic 1 also goes for Priests who couldn't care less!

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle (@drdoylesays)

Uff, what a day today. How fake, cold, arrogant, ignorant and blind humanity has become. 

Why be kind and happy and helpful when you have everything! 😮‍💨

CPTSD recovery

When you have zero hope

😉

Impact of Music in Trauma Recovery

Emotional Intelligent

 

Don’t apologize

Start your day the Elmo way! ❤️

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sesame Street (@sesamestreet)

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Ron Yap | M. Counselling 🏡 (@mentalhealthceo)

Have a peaceful May!

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle (@drdoylesays)

Remembering is not bitterness!

Heal!

For me, my cat is the reason to stay alive 😌

The Lifelong Impact of Narcissistic Parents on Daughters

Really? 😮‍💨

You Need to Be Bored.

You don't have to pick up the garbage thrown at you!

TRIGGERWARNING, for those who have been traumatized by a church or religious group!

Personally, I love the late Fr. Mark Beard. He is amazing.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein von @catholicbaker33 geteilter Beitrag

I still don't get any support; it is amazing how this is a red thread spanning through all my life. I am tired, I am so tired!

This!!

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von CPTSD Foundation (@cptsdfoundation)

©: Purr.in.ink

Can't remember when the last time was, that someone followed through! 😶‍🌫️

Live Webinar May 6: Perimenopause in Women with ADHD

 

Register now for access to the live webinar on additudemag.com.

It’s Not People-Pleasing. It’s Self-Abandonment.

People pleasing is not a virtue. It’s not altruistic and selfless to prioritize others’ needs over our own. It’s an insidious and self-sabotaging habit, especially for those of us living with ADHD who feel like we’re constantly letting people down and, therefore, must do more, more, more.

But people pleasing, as I and others with ADHD know, often results in little more than broken promises — to others, and to ourselves. People-pleasing behaviors like failing to set boundaries, readily assuming blame, and being overly agreeable for validation’s sake lead to unmet goals, dissatisfaction, burnout, and resentment.

What finally helped me address people-pleasing behaviors was a powerful reframe: I’m not pleasing people; I’m abandoning myself.

It hit hard when I thought of how many times I’ve abandoned myself across my life, but I let this realization propel me to do better for myself.

How to Stop Abandoning Yourself

Read more here.

When Perfectionism Stems from ADHD: Challenging the Fallacy of “Not Good Enough”

Perfectionism, when unhealthy, drives a person to exhaustion striving for a flawlessness that’s neither reasonable nor healthy. Though it may seem contradictory, perfectionist traits may stem from ADHD — an overcompensation for past errors or for feeling “not good enough.” Letting go of perfectionism does not mean eliminating worries around mistakes, failure, and judgment, but rather accepting that they are part of life — and one that can help us grow.

By Sharon Saline, Psy.D.

Perfectionism is rarely an enviable trait. It is not on-time birthday cards and spotless kitchens, or even taxes submitted before the deadline. Perfectionism is an unhealthy obsession with flawlessness that causes people to set unattainable personal standards, compare themselves to others, and never quite feel “good enough.” It can make criticism, even constructive, cut like a knife. And it can advance mental health conditions, like anxiety.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), perfectionism is the tendency to demand of others or of oneself an extremely high or even flawless level of performance – above and beyond what is required by the situation.

Though the link may seem unlikely at first glance, perfectionism is also strongly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD).2 For some, perfectionism is a psychological overcompensation for past ADHD-related errors or for feelings of inferiority. For others, it is a form of self-punishment or even procrastination. Perfectionism often stems from this: incorrectly estimating the demands of a task or situation, misunderstanding when to let some things go and the inability of accessing resources to help you cope with a perceived challenge.

Decreasing perfectionism begins with cultivating self-awareness and adopting strategies to dissolve patterns of anxiety and negative self-talk. People with ADHD may also benefit from improving the executive functions that help them combat procrastination and other self-defeating behaviors that feed into perfectionism.

Perfectionism: Signs, Types, and Link to Anxiety

Perfectionism can manifest in various ways, including the following:

Please read more here.

Never too old!

I sometimes feel, as if I have wasted all my life. In case, you feel the same at times:

P.S.: My ex-husband's 90+ year old grandpa had a gf in the retirement home 😊

The hardest part of childhood trauma

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Andrea Greenberg | CPTSD Therapist & Soul Healer (@soulsurgerywithandrea)