Underdiagnosis of ADHD in females and overdiagnosis of ADHD in males

Learn about what ADHD is, statistics to show underdiagnosis, what can we do about it and breaking the Stigma.

I feel like when it comes to treatment, There is always a slight chance of getting denied what you need because of your gender. Inequality is a broad topic. Specifically in gender, many people have gone through many life threatening experiences that if they hadn’t gotten second thoughts on their concerns. They would likely than not they wouldn’t have been able to have gotten proper medical attention. On today’s talk out Tuesday, we are going to talk about the under diagnosis of females in ADHD versus male.

First off, What is ADHD? ADHD is a disorder known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. It is characterized by impulsiveness, disorganization, bad time management skills, excessive restlessness, poor planning, and difficulty paying attention. Although common in children, this can be found in adults too. Often diagnosed since childhood.

So, why are women and girls under diagnosed? Through what many people believe, females tend to be “people pleasers” which can be one reason as to why they may be misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed because they tend to overwork themselves. While this is what most people believe, the more biological reasoning is stemmed by the symptoms present in women versus men. Symptoms may be more subtle in females than in males. According to many different resources, this misdiagnosis happens due to the fact that females are more prone to having inattentive ADHD, this type of ADHD has more subtle symptoms. ADHD can be this easier to be found in males as they are thought to be more impulsive. As factual this may be, ADHD can be very different for everyone and its important to raise awareness and understand and help people get help they need.

So why is this important? Why is it important to be talked about? Well the reason is if we want to fight the mental health stigma it starts with correctly diagnosing people. About 50-70% of females aren’t diagnosed with ADHD. And though we ourselves aren't mental health professionals. We can always talk and increase awareness. I hope on Talk out Tuesday today you can start an important conversation.

** As always, If you find yourself self harming or have friends/family struggling and are talking about possible suicide reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or call 911 to get them or you immediate help.

Work Cited:

Quinn, Patricia O., and Manisha Madhoo. “A Review of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Women and Girls.” The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, vol. 16, no. 3, 13 Oct. 2014, europepmc.org/articles/PMC4195638 , 10.4088/pcc.13r01596.

Image Credits:

“ADHD in Women and Girls: Misconceptions.” Healthsci.mcmaster.ca, healthsci.mcmaster.ca/learningtechlab/news/2020/07/13/adhd-in-women-and-girls-misconceptions. Accessed 17 May 2022.