Brainworks® - ADHD: Why Are So Many Females Undiagnosed?
ADHD: Why Are So Many Females Undiagnosed?
"Once I began taking medication for my ADHD, I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz stepping into a world full of color for the first time."
- Liz Packard
| ASK THE EXPERT |
Question:
I am a 33-year old married female with three young children. I work for a large advertising firm and love my job, especially the opportunity to use my creative skills. However, trying to juggle my marriage, work, and raise three children has put me over the edge emotionally. My husband jokes that I have a piling system, not a filing system. I've had mood swings from joy to raging fits. A few months ago I was diagnosed with depression. The antidepressant could not clear the fog in my head. I could not keep my brain focused to do everything I needed to do. When my son was recently diagnosed with ADHD, I realized I, too, could have ADHD. His psychiatrist put me on the same medication as my son. I feel less forgetful and less edgy. I actually feel happier than I have ever felt. Why has it taken me 33 years to get diagnosed while my son was diagnosed at age 6?
Answer:
I will assume you are neither hyperactive nor impulsive. In school, you did not cause the teacher any problems. You probably spent time looking out the window thinking about other things. However, you really wanted to please your teacher and your parents. You had to work very hard to make your good grades because your mind liked to wander. Your friends called you "space cadet." Your teachers considered you bright but lazy. Instead of becoming aggressive, you turned your frustration inside. You became anxious and depressed and suffered from low self esteem. Living under the radar kept you from being diagnosed. Look at the Symptom Checklist and see if these symptoms describe you.
ADHD Female Symptom Checklist (Kathleen Nadeau, psychologist)
- Anxiety and depression
- I often feel like I want to cry.
- I get a lot of stomachaches or headaches.
- I worry a lot.
- I feel sad and sometimes I don't know why.
- School anxiety
- I dread being called on by the teacher because, often, I haven't been listening carefully.
- I feel embarrassed in class when I don't know what the teacher told us to do.
- Even when I have something to say, I don't raise my hand and volunteer in class.
- Social-skill deficits
- Sometimes, other girls don't like me, but I don't know why.
- I have arguments with my friends.
- When I want to join a group of girls, I don't know how to approach them, or what to say.
- I often feel left out.
- Emotional over-reactivity
- I get my feelings hurt more often than most girls.
- My feelings change a lot.
- I get upset and angry more than other girls.
- Classic Female ADHD signs
- Do you often lose personal items, your keys, purse, or backpack?
- Is your room or desk always messy –– even 15 minutes after you have cleaned it?
- Do you often feel anxious about getting school or work assignments in on time?
- Do you talk excessively?
- Do you behave well at school or work and come home and explode at the end of the day? Can you be pushed over the edge by trivial annoyances?
Undiagnosed ADHD puts females at risk.
- Females are more depressed and anxious than males.
- Girls with ADHD are more likely than boys to engage in antisocial and addictive behaviors.
- These girls are at high risk for developing depression, self-injuring behaviors, and eating disorders.
- Hyperactive girls are stigmatized more than boys with the same diagnosis. Hyperactivity and impulsivity are to be boyish. ("Boys will be boys.") Girls are ostracized.
- Girls do better than boys with the structure of rules and routines at school. Young ADHD adult females become more anxious and stressed without the structure of school.
- When ADHD women marry and have kids, they hit a wall of frustration. They can't juggle all the expectations.
ADHD females need a different treatment plan than their male counter parts.
- Both need stimulant medication, but females also usually need medication for anxiety.
- ADHD females benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy and coaching, like what Brainworks offers.
- Group therapy (women only group) can encourage females to use their verbal strengths to give one another support and coping strategies. Group therapy keeps women from feeling isolated.
Next Topic: Smart Son, But Clueless About Study Skills
