Hey Neuroniñas,
You’re sitting with a friend at your favorite cafe, sipping on a caramel caramel ribbon cookie crunch frappuccino (extra whip, obviously), and your friend starts ranting about his sister. “She’s so unorganized, she can’t seem to get her life together, I don’t understand why her place is a mess 24/7.” You nod along, swallow your $8 drink, and blurt out, “Is she diagnosed with ADHD?” Your friend gives you the side-eye, clearly unimpressed, “As if that’s an excuse.”
But wait—what if this is an excuse? What if it’s more than just sloppiness or being a spacey Stacey? Could she, like so many women, be undiagnosed and struggling with ADHD?
Historically, ADHD has been viewed through a male lens, with boys dominating the conversation and shaping the diagnosis. Women often go undiagnosed well into adulthood. This gender gap in diagnosis isn't just a mistake—it's a systemic flaw, one that leaves countless women struggling with severe symptoms without even knowing why.
CDC prescriptions report found between 2003 and 2015, the number of U.S. women (ages 15-44) filling ADHD prescriptions increased by 344%
A CDC study released in 2020-2022, boys (14.5%) were more likely than girls (8.0%) to have ADHD, and this pattern was seen for children ages 5–11 years and 12–17 years
According to CHADD ratios of boys to girls with ADHD have decreased significantly over time, from about 25:1 to about 3:1 today
Women are finally getting the treatment needed, but why do girls go under-diagnosed in the first place? Let’s go back to the 90s where ADHD diagnostic criteria solely focused on male behaviors. ADHD studies were 81% boys and only 19% girls (what the fuck). Boys displayed more “obvious symptoms” such as hyperactivity while girls often exhibited quieter, inattentive symptoms. As a result, many girls with ADHD went unnoticed, their struggles dismissed or misunderstood.
Imagine this: You’re in a fourth-grade classroom. On one side of the room, there’s a boy constantly getting out of his seat, climbing on tables, interrupting the teacher—classic ADHD symptoms. On the other side, there’s a girl with a messy desk, staring out the window, struggling to engage with her peers. If Howie Mandel popped out of nowhere and asked, "For $500, who do you think has ADHD?" the answer would likely be “Deal!” and point to the boy. But here’s the thing: the girl, with her quieter, internal symptoms, is suffering too.
Girls with ADHD present differently. They’re daydreamers, anxious, disorganized, forgetful. But because these symptoms aren’t as outwardly disruptive, teachers and parents often miss them, especially in a classroom setting—where teachers are usually the first to notice and suggest a diagnosis.
The emphasis on ADHD in boys and the male-focused medical approach reinforces male privilege in educational and healthcare systems, ensuring that boys’ behaviors are more likely to be understood and addressed. This leads to gendered invisibility in the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. Symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty with organization, and struggles with sustained attention often go unnoticed. As a result, girls are left to navigate their lives without proper support or medication, leading to increasing challenges in adulthood: time management, professional and personal organization, and emotional regulation, often feeling overwhelmed. Women are left to silently battle an unacknowledged disorder that deeply affects their well-being.
British Journal of Psychiatry reveals that adults with ADHD, particularly women, have a significantly shorter life expectancy—up to 11 years shorter compared to those without the disorder. The research, which surveyed over 30,000 adults, found that for men with ADHD, life expectancy was reduced by 4.5 to 9 years, while for women, it was 6.5 to 11 years shorter.
Challenges from ADHD can lead to higher risks of substance abuse, financial issues, and impulsivity. Women with ADHD are not only more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but these co-occurring conditions can often mask the underlying ADHD. Untreated ADHD can leave women feeling incompetent, frustrated, and misunderstood. When their ADHD is not recognized, they may internalize these struggles as personal failures, leading to feelings of low self-esteem and worthlessness.
The societal pressure on women to be organized, nurturing, and emotionally stable only adds to the weight. When a woman’s home is messy or she can’t stick with a job, she’s labeled as “a slob” who “can’t get her life together”—but not someone who might just be struggling with ADHD.
Dr. Arthur Robin, a psychiatry professor, describes the mental toll: “The adult women with ADHD I encounter in my practice feel like something is wrong with them. They feel like second-class citizens with poor self-esteem and often try to hide their difficulties from others.”
33.2% of high school students with combined-type ADHD drop out or fail to graduate on time
Among young adults between the ages of 23 and 32, only 0.06% of respondents with ADHD held a graduate degree, compared to 5.4% among those without the condition.
Adults with ADHD are 60% more likely to be fired
ADHD adults are 30% more likely to have chronic employment issues and 300% more likely to quit a job impulsively.
Boys are more than twice as likely (13%) to be diagnosed than girls (6%). Following a historic pattern, the CDC estimates that boys are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed than girls of a similar age. Mental health experts believe that this gap may be due to a lingering lack of understanding or recognition about how ADHD manifests in women and girls as well as a difference in symptom presentation.
Neuroniñas is dedicated to exploring the complex intersection of psychology and behavior. Stay tuned for more insights into the ways our minds influence our habits and decisions.
Don’t fact check me pls I’m just a girl 🥲
Citations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Trends in ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment in the United States, 2003-2015.” CDC, 2024, www.cdc.gov.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Prevalence of ADHD Among U.S. Children and Adolescents: 2020-2022.” CDC, 2022, www.cdc.gov.
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). “Gender Myths and ADHD.” CHADD, 2024, www.chadd.org.
British Journal of Psychiatry. “Life Expectancy and ADHD: The Gender Gap.” British Journal of Psychiatry, 2024. www.bjp.rcpsych.org.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” NIMH, 2023, www.nimh.nih.gov.
American Psychiatric Association. “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).” American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Robin, Dr. Arthur. “The Emotional Toll of Undiagnosed ADHD in Adult Women.” Psychiatry Today, 2024.
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA). “Statistics on ADHD in Women and Girls.” ADDA, 2024, www.add.org.
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