Reflecting on Stigmas within Your Community for Black Women with ADHD

Background

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition that causes persistent patterns of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. It can impact daily functioning, work performance, interpersonal relationships, mental health, and more. 

Research has shown that females tend to exhibit different symptomology of ADHD, which goes more unnoticed and undiagnosed compared to the typical hyperactivity of ADHD in males (Young et al., 2020). When ADHD goes untreated, there can be long-term implications for mental health, self-esteem, education, and social life. This lack of treatment for ADHD is even more prevalent for Black women, who have historically faced discrimination in the healthcare system and fallen through the cracks (Gibbs et al., 2026). 

A qualitative study from 2026 interviewed Black women with ADHD in the UK, and found that they faced barriers to getting diagnosed because of mental health stigma in their communities (Gibbs et al., 2026). These women described facing the denial of ADHD in their communities and felt ashamed about having it. Some also explained how they internalized those community stigmas, which negatively affected their help-seeking behaviors and self-concept. Lastly, they also described how they internalized ableism, because of conditioning from their religions, which teach that you can pray for a cure. Which frames ADHD as something wrong that needs to be fixed. This not only delegitimizes their struggle with ADHD and mental health, but it also creates a conflict with their religious beliefs, as these women felt that getting psychological help meant that they had insufficient faith. This study showed that the way culture and communities frame mental health and ADHD can have important implications for help-seeking behavior, getting diagnosed, and overall coping. 

Purpose

The purpose of this empowerment journal is to be a helpful resource for clients who are Black women with ADHD, or even girls. This journal involves deep reflection about community stigmas and cultural narratives that may have impacted the client's mental health or journey with getting diagnosed for ADHD. It also allows for exploration of self-concept and the client's negative thought patterns, utilizing cognitive restructuring to combat those patterns. Lastly, this resource helps clients identify support systems in their lives or ways they can begin to build them. 

References

Young, S., Adamo, N., Ásgeirsdóttir, B. B., Branney, P., Beckett, M., Colley, W., Cubbin, S., Deeley, Q., Farrag, E., Gudjonsson, G., Hill, P., Hollingdale, J., Kilic, O., Lloyd, T., Mason, P., Paliokosta, E., Perecherla, S., Sedgwick, J., Skirrow, C., Tierney, K., … Woodhouse, E. (2020). Females with ADHD: An expert consensus statement taking a lifespan approach providing guidance for the identification and treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in girls and women. BMC psychiatry, 20(1), 404. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02707-9 

Gibbs, A., Isebor, V., Thomas, L., & Morgan, J. (2026). ‘We’re just not even on the map’: Black women’s experiences of adult ADHD diagnosis and care in the United Kingdom. Advances in Mental Health., 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2026.2664479