Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurological disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention that interferes with daily functioning. Individuals with ADHD might also have symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, but they are not required for a diagnosis.

Common Symptoms in Women

Women more commonly have inattentive symptom presentation, which includes these symptoms (according to the DSM-5):

• Forgetfulness in daily activities 
• Getting easily distracted
• Failing to give close attention to details or making careless mistakes in activities
• Trouble holding attention on tasks

Women with ADHD struggle more with socialization than men do. Women often experience rejection sensitivity, which is an intense emotional response to real or perceived rejection. Women are often overwhelmed by the demands of relationships and tend to have fewer meaningful relationships. They often also have trouble maintaining friendships.

Women also tend to experience more hypersensitivities, including sleep difficulties, tactile defensiveness and sensory overload, as well as headaches, migraines, stomach aches, and nausea. Furthermore, psychological distress, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and chronic stress are common.

Fig. 1. Teh, Dawn. Health Match.

Symptoms of impulsivity in women increase their chances of engaging in high-risk behaviors as well as addictive behaviors.

By adulthood, most women with ADHD have at least one comorbid disorder. In fact, 25-40% of people with ADHD have an anxiety disorder. Other common comorbid disorders include mood disorders, dysregulated eating, and personality disorders. 

Researching ADHD

There is very little research studying the effects of ADHD on women, as most research focuses on children, adolescents, and men. In children, studies show that boys often get a more accurate diagnosis than girls. Boys tend to show more hyperactive behavior than girls do, and ADHD researchers often focus on studying hyperactive behavior over other symptoms of ADHD that are more common in girls. More research is necessary to help experts accurately identify, diagnose, and treat symptoms earlier in girls and women. 

Fig. 2. Koch, Jenna. Marquette Wire.

ADHD Diagnosis

The prevalence rates of ADHD in men and women are similar, yet the diagnosis rate among American men is 69% higher than it is among American women. Men and boys are diagnosed far more commonly than women and girls, and most women with ADHD do not get an accurate diagnosis until they are in their thirties or forties. 

There could be several reasons for this:

• Research shows that women are highly motivated to hide their ADHD symptoms and compensate for them. The symptoms that are observable are often anxiety or mood-related, which can lead to misdiagnosis.
• Rating scales for ADHD are still skewed toward male behavior symptoms.
• Stereotypes, bias, and gender role expectations all impact the diagnosis of women and girls. 
• Parents, teachers, and pediatricians might miss ADHD symptoms in young girls because they are not obvious. 
• ADHD is often a misunderstood disorder, even by many doctors. 

According to a study conducted by the CDC, the number of privately insured US women ages 15-44 years who filled a prescription for a medicine to treat ADHD increased 344 percent between 2003 and 2015. This reveals that more women have started to finally receive an ADHD diagnosis and receive treatment.

Research is an essential part of practically every field of study. Biology, economics, anthropology – you name it. However, research is not always perfect. Researchers sometimes focus on data that “shows what they were looking for – findings that are only true if they look at information a certain way,” according to Kevin Loria.  

In the field of psychology, research is necessary to better understand human behavior and mental illnesses. But researchers in psychology have begun to face a major problem – a potential replicability crisis. 

Replicability is obtaining consistent results across studies aimed at answering the same scientific question, each of which has obtained its own data. Put more simply, replicability is being able to repeat a study and get consistent results. If a study is able to be replicated, its results are seen as much more reliable than the results of studies that are unable to be replicated. 

A replicability crisis means that studies that are repeated may lead to different results. In order to figure out how prevalent the crisis really is, Brian Nosek (along with 270 other psychologists) repeated 100 studies published in three of the top psychology journals and published their findings in the journal Science.

Fig. 1. Science.

Originally, 97% of the studies were statistically significant. However, only 36% of the studies were still significant when repeated (Fig. 1).

The psychologists also looked at how much of an effect there was in the study. As Ed Young explains, “the effect values measure the strength of a phenomenon; if your experiment shows that red lights make people angry, the effect size tells you how much angrier they get.” The effect size changed after repeating the studies; the median effect size for most studies was less when the studies were repeated, and on average, the effect sizes of the replications were half those of the originals (Fig. 2). In some studies, there was even a negative effect, meaning that the new results were opposite those of the original study. 

Fig. 2. Science.

Many are questioning the reliability of studies in psychology. While the replicability crisis is a problem, this does not mean that you should not believe in psychology at all. Importantly, failed replications do not discredit the original studies. There are numerous reasons why different results may have been produced. It could be due to random chance. The original study might be flawed, or the replicated study could be flawed. There could be differences in the people who volunteered for both experiments or differences in the way in which those experiments were conducted. 

According to Nosek, “This doesn’t mean the originals are wrong or false positives. There may be other reasons why they didn’t replicate, but this does mean that we don’t understand those reasons as well as we think we do. We can’t ignore that. We have data that says: We can do better.” 

The study conducted by Nosek is an important step toward understanding research in the field of psychology. While it is important to maintain a healthy level of skepticism when reading research studies, do not assume every study is a false positive.