Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most prevalent childhood disorders today, is generally more likely to be diagnosed and treated in boys than in girls.
ADHD affects both males and females. There is a high discrepancy in the prevalence of the condition among males and females. Many factors can contribute to this, including referral bias, differences in how symptoms manifest in males and females, the effects of hormonal changes, and differences in comorbidity patterns.
These results indicate that genetic risk factors related to ADHD may be more likely to be clinically diagnosed as anxiety or depression in girls than in boys. If confirmed in other studies, this could give important clues as to why ADHD is less commonly diagnosed in girls than in boys.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , 12.9% of men and boys live with ADHD compared to 5.6% of women and girls. But women and girls may be affected more than these statistics suggest.
Anita Thayer, M.D. analyzed the DNA from 366 children with ADHD. A comparison with DNA from unaffected patients showed an abnormality in the sequences. Thayer's study shows that the ADHD group of children had larger and more frequent variations. Fathers with ADHD will pass this code discrepancy to offspring.
Around 1 in every 20 Australians has ADHD. It is more common in boys. More than 3 in 4 children diagnosed with ADHD continue to experience the symptoms into adulthood.
Boys (13%) are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls (6%). Black, non-Hispanic children and White, non-Hispanic children are more often diagnosed with ADHD (12% and 10%, respectively), than Hispanic children (8%) or Asian, non-Hispanic children (3%).
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.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , boys are three times more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than girls. This disparity isn't necessarily because girls are less susceptible to the disorder. Rather, it's likely because ADHD symptoms present differently in girls.
Can someone with ADHD fall in love? While all kinds of people can fall in love, the experience of people with ADHD falling in love can be more intense for them. This is because the person with ADHD can hyperfocus on the person they are in love with.
Boys with ADHD are more likely to act out. They tend to be more hyperactive than girls, causing problems at home and in the classroom. As a result, boys are sent for ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Girls with ADHD tend to be overlooked.
Therefore inattentive ADHD is also more common in women than it is in boys and men, who tend to lean towards the hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. As males may display “external” symptoms such as fidgeting and hyperactivity they are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD.
In one study of 2,332 twins and siblings, Anne Arnett, a clinical child psychologist at the University of Washington, found that a sex difference in diagnosis could be explained by differences in symptom severity: boys tended to have more extreme symptoms, and a broader distribution of symptoms, than girls.
Females with ADHD are reported to have fewer hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and more inattentive symptoms when compared with males with ADHD [3,8,9]. Further, females with ADHD present more commonly with the inattentive subtype than do boys [10].
While the exact causes of ADHD have not been identified, genetic studies show there is a strong hereditary component, with an up to a 91 percent likelihood of passing the disorder to your children.
The exposure to stressful life events, and—more specifically—Childhood Trauma, has been shown to predict ADHD onset as well as persistence of the disorder into adulthood (Biederman et al. 1995; Friedrichs et al.
Overall population incidence is felt to be 8%-10%. Several investigations have demonstrated that children who have ADHD usually have a least one close relative (child or adult) who also has ADHD. At least one-third of all fathers who have ADHD will produce a child with ADHD.
Barkley, PhD. “Children diagnosed with ADHD are not likely to grow out of it. And while some children may recover fully from their disorder by age 21 or 27, the full disorder or at least significant symptoms and impairment persist in 50-86 percent of cases diagnosed in childhood.
ADHD Assessment & Treatment Centres
To legally protect the rights of people with ADHD in Australia, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), a person's ADHD must be classed as a disability according to the criteria as specified in the DDA.
ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting one in 20 Australians, which has an impact on their ability to have age-appropriate self-control, according to ADHD Australia.
ADHD: a disabling condition
It is recognized as a disability under the 1992 Disability Discrimination Act.