FRAMED in FOCUS: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Insight and the Lived Experience of ADHD in Women
What does it really mean to navigate life as a woman with ADHD?
💜 ADHD in women is often misunderstood, under-recognised, and diagnosed late.
🎤 Expert speakers 🗣 Lived experience stories 📸 ADHD Women photography project
Our replay on Youtube can be found below.
For decades, ADHD has been misunderstood, under-recognised, and frequently overlooked in women and girls. While increasing awareness has led to more diagnoses in adulthood, many women continue to face challenges that stem from years of feeling different, misunderstood, or unsupported. FRAMED in FOCUS: Bridging the Gap: Clinical Insights and Lived Experience of ADHD seeks to change that conversation.
This unique public event brought together leading medical professionals alongside women with lived experience of ADHD, creating a space where clinical expertise and personal perspectives can meet, inform, and enrich one another.
The programme includes expert presentations, personal stories, and discussions on:
• ADHD in childhood and adolescence
• Late diagnosis in women
• Perinatal and parenting experiences
• Improving awareness, recognition, and support
🎤 Keynote by Dr Dora Wynchank
🗣 Expert talks and lived experience panels
📸 Part of the Framed in Focus: ADHD Women photography project
💬 Open audience discussion (in-person attendees)
Understanding Female ADHD Through a Lifespan Lens
The event opened with a keynote address by renowned adult ADHD specialist Dr Dora Wynchank, exploring Female ADHD Through a Lifespan Approach. Her presentation will examined how ADHD presents and evolves throughout different stages of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood, motherhood, and beyond.
While ADHD is often associated with hyperactive young boys, many women experience symptoms differently. Their struggles may remain hidden, masked by coping strategies, social expectations, or misdiagnoses. By examining ADHD through a lifespan perspective, Dr Wynchank highlighted the unique ways in which women experience the condition and the importance of recognition and support at every age.
From Childhood to Youth: Female ADHD Issues
The first panel discussion focuses on the experiences of girls and young women with ADHD, bringing together both professional expertise and lived realities.
Sharon Del Bene Agius
“I am a 52-year-old wife and mother of a 20-year-old son, working as Senior Manager in Human Resources and as a Coordinator within Lifelong Learning. Diagnosed with ADHD five years ago.”
Sharon’s story reflects the reality faced by many women who receive a diagnosis later in life, often after years of navigating education, careers, family responsibilities, and personal challenges without understanding the root cause of their struggles.
Marie Claire Saliba
“I’m an endlessly curious, forever tired 39-year-old who loves animals and stories.”
Marie Claire brings an authentic and relatable perspective, sharing her own experiences of living with ADHD and the unique ways it has shaped her life, interests, and identity.
Dr Lorraine Azzopardi
Joining them is Dr Lorraine Azzopardi, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) within Malta’s National Mental Health Services.
With extensive experience working with children and young people, Dr Azzopardi specialises in neurodevelopmental conditions, early intervention, and multidisciplinary approaches to care. Her work focuses on improving recognition of mental health and neurodevelopmental differences, particularly in groups whose presentations may traditionally have been overlooked, including girls and young women with ADHD.
Her contribution will provide valuable insight into how female ADHD presents during childhood and adolescence, the barriers to diagnosis, and the importance of developmentally informed and neuroaffirming approaches to support.
Perinatal Female ADHD Issues
The second discussion shifts focus to one of the most significant yet under-discussed phases of a woman’s life: pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.
Herma Privitera Brightwell
“I’m a 47-year-old late-diagnosed stay-at-home mother with ADHD, sharing both the struggles and the different ways of achieving in perinatal life and parenting.”
Having studied Psychological Therapies and drawing from both academic learning and lived experience, Herma now channels her knowledge into advocacy. Her reflections offer an honest look at the realities of parenting with ADHD and the strengths and challenges that can emerge during the perinatal period.
Dr Ethel Felice
Dr Ethel Felice is a Consultant Psychiatrist with a special interest in Perinatal Mental Health. She established Malta’s Perinatal Mental Health Service in 2000 and has spent more than two decades advancing support for mothers and families.
A Visiting Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta, Dr Felice holds advanced qualifications in Perinatal Mental Health from both Keele University and the University of Glasgow. As President of the Parent-Infant Mental Health Alliance and a member of the Marcé Society, she brings extensive expertise on the intersection of ADHD, maternal wellbeing, and early parent-child relationships.
Her presentation will explore the unique challenges ADHD can present during pregnancy, early motherhood, and parenting, while highlighting opportunities for understanding, support, and positive outcomes.
More Than a Discussion: A Movement for Visibility
Framed in Focus: ADHD Women is more than an event. It is a collaborative project bringing together ten ADHD individuals assigned female at birth who are reclaiming their stories through photography, personal reflection, and creative expression.
Through documenting their often invisible internal worlds, participants offer an intimate glimpse into the realities of living with ADHD. The project challenges stereotypes and encourages society to see beyond common misconceptions.
Through photography exhibitions, interactive workshops, public discussions, and community engagement, the project aims to raise awareness among the public, professionals, and policymakers alike. It invites audiences to see ADHD through a new lens and to better understand the experiences, strengths, and challenges of ADHD women.
Join the Conversation
Following the talks, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in an open discussion with the speakers and panelists. This interactive session will allow for deeper exploration of the topics raised throughout the event and provide a space for shared learning and understanding.
While online participants are warmly welcomed to attend the presentations, audience questions will be limited to those attending in person.
At its heart, FRAMED in FOCUS is about connection: connecting science with lived experience, professionals with communities, and personal stories with broader social change. By bringing these perspectives together, the event hopes to foster greater understanding of female ADHD and inspire meaningful conversations about recognition, support, and inclusion across every stage of life.
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Join us for FRAMED in FOCUS: Bridging the Gap – Clinical Insights and Lived Experience of ADHD, an inspiring event bringing together leading psychiatrists and women with lived experience to explore ADHD across the lifespan.
From childhood and adolescence to motherhood and beyond, we’ll discuss the realities, challenges, strengths, and often-overlooked experiences of ADHD in women.
Come and hear the stories behind the diagnosis and help build greater understanding of female ADHD.
#ADHDWomen #FemaleADHD #FramedInFocus #ADHDAwareness #Neurodiversity #WomenWithADHD #MentalHealthAwareness
Focus on Lived Experience ✨ Behind every diagnosis is a story.
💜 Challenge assumptions. See ADHD through a different lens.
Framed in Focus: ADHD Women gives voice to women who have spent years masking, adapting, questioning, and ultimately understanding themselves through an ADHD diagnosis. The event shared women with lived experience will share their journeys alongside medical specialists, creating a powerful conversation between research, clinical knowledge, and real life. Because understanding ADHD means listening to those who live it every day.
Photography Project Spotlight 📸 More than a diagnosis. More than a label.
💜 Look through our lens. Challenge your perceptions.
Framed in Focus: ADHD Women is a collaborative project where ten ADHD individuals assigned female at birth reclaim their stories through photography and personal expression. Together, they reveal the often invisible realities of living with ADHD, inviting society to better understand the experiences, challenges, and strengths of ADHD women. The event shared expert insights, personal stories, and meaningful discussion.