Article Medically Reviewed By:
Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA
Overview
What Is It?
ADHD interferes with your ability to regulate activity (hyperactivity), control some behaviors (impulsivity) and focus on tasks (inattention).
Experts suggest that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects an estimated 3 to 10 percent of school-aged children and 1 to 7 percent of adults. The clear majority of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to show signs of the disorder into adulthood (whether or not full diagnostic criteria are met).
ADHD interferes with your ability to regulate activity (hyperactivity), control key behaviors (impulsivity) and focus on tasks (inattention). When the hyperactivity is not present, the condition is sometimes called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), although the more current term is ADHD-Inattentive type.
By current estimates, about three times more boys than girls are affected by ADHD, but the ratio appears to become closer to even by adulthood.
Overall, women and girls may exhibit fewer of the typical symptoms associated with ADHD in boys. For example, girls with ADHD are more likely to be shy than hyperactive. They tend to be less defiant and more compliant than boys and men with the condition. Like boys and men with ADHD, however, women with the condition may have difficulty completing tasks and remaining organized. Instead of being tested for ADHD, they're often dismissed as flighty or spacey.
Thus, because girls are less likely to disrupt class—the kind of behavior that often brings boys with the condition to medical professionals' attention—girls are less likely to get diagnosed with ADHD. Consequently, many girls and women do not get the help they need. Often, girls' self-esteem suffers as they encounter academic problems in school. They may have difficulty with interpersonal relationships as well as social challenges.
These secondary difficulties may result in depression, anxiety disorders, problems sleeping, self-harmful (cutting) behaviors and/or substance abuse. Furthermore, impulse control problems may lead to early pregnancy and/or contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Once diagnosed, many women recall painful or difficult childhood experiences in school that were likely to have been linked to ADHD but attributed at the time to other causes, such as laziness or lack of ability. This misattribution can itself lead to significant emotional or psychological problems.
Causes of ADHD
Although no one knows for sure what causes ADHD, the condition does run in families, suggesting a strong genetic component. Indeed, twin and adoption studies confirm a high degree of genetic connection with this condition. About one in three children with ADHD have at least one parent who has the disorder. For identical twins, there is a strong cha...
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