Being trans with ADHD (Max’s story)

Max Siegel (he/they) was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
Throughout that process, Max encountered some of the same fears
and myths around ADHD as he does around transness: “You just want
an excuse.” “You just want to be lazy.” Max, an LGBTQ+
transgender and neurodiversity inclusion speaker and consultant,
found that coming out gave him resilience. And that same
resilience helped him cope with his ADHD diagnosis.  


Max and host Laura Key also talk about ADHD symptoms and gender
identity. Max, who was assigned female at birth, was socialized
as a woman until his 20s. He talks about anxiety, rejection
sensitivity, and other ADHD-related challenges he’s faced — and
how ADHD can get missed because of a person’s gender.  


A note about this episode: Max talks about how
he felt he needed to “convince” his doctor he had ADHD. We can’t
speak to the differences between how ADHD is diagnosed and
treated in the UK vs. the United States. However, well-trained
and credentialed evaluators should be capable of making accurate
diagnoses without convincing. For detailed, easy-to-understand
information on ADHD diagnosis in adults, listen to Season 2 of
our Understood Explains podcast.  


To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit
the episode page at Understood.  


We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at
ADHDAha@understood.org.  
Related resources 

ADHD and myth of laziness

LGBTQIA+ and ADHD: Tips to support your child

ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)



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empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like
ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work,
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