Symptoms of ADHD in women: diagnosis and treatment

Millions of adult women struggle with disorganization, forgetfulness, indecision, difficulty listening to others, and mood problems. While some are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), nearly half of the women who struggle with ADHD go undiagnosed. To change that, it’s important to recognize the symptoms of ADHD in women.

In this article, we discuss the signs of ADHD in women, why women often go undiagnosed, and how you can get a diagnosis and treatment if you think you might be a woman living with undiagnosed ADHD.

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Signs of ADHD in women vs men

Males and females tend to show symptoms of ADHD differently. ADHD in men and boys tends to include more hyperactivity symptoms, such as having outbursts and causing disruption. Women and girls tend to exhibit fewer disruptive and more inattentive symptoms, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, and tendencies to daydream, which can easily be mistaken for other conditions. 

The disparity is why, for years, ADHD was characterized as a condition that affected young boys. Some studies show that nearly 50% of women and young girls with ADHD symptoms go undiagnosed.

But, while males are diagnosed with ADHD more frequently, female patients suffer the same consequences, including poor work performance and behavior-related problems if ADHD is undiagnosed and untreated. 

Learn more about ADHD in women in the symptoms of ADHD in women checklist. 

Symptoms of ADHD in adult women and girls

Inattentiveness 

Symptoms of inattention cover a range of characteristics, such as a lack of attention to detail, losing items, leaving tasks unfinished, and making careless mistakes. 

Disorganization

Lack of control and inability to stay with a plan are hallmarks of disorganization. Examples of disorganization include messy workspaces and clutter. 

Forgetfulness

Lapse of memory ranges from simple annoyance to very traumatic. Not knowing where your car keys are as opposed to not knowing where you parked your car are examples of the degree of this common ADHD symptom. A woman with ADHD usually can look back on a lifetime of examples and be astounded that they didn’t notice the pattern. 

Procrastination

Women with ADHD tend to frequently put off tasks, especially those that involve lots of details. This can be related to poor time management, difficulty establishing priorities, or forgetting the necessary steps involved to complete a task. 

Distractibility

Distractibility is characterized by a lack of ability to maintain attention and having your attention drawn quickly to something else. Women with ADHD may recognize this in themselves but feel powerless to stop it, which leads to multiple unfinished projects. While this symptom is common, its opposite, hyperfocus, can also be common. 

Inability to plan

The inability to plan results from a lack of focus as well as a cognitive impairment that prevents an individual from organizing cohesive thoughts into an executable flow. 

Lack of attention to detail

Missing details is a hallmark of ADHD, and boring or monotonous tasks can exacerbate this symptom.

Inability to focus

The inability to focus is a lack of concentration. While some individuals with ADHD exhibit this symptom, they may also exhibit hyperfocus, which can cause them to lose interest in other important tasks.

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus is highly focused attention, to the point of blocking out all other things going on around you over a significant amount of time. It’s the opposite of the inability to focus and distractibility, but women with ADHD may exhibit all these symptoms, making a diagnosis of ADHD hard.

Poor time management skills

Similar to the inability to plan, managing time when you have ADHD can be a significant challenge. Because you may be distracted easily or hyper-focused on one task over any other, you lose track of time and suffer the consequences. Find ideas for ADHD time management.

Inattentive type signs of ADHD in women and girls

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), ADHD symptoms generally fall into 3 types of ADHD: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-compulsive, and combined.

Women and girls with predominantly inattentive type ADHD can have difficulty focusing, organizing themselves, managing their time, and keeping track of details. This type of ADHD can make it hard for women and girls to follow through with tasks, remember information, and pay attention to details. 

Symptoms of inattentive ADHD can take a toll and lead to ADHD burnout. Daily tasks like prioritizing, managing their time, and keeping track of their belongings become challenging. For women and girls, making mistakes, forgetting important events, and having a disorganized space can cause issues at home, work, school, and relationships. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, frustration, defeat, and low self-esteem. 

