Undiagnosed ADHD: The downstream effects

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Undiagnosed ADHD: The downstream effects https://linktr.ee/DrTraceyEvans

I am Dr Tracey Evans (PhD) a neuroscience & biomedical science-integrated health consultant & mentor | I was diagnosed with ADHD at 53 and I am now campaigning for more awareness of time-appropriate & accurate diagnoses.

OK so let's get this campaign up and running.I am Tracey and Mum to two daughters, my mental health history has been lon...
13/08/2026

OK so let's get this campaign up and running.

I am Tracey and Mum to two daughters, my mental health history has been long and arduous, and I will be sharing it over time. A brief introduction is that I entered into therapy for an eating disorder in my teens and escalated into suicidal ideation and harming behaviours that lasted decades.

What I now know, at 53, is that I have lived with undiagnosed ADHD and my story is NOT a unique one.

The purpose of this campaign is to speak openly about the effects of not getting a time-appropriate diagnosis of ADHD and how this impacts parenting, food behaviours, addictions, debt, social behaviours, anxiety, depression and personal identity (the list is endless!!)

Shame is a complex emotion and is something many people with ADHD carry, the problem is that it keeps us stuck in the mindset that we are broken. We are not broken, there are differences in brain circuitry that make it hard to navigate modern day life.

I want to reduce shame and advocate for better resources and support, along with improving screening opportunies to avoid missed or mis-diagnoses.

The need for change is driven by the impact my behaviours had on my daughters. Whilst ADHD is not an excuses for being emotionally absent, with understanding and the right support things could have looked very differently.

We can't change the past BUT we can advocate for a better future as ADHD is not going to disappear. If you have had an adult diagnosis and would like to share your journey or get involved, please contact me at [email protected]

Thanks for reading and a gentle nudge to Plymouth Live you were interested in this and were going to get a reporter to reach out :-)

I am launching a campaign to bring as much awareness to the total harms of undiagnosed ADHD as I can.This includes mis-...
27/07/2026

I am launching a campaign to bring as much awareness to the total harms of undiagnosed ADHD as I can.

This includes mis-diagnosis, missed opportunities for a diagnosis and a late diagnosis.

The conversation should not be about “Are we over diagnosing ADHD?” It should be about blind spots and missed opportunities for those living with ADHD and importantly, their families.

The downstream effects include:

Poorer mental health outcomes
Poorer emotional health outcomes
Poorer health physical health outcomes
Poorer relationship health
Poorer career health
Poorer spiritual health
Poorer behavioural health
Poorer financial health

What did I miss? I am available to share my story, my experiences and educate with evidence backed by science on why we need to act quickly & robustly.

My BIG why?

My daughters ❤️ All children deserve a parent that has a time-appropriate diagnosis and access to the right resources.

I desperately struggled navigating life and this had a profound impact on them. I will forever be grateful for their unconditional love that motivates me everyday to be a better person.

Good morning and how are you?This is a project that I have been working on recently and so welcome if this is something ...
26/07/2026

Good morning and how are you?

This is a project that I have been working on recently and so welcome if this is something you are interested in.

At 53 years of age I was diagnosed with ADHD, I am now campaigning for more awareness around a time-appropriate diagnosis and mis-diagnoses, especially in girls and women.

There is a growing body of evidence around the harms of late diagnosing or missing a diagnosis in a time-appropriate manner.

A single example is that many women are diagnosed and treated for depression and/or anxiety; however, this is also a common downstream ADHD comorbidity.

I spent decades in and out of psychiatric support and yet, ADHD was never raised - why?

Because I am high-performing. This is not what is looked for in diagnostic criteria.

This is not a criticism of psychiatry and our mental health services, but it is recognition that we need to implement change and identify blind spots for screening, upstream to avoid downstream effects that are harmful to our health, our relationships, our children, our careers, our sense of self & identity.

Let's get these conversations going! YouTube channel starting sharing my lived experiences and challenges I have faced along the way.

Please like, share and follow for reach.

Victims and survivors of relational or domestic abuse can experience chronic anxiety due to a nervous system not feeling...
07/07/2026

Victims and survivors of relational or domestic abuse can experience chronic anxiety due to a nervous system not feeling safe for an extended period of time.

This is because abuse causes the brain and nervous system to re-organise itself in favour of survival responses, controlled by deeper and older brain regions.

It is not unusual to experience a sense of doom and at the same time not know why. This sense of unease itself, causes an unsettled stomache, palpitations, increased blood pressure - normal physiological signs that the brain then interprets as a "problem" - creating a vicious cycle of more anxiety.

In order to break these cycles we need to create a sense of safety in the nervous system first.

Want to learn how? Join my classes on a Thursday evening for £7 - this is the link for this week: https://l.bttr.to/0HuTl

02/07/2026

DBTskills.

Do you find that you get anxious but cannot remember or understand why this may be?The memory is complex however, it is ...
02/07/2026

Do you find that you get anxious but cannot remember or understand why this may be?

The memory is complex however, it is fair to say that emotional memory trumps, thinking and context memory due to the nature of survival responses.

It is possible to be "triggered" by a smell or a place for example, experience an anxiety-driven response in the body and have no understanding why.

If you struggle with anxiety and feel it is affecting your mental and physical health, give me a follow.

My approach to anxiety is different … this is how I help people become their own scientist. I take biomedical science an...
20/06/2026

My approach to anxiety is different … this is how I help people become their own scientist. I take biomedical science and neuroscience to explain what is happening and then the next step is change!

There is a network in the brain called the the limbic system; part of this is the amygdala that is like a body guard.

When we’ve experienced severe levels of stress the “body guard” gets more and more protective. This means it hijacks energy needed by other networks - including importantly, those that problem solve, trouble shoot, emotionally regulate and motivate us to do well and succeed.

In principle this is biological brilliance. However, if mismanaged, it acts in direct opposition to the old saying “all hands on deck” in an emergency.

When these networks aren’t integrated and working together, the stress response system is reactive, impulsive, irrational and has now strategy for coming out of it.

This is the perfect environment for anxiety to thrive! The bodyguard sees everything and everyone through a suspicious “what if” lens.

In essence, this state sees a remodelling of the amygdala so it can receive more and more information at the same time. Effectively the body guard upgrades to next level of suspicion, needing a big and bigger bodyguard.

Eventually, the bodyguard persuades you to not leave the house as it spots danger on every corner. You never know whether to fight the perceived threat or run from it.

The bodyguard has its fingers on the controls for your heart rate, your breathing, your energy supplies, your muscle tension, your vision, hearing, saliva production, your bowels and bladder, the thyroid, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, immune cells, reproductive organs, pain levels, temperature, blood clotting, blood vessels and more …..

Without support from other brain networks the limbic system will crash and burnout. How often has that happened to you?

For me it used to become a serious level of burnout that led to severe mental health issues.

How about you?

Picture for cuteness ❤️

The effects of abuse are not simply mental, the physical consequences and quality of life can be devastating for so many...
09/06/2026

The effects of abuse are not simply mental, the physical consequences and quality of life can be devastating for so many victims and survivors.

Abuse takes many forms, including but not limited to:

* Workplace bullying
* Smear campaigns
* Domestic abuse
* Isolating abuse
* Physical abuse
* Childhood abuse
* Emotional neglect
* Emotional misuse
* Sexual abuse
* Financial abuse
* Post-separation abuse
* Family abuse
* Scape goating abuse
* Stalking (online and in person)
* Institutional abuse
* Discriminatory abuse
* Modern slavery

What have I missed? Chocolates

This is so true 💔
30/05/2026

This is so true 💔

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