Woman Diagnosed with ADHD After Cancer Treatment Runs Charity

A woman from Chorley, Lancashire, who discovered she had ADHD at age 43 is now helping others navigate similar challenges, the BBC reported.

Gill Charlton, now 46, realised she had the condition after going through early menopause caused by her breast cancer treatment. "I'd had a really successful career and suddenly the wheels started falling off," said Charlton, who served in the British Army for more than two decades.

According to the BBC, her ADHD symptoms became more pronounced while undergoing treatment for oestrogen-positive breast cancer. The medication put her into clinical menopause early, bringing her previously unrecognised ADHD symptoms to the fore.

Charlton now runs a Manchester support group called ADHDAF+, a charity operating 13 groups across the country. "I cannot explain the power of community," she said.

The BBC reported that Dr Helen Wall, a Bolton GP, has called for more awareness and training to help women diagnosed with ADHD when they begin menopause. She said that for women with ADHD, menopause "can often feel like life was completely unravelling."

The charity was created in 2022 by Laura Mears-Reynolds after her own ADHD diagnosis.