ADHD is a common psychiatric disorder, but it often manifests differently in women and girls. Historically, ADHD has more commonly been diagnosed in males, with the diagnostic criteria and understanding of ADHD mainly underpinned by observations of boys. It is now more widely recognised that a number of girls and women have ADHD. While women and girls have historically been under-diagnosed for ADHD, learning the different ways in which they present symptoms compared to boys has helped to improve this issue in recent years.
What causes ADHD in women?
While there isn’t a clear-cut explanation for the cause of ADHD in women, there is evidence of a strong genetic link. Typically, women will be more likely to have ADHD if one or both of their parents have it.
ADHD is a form of neurodivergence, meaning that it causes the brain to develop and work differently than expected. Research is ongoing, but there is evidence that both brain structure and chemistry play a role in explaining these developmental differences.
What are the symptoms of ADHD in women?
The symptoms of ADHD in women will differ to the way that they manifest in men. Additionally, the symptoms they tend to have will vary based on whether they have inattentive or hyperactive ADHD.
Inattentive
Women tend to present inattentive symptoms more often than hyperactive symptoms, leading to this diagnosis being more common. The common symptoms of inattentive ADHD in women include forgetfulness, low arousal, daydreaming, disorganisation, getting distracted, executive dysfunction, and trouble with sustaining focus over long periods. They may also experience some hyperactive symptoms, to a lesser degree in combination with their other symptoms.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms manifest in a variety of ways that affect their everyday life. They may find themselves forgetting to do chores or pay bills, causing them to pile up as well as losing or misplacing. At times, they may lose or misplace important items, causing significant stress and setbacks. Additionally, they may miss important details when listening, which can result in failure to follow instructions of complete projects. On a social level, they may zone out in the middle of conversation with other people, which is often mistaken for rudeness. Over time, all of these issues may cause them to start avoiding activities that require paying attention for prolonged time periods and potentially experience burnout.
Hyperactive
Symptoms of hyperactive ADHD in girls and women tend to be considered less socially acceptable and don’t often present ADHD to other people. Some of the common hyperactive ADHD symptoms in women include talking excessively, high arousal, fidgeting, internal, restlessness, and emotional reactivity. These are also usually paired with impulsive symptoms that present as interrupting others, saying whatever comes to mind, acting on impulses, and making sudden, life-altering decisions.
Diagnosing ADHD in women
Whilst most often women present symptoms in childhood, a large proportion will not be diagnosed until adulthood. This is because many symptoms of ADHD in girls are misinterpreted as emotional difficulties, disciplinary problems, or learning and attention difficulties. It often takes more externalised symptoms for girls to be referred for treatment. It is suggested this is because these behaviours are misaligned with societal norms for females and are more easily recognised.
As these problems have been better understood, diagnosis for ADHD in women and girls has improved. The diagnosis gap between males and females has narrowed somewhat in recent years and psychologists are more aware of the different ways that symptoms present in women as well as masking behaviours. However, there is still a way to go in order to overcome misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis for this condition.
Treating ADHD in woman and girls
The exact approach to take for treating and managing ADHD in women and girls needs to be based on their unique needs, their stages of life, the selection of symptoms they have, and the intensity of their symptoms. Often, treatment will involve a combination of medication and psychological counselling to maximise effectiveness.
Medication
Broadly speaking, ADHD medications are divided between stimulants and non-stimulants. Stimulants are more commonly prescribed, and tend to boost and balance neurotransmitter levels. Non-stimulants tend to work slower, but are sometimes a better option if patients have certain health problems or experience uncomfortable side effects from stimulants.
Counselling
Counselling for ADHD in women will involve a combination of psychotherapy, becoming educated about ADHD, and learning skills to help you manage it and be successful in your everyday life. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a common form of psychotherapy that offers a structured format to help women with ADHD develop skills to manage their behaviour and certain thinking patterns. They can learn to improve organisational and time management skills, get better at problem solving, develop strategies for emotional regulation, reduce impulsive behaviour, and improve self-esteem. This makes it easier to deal with a lot of life challenges at school, work, and in relationships.
How Bowyer Psychology can help women and girls with ADHD
At Bowyer Psychology, we have clinic neuropsychologists available who can conduct comprehensive ADHD assessments for our patients. Based on this, we can provide scaffolding strategies and interventions that help them to deal with ADHD. If you think there are symptoms to explore, submit an enquiry or contact our friendly administration team!
