The Grave Consequences of Persistent Gender Role Expectations in ADHD
Too many women are incorrectly or incompletely diagnosed with depression or anxiety when, in fact, they are living with ADHD. We’ve learned a lot about sex differences and ADHD — but there’s clearly more work to be done.
For many years, ADHD was believed to impact only males — and the research reflects that. It wasn’t until 1993 that NIH-funded clinical studies on ADHD were required to include women. We’ve come a long way, but missed ADHD symptoms and underdiagnosis are still common among females with the condition.
“Because of stigma as well as thoughts related to gender role presentations, ADHD symptoms in females can be thought of as more likely due to anxiety or depression,” says Dave Anderson, Ph.D., of the Child Mind Institute, in the video above. “Those are conditions that people are more used to seeing in females.”
The presentation of ADHD in males and females is distinct, and not fully understood or valued. On average, females experience a later age of symptom onset and a different level of severity. While males are commonly hyperactive and impulsive, females are better known for symptoms of inattention and distractibility. (Inattentive ADHD was introduced to the DSM in 1980.)
“People will say, ‘Oh, she’s distracted because she’s anxious,’ or ‘She’s distracted because she’s sad,’ not because she has ADHD. And that is something we’re actively trying to fight even in clinician bias,” Anderson says. “If a female is presenting these symptoms, we want to consider whether or not to include ADHD.”
Other factors that cause females with ADHD to slip through the cracks include referral bias, lower symptom severity, internalizing symptoms, and outdated diagnostic criteria.
For more information about the evolution of ADHD understanding, watch Dr. Anderson’s free ADDitude webinar, “ADHD Then and Now: How Our Understanding Has Evolved.” Dr. Anderson is Vice President of School and Community Programs and former Senior Director of the ADHD & Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute.
ADHD in Women: Next Steps
- Free Download: Women, Hormones, and ADHD
- Female ADHD Test: Symptoms of ADHD in Women
- Read: 5 Overlooked Signs of ADHD – the Inattentive Type
- Sign Up: Essential Support for Women with ADHD
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