Women and Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Many years ago, ADHD was considered a '10-year-old boy' disorder. Even just 10 short years ago, women were not being diagnosed at a rate that they should have been. This ultimately leads to women being diagnosed later in their lives, and often after previous misdiagnosis.

Living with ADHD can look quite a bit different for women than men. For many men, hyperactivity, restlessness and externalized behaviour characterize their personalities. Trouble focusing and staying on task can be apparent. Since many men were diagnosed with ADHD as children, there has been time to add medications, adjust medications, and include talk therapy throughout their lives. While many still go undiagnosed for a number of reasons, the ratio of diagnosed men to women have been upwards of 5:1 in some studies. The bottom line.... we need to look more carefully at how ADHD has affected women, especially those undiagnosed until later in life.

Women tend to internalize hyperactivity, so rather than bouncing off the walls, she might have a racing mind, talk excessively, and be highly restless. But the most problematic for many women include trouble staying focused, zoning out during conversations, chronically misplacing items, trying to hide disorganization or scatterbrained feelings, and often chronic lateness. The brain is 'on' all the time, mimicking what a computer looks like when 15 tabs are open all at once, and you are bouncing around trying to get information from all of them. Concentrating is a real challenge, but worse than that, the anxiety that is created because of the inability to control it makes life very difficult at times. Not knowing when tasks will be completed, if the mind can focus long enough, if responsibilities will be priority; these are all too common realities women face. Trying to stay on track, focused, productive, and achieving can be exhausting and lead to burnout.

With current recognition that women experience ADHD, just in different ways than perhaps previously understood, there creates a hopeful future that we can ease living with the disorder. Many different medications have become available that individuals can discuss with their doctors. Sometimes, changing brands of medications and moving the dosage around are part of the process. The result for many people who find the proper kind and dose of meds feel 'like themselves' again. This can decrease anxiety because the fear of not being able to be productive is greatly reduced.

Talk therapy is an important consideration when a woman is diagnosed with ADHD. She may have years of uncertainty behind her from misdiagnosis, such as generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, or eating disorders. It could take years for some women to get a proper diagnosis at all. Then there is the trauma of having to live until adulthood with undiagnosed ADHD and wondering what is going on with them. This can lead to intense emotional reactions, low self-esteem, and chronic stress from 'catching up'. Then there is the added difficulty if a woman isn't diagnosed until later in life with fluctuations in estrogen during perimenopause and menopause, heavily impacting brain chemistry, and can make ADHD symptoms significantly worse.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a valuable intervention to address ADHD and a woman's lived experience. Since many women are diagnosed later in life after years of masking symptoms, which often leads to chronic exhaustion, low self-esteem, and harsh internal narratives, CBT uses cognitive restructuring to replace these distortions with realistic self-talk. Therapy targets practical daily realities like chronic procrastination and disorganization, helping to create structured planners and calendar systems. But most importantly, CBT helps untangle co-occurring anxiety and depression. There are a number of experiences and events that woman may be working through and having a trusted therapist to help uncover the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can alleviate everyday struggles.

If you are a woman dealing with ADHD, or suspect you may be, reach out. A little help may be all you need.

if a woman isn't diagnosed until later in life with fluctuations in estrogen during
perimenopause and menopause, heavily impacting brain chemistry, and can make ADHD
symptoms significantly worse.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a valuable intervention to address ADHD and a woman's
lived experience. Since many women are diagnosed later in life after years of masking
symptoms, which often leads to chronic exhaustion, low self-esteem, and harsh internal
narratives, CBT uses cognitive restructuring to replace these distortions with realistic self-talk.
Therapy targets practical daily realities like chronic procrastination and disorganization, helping
to create structured planners and calendar systems. But most importantly, CBT helps untangle
co-occurring anxiety and depression. There are a number of experiences and events that woman
may be working through and having a trusted therapist to help uncover the connection between
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can alleviate everyday struggles.
If you are a woman dealing with ADHD, or suspect you may be, reach out. A little help may be
all you need.