Head, heart, hormones: Why women’s ADHD care should treat the whole person (classic)

Last year, Hyperfocus took a field trip to San Diego for an ADHD conference called APSARD, which stands for the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (quite a mouthful).

A conference of ADHD professionals might not sound fascinating, but it was — and we learned a ton. But there was one person and one talk I really wanted to find: A keynote speech about how ADHD affects women’s bodies by Dr. Sandra Kooij.

What Sandra is doing is something so sensible and radical: Looking at ADHD as a whole-body issue. Digging into how it can affect women’s hormones, our health, and especially our hearts.

I find Sandra’s research fascinating and was thrilled when she agreed to sit down for a conversation with me. We didn’t waste any time and quickly set up a makeshift studio for this week’s episode of Hyperfocus.

Also, a quick note on the audio this week: We had to record this episode outside the conference hotel, on a bustling patio full of ADHD professionals and some noisy birds. So, please forgive the extraneous sounds.

Note: We originally published this episode on March 6, 2025.

Related resources

MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel

Did my ADHD make me more likely to have postpartum depression?

ADHD Powerbank: Sandra’s video platform

The Head, Heart, Hormones foundation (in dutch with translations)

Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD