ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

Interestingly, while much attention to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been focused on boys and men, and for good reason, we now see a growing number of women and ADHD. In fact, girls, and women with ADHD are very, under diagnosed. Today, experts in the field estimate that the ratio of boys with ADHD to girls is four to 1. However, for those that are in current treatment for ADHD, the ratio climbs to nine to one. What we see is that girls, and women, are being overlooked when it comes to this disorder, which is a real shame because they are not being diagnosed but worse, not being treated.

You know the old saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil”, well because boys tend to be more outgoing and more disruptive they typically are identified easier and quicker than girls are. For example, boys with ADHD will often act out in class more than girls will. Boys will interrupt, take a bet, and use any opportunity to get attention whereas girls tend to be a bit more laid back. This means that when a boy has ADHD, you know it. However, when a girl has ADHD, the symptoms are not as obvious although they are just as real.

When it comes to women and ADHD, the manifestation is much different from what you see in boys or men. For instance, if you have a daughter in school, she may come off as being a tomboy or athletic. She may prefer to socialize with boys more than with girls, she may be active, and sometimes, get involved with impulsive situations. On the other hand, girls and women with ADHD could be at risk for getting involved with situations considered on the edge. However, you have another display of ADHD whereas the girl or woman simply chooses to become a wallflower. In other words, while boys and men with ADHD are obvious, girls and women with ADHD display symptoms in a variety of ways, making identification and diagnosis difficult.

Now, when it comes to girls, and women and ADHD, you can imagine the frustration level, them knowing that something is not quite right but having no idea what it is. Because of this, you will often see girls and women being overly anxious and very, self-critical. What happens in this case is that because diagnosis is not made or made late in the game, these girls and women become depressed, often get involved with drugs or alcohol, and experience unplanned pregnancy. Of course, these problems now compound the original problem, making treatment even more challenging. For this reason, when it comes to girls, and women and ADHD, early diagnosis is essential.

One of the ways in which parents can get a handle is by looking at their daughter’s childhood. Is she inattentive and introverted? Does she struggle with depression and anxiety? Today, when you talk to women with ADHD, most will tell you that as a child, they often got their feelings hurt and felt as if they were constantly being picked on. The childhood years for these women often involved being defensive, trying to fit in, struggling in school, getting stomach aches just to stay home from school, and so on. Although this seemed like normal childhood behaviors and situations, we now understand that these women probably had ADHD.

The majority of women with ADHD had this disorder as a child, although it might not have been seen as a serious problem. For example, the girl might have gone through long periods of distractibility, which meant she also struggled with getting along with the teacher who simply thought she was being difficult. The girl might have felt socially unfit, finding it difficult to fit into any one group. For this reason, girls would lean toward the “wrong crowd” because this group did not care that she was different. Perhaps she would draw attention to herself, trying desperately to get approval from friends, teachers, and family.

Being a young girl and feeling anger, being stubborn, behaving hyperactively, and dealing with rebellion are all factors associated with ADHD. Sadly, those things have now been carried along with her into adulthood where at work, she is seen as disruptive, not a team player, and annoying. At home, she may not feel like she belongs, that she has to compete with her own children for attention, or she may have trouble in her marriage or dating relationship. Life as a child was hard and now life as an adult is even harder!

The good news is that when diagnosed early, girls and women with ADHD actually respond exceptionally well to appropriate treatment. For the girl or woman, just knowing why they feel and act the way they do is therapy in itself. Then with proper medication, psychotherapy, and other forms of treatment, the illness can be treated with astounding results. Because this is such a problem, we now see more and more writings and research being focused on women and ADHD.

In addition, women can help themselves by establishing a quiet zone in life. This means not allowing herself to feel overwhelmed. If you are that woman with ADHD, you can find a way to excel, finding the things you are good at and then putting effort and focus on them. Many times, girls, and women with ADHD feel as if they are failures at everything. Therefore, it is important to find the things that you enjoy and things at which you excel. Remember, treatment options have improved over the years so you now have a number of excellent resources readily available.
 

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