Dr Samantha Hiew, PhD
2024 Global Conference Speaker
Biography
Founder & Director of ADHD Girls
Dr Samantha Hiew is a storyteller trained in medical science PhD, specialising in demystifying ADHD & neurodiversity. Sam’s work bridges two worlds – those with lived experiences of neurodivergence & those without – so we work towards integration within society.
What lies beneath our ADHD Traits
Dr Samantha Hiew was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 40, and founded ADHD Girls to find out what happened to us as a collective and what led to so many of us to be missed by the system. Sam has a PhD in cancer research, Masters and degree in genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. She will be presenting on what is behind many of the traits of ADHD, with a focus on emotional regulation to enable ADHDers to better understand the root causes of their ADHD to use that knowledge for positive change. Including exclusive previews of her own extensive research.
30 minutes speech and 15 minutes questions.
Use the Comment field below to ask a question for the Q&A section
This is really interesting. Can you define the differences between ADHD, CPTSD, and BPD/EUPD? There’s a lot of overlap so definitions are really helpful when pursuing a diagnosis.
I definitely relate to what your saying. We miss out on friendships sometimes due to stigma or being labelled as weird.
It can be doubly difficult when you have multiple disabilities and/or different diversities.
Are we able to get copies of the slides?
Congratulations on all your research and achievements.
I’m keen to understand more about late diagnosis in women and menopause. Can you speak to your findings please?
I have a recently diagnosed adhd daughter who is about to enter puberty. How can I best support her in dealing with this phase of life.
I was diagnosed with Adhd at 53 years old. The diagnosis helped me understand so much about my past and some of the difficulties I experienced in school and life in general. Interestingly I chose a partner who provided a lot of scaffolding thinking there was something wrong with me in terms of my untidiness and indecisiveness.
Hi
I’ve noticed my ADHD manifests differently during different times of the monthly cycle. But also excessive stress periods (I was gaslighted and harrassed some time ago until I had a breakdown, and after I understood what happened it took me months to be able to focus and hyperfocus again.
not through this yet, but would hormone therapy help ADHD regulation during menopause? what can help during puberty?
and can epigenetics influence the expressing symptoms of ADHD?
Thank you a billion times, Dr. Hiew! I am in such a desperate state right now and you are helping me so much! Finally I am hearing words of wisdom!! I am female, just been diagnosed AuDHD at 55, new on ADHD meds, sometimes feeling that it’s driving me crazy!
What was the name of that metabolite you mentioned that can be critical in women?
I’ve never met anyone, particularly women, in my age group with ADHD. I was dx at 63. I’m now 66. I was widowed when my lovely husband (who knew somehow I had more going on with me than the already dxd Bipolar 2, and PTSD) suddenly died next to me of a massive heart attack, at the end of my 55th birthday in 2013. That was fun. Not. But throughout life I suffered traumatic abuse for the first 16 years from a NPD mother who admitted (after I insisted she had therapy when I was in my 30s and she was still very spiteful and hurtful) she was “jealous” of me from the moment of birth, wanted a boy very much and always reminded me of that as I grew up, I was a “difficult baby and child” as I wouldn’t sleep till 2am (that’s still my pattern I find now I’m free and retired from any 9-5 demands) and used the words that she felt “vicious” and “murderous” towards me throughout my childhood. I was raped at age 11 by a stranger, and unable to tell my mother as I knew she would blame me, I left home at 16. Later, in my early 30s a short term bf became a violent, burgling, breaking and entering stalker. That lasted 2.5 years solidly while I was a solo divorced parent of 3-6 and 6-9 yo children, a boy and a girl. So that’s a few examples. All these things have affected my children, who are now 35 and 38. They have both had good therapy independently and thank goodness earlier in life than I did. I have now had excellent multidisciplinary therapy (I paid for private therapy tx in my 30s when I had the stalker) through the NHS, and also Suffolk Rape Crisis. Sometimes, I think ADHD dx at 63 simply explained a lot of the treatment I’ve had from others through my life, and helped me further understand and learn to love myself, but other than that I do now think of my little grandson who is only 21 months. He’s not a female and you’re focused on females but I do wonder if either of my children, e.g. my daughter as we’re talking females, may have ADHD that’s not been dx yet, like me it could maybe come late. I know she (and my son) has had anxiety to deal with, my son with depression too. What can I do to stop worrying as they seem to manage their lives really well, have been high achievers and have a strong work ethic like me. My son works in a great job in London University and my daughter is a human rights barrister. I’m worried they may also have ND of some kind and may burnout one day, or break down like I did. Is it natural for ADHD mothers to worry quite so much how the things that happened to me, affected them as they grew up and feel guilt/shame around that? We have talked years ago about that, after I had therapy privately and attended a support group for years and they say I owe them no apologies or amends and have always always supported me. My daughter advocated for me to get the multidisciplinary therapy (including EMDR, ACT, Compassionate Mind, DBT, CBT, Mindfulness and more) that I managed to have through NHS in the end. But that was hard-won and only bc my daughter was by then a barrister (human rights) and cared and loved me enough to get me the right help. Help she KNEW authorities have the funding, resources and capacity to provide. I feel I owe them my life, the fact I survived a serious attempt on my life ultimately, and they fought hard for me to get the appropriate help (I was called a complex case, and I guess I had become one by age 65 when I finally got the best help). But surely it shouldn’t be the case you only get the most effective appropriate help, care and treatment through our NHS when your daughter is a barrister and they feel threatened by the potential to end up in court? I want to be able to help others who don’t have that kind of family or other advocacy and wonder also, as a woman, how you think I could go about that? I’m now 66, my family all died young. I’m the oldest person I know in my wider family. Time now whizzes by especially as we age, and I feel time is so short I’d love to help. I write so I’m writing a book, based on my colourful eventful life and experiences in mental health since age 12, and maybe that will help support others. I hope so. The NHS CMHT I’m with have encouraged me once stable for over a year (that was in June this year) to become a Peer Support Worker (paid) with them. I’m not sure I’d be better placed in a charity.
I feel better when I drink alcohol, self-medicating? Is there a link between alcohol and adhd and possibly addiction and adhd?
Thank you. You are so right. Repair, yes, will go on moment by moment by moment.
Thank you for answering… Dr. Samantha Hiew.
Ah good. I was put on HRT oestrogen at age 60. I do think it helps.
I’m on the edge of tears after that. Really relevant to many young women and old women too! This one here, for one! Thank you 🙂