‘A Psychological Warzone’: Neurodivergent Experience of the Premenstrual Phase
Explore new research on how autistic and ADHD traits intensify during the menstrual cycle, with key themes including emotional vulnerability, identity fragmentation, and systemic healthcare dismissal. Findings support autism- and ADHD-informed approaches to hormonal health.
School of Psychology and Neuroscience
Date: Thursday 27 November 2025 - Monday 27 October 2025
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Studio 2, Advanced Research Centre (ARC)
Category: Academic events, Student events, Staff workshops and seminars, Community events
Speaker: Dr Chiara Horlin is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow.
Most participants described significant intensification of neurodivergent traits during the luteal phase, five themes captured participants’ experiences: the exhausting labour of managing cyclical changes, anticipatory anxiety across the lifespan, profound emotional vulnerability, identity fragmentation, and systemic dismissal within healthcare. These findings highlight menstruation as a destabilising biopsychosocial process for many neurodivergent people, with implications for identity, wellbeing, and care.
Recognition of these experiences is critical for developing autism- and ADHD-informed approaches to hormonal health.