Women and girls with ADHD

 

See also: ADHD and Menopause



"Hinshaw began studying girls with ADHD in 1997, in a federally funded project that became known as the Berkeley Girls with ADHD Longitudinal Study (B-GALS). As he and fellow researchers followed their subjects into womanhood, they found that girls with ADHD have many of the same problems as boys with the disorder, and some extra ones.

Escaping notice is just one of girls’ special burdens. Girls and women, in general, engage in more “internalizing” behavior than boys, Hinshaw says, meaning they tend to take their problems out on themselves rather than others. Compared with boys who have the disorder, as well as with girls without it, girls with ADHD suffer more anxiety and depression."

"We now know that the developmental trajectory for girls is the opposite of boys. Since girls’ symptoms intensify as estrogen builds in their systems, problems rarely surface by age seven. This is yet another way in which the current criteria make the diagnosis of girls less likely. Indeed, for girls, puberty signals an escalation of symptoms such as emotional reactivity, anxiety, and mood swings. These changes are intensified monthly, when shifting premenstrual estrogen levels can trigger an emotional roller coaster."

Girls with ADHD Face Unique Challenges - Smart Kids (smartkidswithld.org)

"While it may be true that boys have a higher chance of receiving an ADHD diagnosis, that doesn’t automatically make them more likely to have the condition.

In fact, experts believeTrusted Source clinicians often miss ADHD in girls, for a few key reasons:

  • they more often have internalized (and less noticeable) symptoms
  • they’re more likely to use coping strategies that help hide their symptoms
  • parents and teachers are less likely to refer girls for diagnosis and treatment"

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