ADHD in Women
By Victoria Carlsen
When we think about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, we typically think of a young, hyperactive boy; but, what happens if you don’t fit this stereotype? ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in men. However, research done on adults with ADHD suggests that it’s just about as common in adult women as it is in adult men. Despite the commonality of this disorder, it is severely underdiagnosed in women, which is concerning because leaving ADHD untreated can lead to other severe mental health problems. Several factors may be contributing to this, but one important one is the history of sexism in ADHD research. Up until the late 1990s, ADHD research was done almost exclusively on males. In fact, the first long-term study on women with ADHD began only 18 years ago, in 2002. Since ADHD in women is a relatively new area of study, there’s still a lot we don’t know about it. However, here is what we do know.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that causes several symptoms that may interfere with a person’s everyday functioning. These symptoms usually fall into three categories: inattention (difficulty focusing), hyperactivity (difficulty sitting still), and impulsivity (acting before thinking). The issue is that men and women may present symptoms differently. Women are more likely to have more inattentive symptoms while men are more likely to have more hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Inattentive symptoms of ADHD include making careless mistakes, a short attention span, poor listening skills, disorganization, procrastination, etc. These symptoms are less obvious than symptoms like fidgeting, restlessness, nonstop talking/blurting, the inability to sit still, etc. which are typical of hyperactive ADHD. Since young girls with ADHD are typically not as disruptive as boys with ADHD, they’re often overlooked by parents and teachers.
Another reason why young girls aren’t getting diagnosed as much as young boys is because the onset for ADHD in girls is predicted to be much later than boys. There have been many cases in young boys where they outgrow their ADHD during puberty, but for girls, the opposite may be true. While some girls may have symptoms from a young age, they tend to be more mild symptoms up until they reach puberty. During puberty, girls will experience an influx in estrogen levels. Estrogen tends to intensify symptoms of ADHD, which would explain why so many women don’t experience symptoms until around middle or high school. However, even when these symptoms do emerge, they are still underdiagnosed. In fact, many women with ADHD didn’t know about it until they had a child who was diagnosed and recognized those symptoms within themselves.
Since ADHD is seen as a more common and mild mental disorder than others, many people think that a diagnosis and/or treatment isn’t really necessary. This is not the case. Getting a diagnosis provides a name and explanation for the struggles people with ADHD face. Girls with undiagnosed ADHD typically see their trouble staying organized and paying attention as character flaws, and not something they can’t help. According to psychologist Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, "Girls with untreated ADHD are at risk for chronic low self-esteem, underachievement, anxiety, depression, teen pregnancy, early smoking during middle school and high school." (Crawford, 2003,) Nadeau also adds that as adults, women with untreated ADHD are at risk for dropping out of college, unemployment, financial issues, divorce, eating disorders, and abusing substances. A lot of the daily demands of adult life seem difficult or even impossible with people with ADHD. Without a diagnosis, many women won’t realize that these struggles aren’t their fault, which can cause extremely low self-esteem.
If you believe that you or a woman you know may have ADHD, the medically reviewed ADHD awareness magazine, ADDitude, provides key symptoms to look out for in girls. These include, “daydreaming quietly in class, feeling anxious or sad, exhibiting silliness or apparent ditziness, acting shy or inattentive, trouble maintaining friendships, picking at cuticles or skin, and being a perfectionist.” (Connolly, 2019). These are just a few of many possible symptoms, but if you recognize these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, try talking to a doctor or provider about getting tested for ADHD.
References
ADHD Editorial Board. (2019, August 28). What is ADD? Inattentive ADHD explained. https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/symptoms-of-inattentive-adhd/
American Psychiatric Association. (2017, July). What is ADHD? Psychiatry.org https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhd
Connoly, M. (2019, October 2). ADHD in girls: Why it’s ignored, why that’s dangerous. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-in-girls-women/
Crawford, N. (2003, February 3). ADHD: A women’s issue. Monitor on Psychology, 34(2), 28. https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/adhd
Yagoda, M. (2013, April 3). ADHD is different for women. The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/adhd-is-different-for-women/381158/#:~:text=ADHD%20does%20not%20look%20the,able%20to%20hold%20everything%20together.%E2%80%9D