Why women aren't being diagnosed with ADHD
When you think of ADHD, what do you imagine? It may be a small boy at school being disruptive, answering back to the teacher, or even throwing chairs across the classroom. Yet ADHD isn’t something that just affects children – there is a big movement in adults being diagnosed later in life and a large increase in the number of women seeking an ADHD diagnosis.
With over 4.3m hashtags for ADHD on Instagram and videos about ADHD traits all over TikTok, more and more women are starting to wonder if they have ADHD too.
What is ADHD?
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a neurological condition that impacts approximately 11% of children and almost 5% of adults. People with ADHD may have trouble with impulse-control, focusing, organisation, inattention, lack of focus, poor time management, exaggerated emotions, hyperfocus, hyperactivity and more.
To be diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, you have to have had a certain number of symptoms present. Looking back you may realise that the traits were there as a child, but that you didn’t realise or have been masking. Talking too much, regularly forgetting to unload the washing machine or finding some things overwhelming, doesn’t mean you have ADHD.
People with ADHD need to show a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.
Types of ADHD
There are three main subtypes of ADHD – hyperactive, inattentive and combined.
Some typical traits that someone with hyperactive ADHD may have is fidgeting or finding it hard to sit still, tapping their feet a lot or fiddling with something. They may also talk a lot, interrupt others and blurt out answers.
When it comes to inattentive ADHD (formerly ADD) people may make careless mistakes, lose things regularly, have difficulty following detailed instructions, or find it hard to organise ‘simple’ tasks. Combined ADHD is a mixture of the two subtypes, so you may have all these traits and more.
Women and ADHD
For many women, they didn’t grow up knowing that they had ADHD. They may have felt unloved, not valued, or been told that they were stupid and useless or felt that they had no purpose. Women are often misdiagnosed with conditions ranging from borderline personality disorder to bipolar and anxiety, as clinicians and specialists are missing the ADHD symptoms. Women are known to mask more and can often ‘get through life’, which is where ADHD is missed.
It’s often when women have children themselves and they are diagnosed with ADHD too or when they hit peri-menopause and conditions like brain fog, feeling disorganised and overwhelm hits anyway, they are often exacerbated by the ADHD symptoms.
Why women are being missed
Historically, there has been a significant under diagnosis of ADHD in both women and girls. There are several reasons for this which include:
Symptom Presentation: Women and girls often present with symptoms and traits that differ from the ‘stereotypical’ hyperactive and impulsive behaviours typically associated with ADHD. Instead, they may show more internalised symptoms such as disorganisation, inattention, and difficulty with time management. These symptoms might be overlooked or attributed to other factors such as stress or mood disorders. This isn’t always the case as I am clearly outwardly hyperactive but a lot of women that I coach have found this.
Social Expectations: There is often pressure for women and girls to conform to certain behavioural standards. This can include being quiet, organised, and focussed. As a result, ADHD symptoms that deviate from these expectations may be missed or attributed to personality traits rather than a neurological condition.
Diagnostic Bias: There may be a diagnostic bias where professionals are more likely to recognise and diagnose ADHD in boys and men due to the stereotype of ADHD being seen as predominantly male disorder.
Lack of Awareness: There is a lack of awareness among both the public and professionals about the presentation of ADHD in women and girls. This lack of awareness can lead to missed opportunities for early intervention and support.
If you think you may have ADHD, trust your instincts. You know yourself best and you have to remember that.