What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is neuro-developmental disorder that can cause difficulty with regulation of attention, executive function and working memory. There are three subtypes of ADHD:
- Hyperactive/Impulsive Subtype: mainly hyperactive or impulsive symptoms including impatience, difficulty sitting still, hyper-talkative, impulsive behavior
- Inattentive Subtype: mainly inattentive symptoms including limited attention span, forgetfulness, distractibility, daydreaming, difficulty following directions
- Combined Subtype: both inattentive and hyperactive symptoms.
Why are we focusing this site on Women?
50-75% of women with ADHD go undiagnosed
Women and girls are less likely to be diagnosed because ADHD presents itself differently physiologically and socially. Young girls may exhibit hyperactivity differently than boys, and girls are also more likely than boys to suffer from inattentive ADHD. The symptoms of the inattentive subtype tend to be less disruptive and obvious than those of hyperactive ADHD. A hyperactive boy who repeatedly bangs on his desk will be noticed before the inattentive girl who daydreams while staring out the window. (source: Additude Magazine)
Delay in diagnosis is life damaging
Undiagnosed ADHD can cause life damaging consequences. Delay or lack of appropriate diagnosis and treatment can result other conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, learning disabilities, OCD, PTSD, drug and alcohol addiction and eating disorders. (Source: NAMI)
The female experience is invisible
ADHD is commonly associated with children and men yet 4% or 6 million adult women live with ADHD. Women face unique challenges due to lack of scientific knowledge, resources, or public understanding. Stigma leads many women with ADHD to stay silent about their experiences feeling alone, confused and misunderstood.
There’s a rapidly growing need
Adult women with ADHD between the ages of 24 to 36 are the fastest growing population undergoing treatment for ADHD. In the last 5 years the use of ADHD medication by this age group of women increased by 85%. There is a growing group of millennial women who are searching for relatable and relevant resources for their experiences.
Our perspective: Own it!
We believe ADHD does not make us flawed or broken. We are unique and our differences can be a source of compassion and power. We encourage those with ADHD to get connected with the support they need, learn about ADHD, and build on their strengths so they can show up as their best selves, and thrive at work and in life.
ADHD is real and has it’s challenges, and there are also many reasons to be proud. Here are a few: “25 Things to Love About ADHD.”
Think you may have undiagnosed ADHD?
- Take ADDitude Magazine’s ADHD Self-Test for Women, created by By Sari Solden M.S., L.F.M.T. Completing this self-test is not a diagnosis but it will give you a better idea of whether you may want to seek a professional assessment.
- Learn more about the ADHD diagnosis process.
- Work with a medical professional such as a pediatrician, a psychologist or psychiatrist to get an evaluation for ADHD. Find a medical professional in your area here.
Just Diagnosed?
- Knowledge is power. Learn more about ADHD in Women.
- Work with a trained professional to set up a treatment or therapy plan that works for you.
- Hear from other women who have similar experiences. It can be a healing and relieving process to know you’re not alone and to have explanations for your unique way of being.
- Take time for self-care and allow yourself time to process this new information.
Further Reading on ADHD in women
- Decades of failing to recognize ADHD in girls has created a “lost generation” of women Quartz Magazine, January 19, 2016
- ADHD and Women Additude Magazine
- “ADD Women and Girls: Late Diagnosis, Little Treatment” by Maureen Connolly, ADDitude Magazine
- “Millennial Women and ADHD” Psychology Today. June 11, 2014
- “ADHD Is Different for Women” Maria Yagoda, The Atlantic, April 3, 2013
- “The Secret Lives of Women with ADHD” PsychCentral
- “Not Just For Kids: Author Stacey Turis Gets Real About Adult ADHD”
- Understanding Girls with ADHD, by Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D., Ellen B. Littman, Ph.D., and Patricia O. Quinn, M.D.
- Understanding Women with ADHD, by Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D., and Patricia O. Quinn, M.D.
- Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, by Sari Solden
this is very serious problem!!
Yup. It’s a problem. I wasn’t diagnosed until 28. Since then I’ve helped a number of women discover their own diagnosis later in life. With education my hope is to cut away at that 50-75% of undiagnosed ADHD women.
Women go undiagnosed because people link ADHD symptoms to just “a normal female behavior”. It’s seriously is a problem.