Girls are diagnosed with ADHD at just under half the rate at which boys are diagnosed. This difference in diagnosis rate is made up for in adulthood, where women and men are diagnosed with ADHD at roughly the same rate. The current ADHD prevalence for all adults is 4.4 percent.
Doctors more commonly diagnose ADHD in male children than female children. The CDC reports that doctors diagnosed around 13% of boys with DHD in 2016–2019, whereas only 6% of girls received the same diagnosis. This has led many people to mistakenly believe that ADHD is a “boys' disorder” that rarely occurs in girls.
Interestingly, girls with untreated ADHD may be more likely to blame and judge themselves for these problems, leading to a higher risk for low self-esteem than boys who have ADHD. They may also be more likely to have problems with substance abuse, eating disorders, and anxiety.
Female children with ADHD often try to join a group, talk a lot but can hardly understand how her peers feel about what they are doing. They have difficulty connecting socially with others and when frustration gets in, they become impulsive and resort to verbal aggressiveness.
Women with ADHD face the same feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted as men with ADHD commonly feel. Psychological distress, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and chronic stress are common. Often, women with ADHD feel that their lives are out of control or in chaos, and daily tasks may seem impossibly huge.
Similar to the hyperactive symptoms, impulsive symptoms are typically seen by the time a child is four years old and increase during the next three to four years to peak in severity when the child is seven to eight years of age.
This pattern of working hard to hide ADHD struggles is especially true for gifted females. These children often do well in elementary school, where their intelligence more than compensates for the challenges posed by ADD (ADHD).
In a comprehensive study by Deloitte, researchers found that the disorder's worldwide prevalence ranges from 2% to 5%, encompassing both children and adults3. In Australia, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting 6-7% of the population4.
Genetics. ADHD tends to run in families and, in most cases, it's thought the genes you inherit from your parents are a significant factor in developing the condition. Research shows that parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have ADHD themselves.
But social skills don't come naturally to all children. Making friends can be particularly difficult for girls with ADHD. Hyperactive and impulsive girls sometimes have trouble taking turns or not getting their way. They might be too loud and aggressive, or just seem immature to other girls their age.
It's true: Attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) has strained more than a few romantic relationships. Equally true (though less recognized) is the fact that partners with ADHD are among the most loyal, generous, engaged, and genuinely fun people you could meet.
“Nobody has perfect memory… but for [people with ADHD], it's extreme. They feel like they're lost all the time,” Almagor said. He believes this is why people don't take ADHD seriously. “I think that's why some people don't respect the severity of what [a person with ADHD] can experience,” he said.
In order to notice ADHD in girls, adults cannot rely on looking for hyperactivity as a symptom. Instead, the adults in a girl's life may notice that she: Cries more easily than he peers. Gets irritated easily.
While most people associate ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsivity, it can also manifest in more subtle ways, such as through intrusive thoughts and overthinking. Intrusive thoughts are unwanted and repetitive thoughts that can be distressing or disturbing.
Most people with ADHD have a very low frustration tolerance. They can be overly emotional about the stressors they experience. They don't have a barrier that allows them to set aside uncomfortable emotions, and they often become completely flooded by a feeling, making it unbearable.
The emotional and social fallout of ADHD can be very serious. Girls with ADHD sometimes struggle to make and keep friends. Many also experience low self-esteem, depression or anxiety.
“Challenges with processing emotions start in the brain itself. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.” Thomas Brown, Ph.
Making friends can be particularly difficult for girls with ADHD. Hyperactive and impulsive girls sometimes have trouble taking turns or not getting their way. They might be too loud and aggressive, or just seem immature to other girls their age.
Is ADHD inherited from Mom or Dad? You can inherit genes that boost risk for ADHD from your mother, from your father or from both parents. In a recent Norwegian study, inherited risk was somewhat higher when a child's mother had ADHD compared to their father, but researchers weren't certain why that would be.