Health

Study: More women are diagnosed with ADHD

Published Thursday, May 4, 2023 12:00 pm

Study: More women are diagnosed with ADHD

PHOTO | JEFFREY ERNHUSE

More women are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, especially between ages 23-49.

A new study found that more women are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Cases have increased dramatically across all ages but especially women aged 23-49. The number in this age group doubled from 2020 to 2022.

ADHD is the most diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder in children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children with ADHD have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, and may act without thinking about results, or may be overly active.

Boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed but girls are less likely to be diagnosed. Women of color are less likely to be diagnosed because of health inequities and symptoms that go ignored.

“With women, a lot of times they have a lot of problems with focus and attention, but [guys] don't,” said Dr. Michael Clark, a psychiatrist at Novant Health. “They don’t present with being impulsive and being hyper, so they don’t call attention to themselves in the same way that guys do. It leads to a kind of under diagnosis.”

The causes and risk factors of the condition are unknown, but genetics can play a role. Research shows people who have ADHD may have a lack of the neurotransmitter in the brain called dopamine, which is in charge of making people focus and find things interesting, according to WebMD.

A combination of genes, environment, and brain function may cause the malady.

If ADHD goes undiagnosed or untreated, it can cause problems later in adulthood.

“There isn’t really any way except in certain circumstances, any such thing as sudden onset of ADHD as an adult,” Clark said. “It has to really be present, at least since the age of 12.”

Some symptoms of ADHD in adult women include: