Clinical Reflection Through Her Child: Presentation of A Case of Attention Deficit Disorder in Adulthood in A 35-Year-Old Woman

Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-developmental disorder that persists into adulthood in nearly two-thirds of cases. In adults, particularly in women, it often remains underdiagnosed, masked by anxiety or depressive disorders. Since familial transmission is well documented, a diagnosis in a child can sometimes be revealed in a parent. Observation: We report the case of a 35-year-old single mother presenting emotional exhaustion and relational difficulties with her 7-year-old son recently diagnosed with ADHD. The patient's developmental trajectory and life course suggested adult ADHD, reassured by the positive screening on the Adult Self-Report Scale for ADHD (ASRS-v1.1). The patient presented parental exhaustion with a marked reluctance towards psycho-stimulant treatment. Psycho-education was initiated and she agreed to take symptomatic treatment with hypnotics and anxiolytics. Conclusion: This case illustrates the diagnostic complexity of adult ADHD, often masked by depressive comorbidities and anxiety-inducing emotional exhaustion. Diagnosis in children should prompt systematic exploration of the parents' developmental history. It also highlights the obstacles related to pharmacological treatment, particularly when the previous experience of psychotropic drugs is negative. The mother-child mirror effect reveals the intergenerational dimension of the disorder. Progressive support, respectful of therapeutic resistance, appears essential to encourage adherence to care, thereby improving the quality of the mother-child relationship.