Support for Moms that Have ADHD (not their kids)
Hi! I am an East Bay mom of a toddler and just got an ADHD diagnosis for myself in my late 30's. I've been scouring the internet looking for possible support groups specific to moms that HAVE ADHD themselves (not for parents of kiddos with ADHD) and haven't found anything local which surprises me a bit. I was referred to CHADD but didn't find anything specific to moms and I'd really love to find some kind of support/community with women with ADHD and moms specifically. It would be amazing to connect with other moms that have ADHD as there are unique challenges to being both a mom and woman with ADHD. Does anyone know of anything that exists locally like this? If not, I will start my own! :)
Oct 8, 2024
Parent Replies
I’m in a similar place. Recently diagnosed at 44! My 10 year old son also has adhd though. I did a group through Lifestance Therapy based in Oakland for adults with adhd that was really good. There were a bunch of parents in the group so we talked about dealing with adhd and kids a bit but that wasn’t the focus. The group was helpful though…if you find something let me know!
Hi EmilyOak,
I'm a mom with ADHD! I've found online support groups really helpful. I belong to Focused, which is Kristen Carder's group coaching program. She's wonderful, and while the group isn't mom-specific, Kristen is a mom and talks about parenting quite a bit. It's not local, and not in person, so it might not be what you're looking for. Just wanted to share because for me, it's been incredibly helpful -- life-changing really. www.ihaveadhd.com. She also has a great podcast, called I Have ADHD, which of course is free.
They give us a promo code, which I think gives both of us $50 off the first month. I would 100% recommend it without any promotional program (and did before they had one). I'm not sure what the rules are here, so I won't publish it. But if anyone wants a code, feel free to message me through BPN.
I wish I would have gotten my ADHD diagnosis in my 30s! It would have explained so much, particularly why I could be so successful in a good-fit career, yet struggle so deeply with parenting. I also have not found CHADD to be helpful. I'm a fan of Neurodivergent Insights (website and Instagram). Check out The Nook on the website. I also recommend reading "Divergent Mind" by Jenara Nerenberg. Both resources approach ADHD as a different way of interacting with the world, not a pathology to be treated.
If you find or start a community, please share info!
This isn't local, but Patricia Sung is an ADHD coach for moms with ADHD and has a podcast, blog, online meetups & more: https://www.patriciasung.com/
so true!! I was diagnosed even later and oh how I wish I had the support! Happy to talk with you (even if I now have teens, I do think I could help?) in Berkeley but happy to meet up wherever convenient. cheers, v. 917 434 9711 (feel free to text)
If you're on Facebook, there's a group called "Moms Living with ADD/ADHD"
I was diagnosed earlier this year shortly before my LO turned one. I have been scouring the internet for ANY resources specifically for parents or moms with ADHD and have found them to be rare indeed. I have also been unable to find any local groups for moms with ADHD, but would be very interested in joining one if you were to start one!
Well reddit has a group for women with adhd and some of it is mom stuff. https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/
Hi all! Thanks so much for your posts and direct messages. I've been heartened to see there are others with a shared interest in connecting and supporting one another.
As a follow-up I'm interested in starting some kind of support/social/resource group for East Bay moms that have ADHD. I've heard from many that they'd be interested in gathering so as a first step, I'd love to meet some moms and chat about what might be most helpful/desired. I'm proposing a very informal coffee meet-up for anyone who is interested in getting together to chat more about what a potential group could look like! I know that it will be hard to align schedules but proposing a few different dates and times of day in the below Doodle link to see if we can find a time to connect. Feel free to circulate this Doodle but please remember that the main purpose is to connect moms that have ADHD (diagnosed or not!).
Fill out Doodle poll here: https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/eZpL1jEb