Symptom differences between girls and boys These hyperactive/impulsive symptoms get noticed more easily by parents and teachers while inattentive symptoms sometimes get ignored. Girls are also less likely to be diagnosed earlier because they often display more symptoms of anxiety.
Girls Tend Towards Introspection Rather Than Hyperactivity
Boys, research indicates, are more likely to experience that type of ADHD, while girls are more likely to have the inattentive type, which has much more internalized symptoms.
ADHD is diagnosed three times more often in boys, but research suggests that girls may be under-diagnosed. That's because ADHD can manifest differently in boys than in girls. Boys tend to have impulsive, hyperactive, and externalized traits. Girls tend to have inattentive, internalized traits.
Some people mask their ADHD to avoid the stigma that comes with the diagnosis. Others mask symptoms that they're not aware are part of ADHD. Some masking strategies, like organizational tools, can be helpful. Other strategies, like suppressing emotion, can be harmful.
“What's different are the behaviors and presentation of the same symptoms because of the structural and functional differences between the male and female brain,” she says.
A girl with ADHD may have impulsivity and be hyper-talkative. She may be verbally impulsive, interrupt others, talk excessively, or change topics repeatedly during conversations. She might even blurt out words without thinking about their impact on others. Girls with ADHD can also be overly sensitive.
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.
Though not often listed as symptoms, other indications of ADHD in girls and women include co-occurring depression and anxiety, difficult romantic relationships that can lead to intimate partner violence, trouble maintaining friendships, and at least one space in her life in disarray (messy house, messy bedroom, or ...
The signs of ADHD in girls are more likely to look like inattention than hyperactivity. Girls with ADHD often don't fit the stereotype of excessive energy. Instead, they have a hard time paying attention, staying organized, and managing their time. People might mistake girls with ADHD for just being spacey or lazy.
Females with ADHD may experience more significant subjective impairment than males. In a 2016 study, females with ADHD report more severe symptoms of inattention than males. Males and females also show different patterns of comorbidity, which is when another condition occurs alongside ADHD.
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.
With girls, inattentive ADHD is the most common.
“Chatty Kathy” with ADHD
A third type of girl with ADHD is a combination of hyperactive and inattentive. While they have a much higher activity level than the daydreamers, they are not necessarily “tomboys.” Often these girls are hyper-talkative rather than hyperactive. They are “silly”, excitable and overemotional.
Research is showing that the symptoms of ADHD often intensify for girls during puberty when estrogen increases in their bodies.
Many girls with ADHD tend to be hyper-talkative, hyper-social, and hyper-emotional, rather than hyperactive. Physical restlessness often manifests in fidgeting with hair or nails, rather than leaving their seats.
Symptoms of Mood Swings in ADHD
Switching from excited one moment to sad, angry, or anxious the next. Fluctuating between having trouble paying attention and hyperfocusing on an activity. Having bursts of energy and fatigue through the day. Feeling emotions intensely and having difficulty regulating them.
Findings. In this systematic scoping review of 334 published studies in children and adolescents, convincing evidence was found that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children and adolescents. For individuals with milder symptoms in particular, the harms associated with an ADHD diagnosis may often outweigh the benefits.
But childhood trauma seems to be a big predictor of long-lasting ADHD symptoms. Scientists think early and ongoing exposure to ACEs raise your “toxic levels of stress.” That's bad for anyone's physical or mental health. But it seems to also raise your chances of having moderate to severe ADHD.
Masking is when a person with ADHD acts in a “socially acceptable” way to fit in and form better connections with those around them. This usually involves camouflaging their symptoms by controlling their impulses, rehearsing responses, and copying the behaviors of those who don't have ADHD.
Other less common issues can also present as inattention, including trauma, absence seizures, hearing impairment, hallucinations, Tourette's syndrome, among others. Because the root cause of inattention can sometimes be something very specific and complex, it is important to get a thorough evaluation.
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.
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.