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PURPOSE. To call attention to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a psychiatric disorder that can limit women's potential and overall well-being.
CONCLUSION. ADHD, a legitimate neurobiological disorder that is often hidden, ignored, or misdiagnosed among women, causes them to struggle in silence. Proper interventions for women with ADHD that provide significant attention to context mitigate challenges across psychological, academic, occupational, and social domains. This should amend the diagnosis du jour concept, thereby supporting mechanisms to improve early intervention and positive outcomes.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Primary care practitioners play a central role in recognition, intervention, and recovery of women with ADHD.
Search terms: ADHD, gender, multimodal treatment, recovery, review, women
Adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), often characterized by the popular press as being the diagnosis du jour, is a valid psychiatric disorder (Taylor & Keltner, 2002; Wender, Wolf, & Wasserstein, 2001). Over the past 3 decades, there has been increasing recognition of the persistence of ADHD into adulthood; however, it was once perceived to be exclusively a childhood disorder. A recent American national survey reported a 4.4% prevalence rate of adult ADHD in the general population, representing about nine million American adults (Kessler et al., 2006). Secnik, Swensen, and Lage (2005) reported that the resulting personal and socioeconomic costs for these individuals are considerable - annual medical costs of adults with ADHD are double those without ADHD, and adults with ADHD miss significantly more workdays. Moreover, the National Comorbidity Survey Replication estimated lost work time at 35 days per year, equivalent to $19.5 billion per year in lost human capital (Kessler et al., 2005).
ADHD does not initially appear in adulthood. In accordance to current guidelines, all valid diagnoses of adult ADHD have a clear developmental history of impairing symptoms dating back to childhood. However, literature reports that ADHD is commonly missed until adulthood for women, and the consequences of ADHD symptoms can lead to limited functional capabilities (Quinn, 2008). Given that women's symptoms are often hidden, ignored, or misdiagnosed, some women with undiagnosed ADHD are reported to struggle in silence (Quinn, 2005; Waite, 2007). This is of concern to Faraone and Antshel (2008) who reported that primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly being asked to make ADHD diagnoses. Faraone, Spencer, and Montano (2004) examined...