Hyperactive type ADHD symptoms in women and girls

Hyperactivity is often associated with men and boys, but women and girls can experience it, too. But it looks different. In women and girls, hyperactivity can look like restlessness, impulsivity, or difficulty controlling emotions. 

Women and girls with hyperactive ADHD may engage in fidgeting, tapping, pacing, and or have trouble sitting still. Even when they aren’t moving, they can feel a sense of internal restlessness. 

Hyperactive ADHD in women and girls can cause trouble with emotional regulation. Feelings of sadness, frustration, or anger can impact relationships. They may also struggle socially due to not thinking before acting. 

How common is ADHD in women

While ADHD is typically associated with children, the American Psychiatric Association reports that an estimated 2.5% of adults have ADHD. Other sources put that figure at more than 4%, and the number may be growing as diagnostics continue to improve and more people seek treatment. Single-digit percentages translate to millions of adults.

And while it’s still unknown if you’re born with ADHD, the condition is tied to genetic factors. Most women diagnosed with ADHD typically had it as a child and simply weren’t treated for their symptoms earlier. Many women may not receive a diagnosis of ADHD until adulthood. In fact, research shows that the percentage of women newly diagnosed with ADHD nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022 in women aged 23 to 49. 

ADHD symptoms in women vs girls

Symptoms of ADHD can evolve as women and girls age. Life events like pregnancy or natural changes in their bodies, like hormone fluctuations, can play a role. 

Both girls and women may struggle to pay attention, organize their thoughts, follow through, and complete tasks. The big difference is that girls may have more difficulty regulating their emotions, which can lead to low self-esteem and social issues. Older women may experience anxiety and depression in addition to ADHD, isolation, and memory problems. 

Why women with ADHD are often undiagnosed

The ways we think about gender can lead to ADHD being underdiagnosed in women. In women, symptoms of inattentive type ADHD are more likely to be diagnosed. Males may be seen as more hyperactive or impulsive. For women, symptoms of inattention are commonly mistaken for a mood disorder (like bipolar disorder), anxiety disorder, or other conditions. 

Women may also develop better coping strategies than males. These strategies can mask symptoms needed for proper diagnosis and may explain why men appear nearly 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than women. 

Women are also more likely to internalize their issues, which can lead to both a lack of diagnosis and a host of additional symptoms that ADHD specialists are only recently becoming more aware of. In addition to anxiety and depression, women with ADHD may exhibit substance use, low self-esteem, chronic sleep deprivation, and eating disorders.

Depression and anxiety can coexist with and mask ADHD in women

ADHD can be mistaken for depression in men and women. Difficulty concentrating, lack of interest in daily activities, and irritability are common in depression. But they can also look like symptoms of ADHD.

Similarly, common anxiety symptoms, like excessive worrying or restlessness, can mask inattention associated with ADHD, leaving women to ask, is this ADHD or anxiety or both? Depression and anxiety are both common in women with ADHD.

Women often develop coping strategies to hide their symptoms, but conditions remain. Masking may not be a conscious decision for women with ADHD. When anxiety and depression occur alongside or mask ADHD, it can make it more difficult to receive an accurate diagnosis. Treating both conditions is essential for feeling better. 

Diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in women

ADHD is complicated, and there are unique issues related to hormonal effects on ADHD that women face. If you’re a woman with adult ADHD, you deserve the best diagnostic and treatment options.

Just as no 2 people with adult ADHD express the disorder exactly the same, there’s no “one size fits all” way to treat symptoms. In general, people benefit from comprehensive treatment plans that can include:

• Diagnosis of ADHD
• ADHD medications, such as stimulant medications or non-stimulant antidepressants and other meds
• ADHD therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Ongoing care from an experienced provider or team of providers 

If you’re a woman with ADHD, a provider on Klarity Health can help

If you think you have ADHD, get a personalized ADHD treatment plan from a provider on Klarity Health. Find a provider for an online or in-person appointment within 24 hours.*