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Amelia Corner

McLaughlin

English 12

7 April 2021

Stigma of ADHD and Its Effects on Girls.

How many times have you heard that ADHD is primarily a male disorder and

overdiagnosed? Or that the medications for ADHD make them act like zombies? According to

Fred Reimherr, M.D., director of the University of Utah Mood Disorders Clinic, probably at least

a couple of times. (Singler). However, this could not be farther from the truth but because of the

primarily negative stigma surrounding ADHD and its treatment. It is still widely misunderstood

by the public. This is especially true when it comes to girls and women having the disorder.

(Ortega). In truth, ADHD affects girls just as much as boys; however, they are also more

susceptible to risks than boys and present shockingly differently. This is why girls with ADHD

are mainly under or misdiagnosed. In addition, the stigma surrounding the medicine harmfully

impacts both boys and girls trying to get help with ADHD.

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a neurological disorder that

is a developmental impairment of the brain’s executive functions that help us plan, focus on, and

execute tasks. ADHD impacts approximately 11% of children and almost 5% of adults in the

U.S. (Dodson). Typically people with ADHD have trouble with impulse control, focusing, and

organization. There are three types of this disorder, hyperactive-impulsive type, inattentive type

(typically girls have this one), and combined type. People with the hyperactive-impulsive type
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are impulsive, impatient, and interrupt others. People with the inattentive subtype of ADHD have

difficulty focusing, finishing tasks, and following instructions. They are characterized as

daydreamers, and they are the most likely type to go underdiagnosed. Individuals with

combined-type ADHD display a mixture of all the symptoms outlined above. Girls with ADHD

are more likely to be diagnosed with the inattentive type, but many girls also have the combined

type. However, because girls do not present as disruptive as boys, they are often undiagnosed or

misdiagnosed.

Girls are just as likely to have ADHD as boys; however, they are left to be

undiagnosed because the girl’s symptoms present differently than the boy’s. Girls may be more

introverted, dreamier, and distracted than the boys’ more hyperactive presentation, so it is clear

how that could go unnoticed. (Ortega). Girls with ADHD also tend to try harder than their male

counterparts to compensate for and cover up symptoms. They are more likely to be “people

pleasers,” doing all they can to fit in even when they know they are “different.” (Sigler). The

public perception of ADHD also has a lot to do with the underdiagnosis of girls. Teachers miss

the signs in girls because “Most people have a misperception that ADHD is a disorder of

hyperactive elementary school-aged boys,” according to Patricia Quinn, M.D, a developmental

pediatrician in Washington, D.C., and a leading expert in gender aspects of ADHD. “When they

see behaviors in girls, even disruptive behaviors, the girls still go undiagnosed.” (Sigler). Many

women also go underdiagnosed because the criteria doctors use to diagnose ADHD are outdated.

An example of this is to be able to diagnose ADHD, a patient has to have had the symptoms

since early childhood, but as many doctors are realizing, girls “fly under the radar” during their
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early years with the disorder. As a result, girls are often only or misdiagnosed with a mood

disorder and are at a higher risk of specific problems because of their ADHD.

The consequences of how they internalize their behavior: girls with ADHD can suffer

from more anxiety and depression than boys with ADHD and girls without, leading to more risky

behavior. As a group, girls with ADHD are also far more prone than boys with ADHD or other

girls to self-harm, including cutting and burning themselves and suicide attempts. (Ortega).

Another fact is that whereas teenage boys with ADHD are more likely than girls with the

disorder to abuse illegal drugs, the girls face a higher risk of becoming involved with violent

partners. Girls are also more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, leading to strikingly high

rates of unplanned pregnancies. The good news is that the myth that ADHD is a male disorder

and only in children is more widely dismissed; therefore, more women diagnosed with

depression or anxiety are finally being recognized with ADHD and getting the help they need to

reduce the associated risks with it. However, the medicine used to treat ADHD is still widely

stigmatized for both girls and boys.

Treatment for ADHD varies widely in behavioral therapies and other medicines.

However, the most well-known treatment is stimulants, and it is also the most stigmatized

medicine for ADHD. Some of the public perceptions of stimulants are that it is an addictive

substance that should not be given to kids and make them act like zombies. There is also the

stigma that people with ADHD should be able to treat it without the help of stimulants, and while

that may be possible for some, many people need these medications to function. The truth is that

when stimulant medications are used correctly and under the guidance of a medical professional,

the risk of addiction and habit formation is very low. (McCabe).

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Further, the proper treatment of ADHD with medications and other behavioral

interventions leads to improved performance at work, relationships, decreased accidents,

decreased rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. So while there may be

some side effects, including sleep issues, with trial and error, the positives of using stimulant

medication far outweigh the negatives. That is why this medicine should be destigmatized for the

people who need it, not to feel shame or reluctance to take it.

However, some doctors and researchers believe that ADHD is being overdiagnosed, and

the new rise of adults getting diagnosed is false and due to the high level of interest in diagnosis

during the last several decades. (Pairs, et al.). They believe that because ADHD diagnosis

requires symptoms showing up early childhood that older patients would not accurately recall

symptoms and make them up. However, because of the other new research that girls with ADHD

often fly under the radar during their early years with the disorder, I would have to disagree and

implore to consider because of the girls’ presentation of ADHD that it makes more sense that

there is an increase of diagnosis later in life when women know the signs and symptoms to look

out for. I do agree with them, though, that the diagnosis of ADHD is outdated and needs to be

reevaluated.

ADHD in girls is just as likely as with boys but is still widely misunderstood and

underdiagnosed. There are also a plethora of risk factors girls have to deal with in comparison to

boys, including suicide and unplanned pregnancy. There is also an undeserved stigma

surrounding stimulant medication that needs to be rectified so that the benefits of the medication

can shine, including the decreased rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. In

conclusion, ADHD is still a widely unknown disorder that needs to be further researched and
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presented to the public to eliminate the harmful stigmas surrounding it that primarily affects

girls.

Works Cited

Braaten, Ellen. “ADHD Medication for Kids: Is It Safe? Does It Help?” Harvard Health Blog,

Harvard Health Publishing, 23 June 2020,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/adhd-medication-for-kids-is-it-safe-does-it-help-201603049235.

Accessed 19 March 2021.

Dodson, William. “What Is Adhd? Meaning, Symptoms & Tests.” Additude, New Hope Media

LLC, 18 Mar. 2021, additudemag.com/what-is-adhd-symptoms-causes-treatments/. Accessed 1

May 2021.

McCabe, Jessica, director. Why Stimulant Medication Helps ADHD -- and How Stigma Can

Hurt. YouTube, YouTube, 13 Oct. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=38qpm6VKBFc. Accessed

1 May 2021.

Ortega, Rodrigo Pérez. “Under-Diagnosed and under-Treated, Girls with ADHD Face Distinct

Risks.” Knowable Magazine, Annual Reviews, Inc, 17 Apr. 2020,

knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2020/adhd-in-girls-and-women. Accessed 4 March 2021.

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Paris, Joel et al. “Is Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Being Overdiagnosed?.”

Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie vol. 60,7 (2015): 324-8.

doi:10.1177/070674371506000705. Accessed 4 March 2021.

Sigler, Eunice. “ADHD Looks Different in Women. Here’s How — and Why.” Additude, New

Hope Media LLC, 21 February 2021, additudemag.com/add-in-women/. Accessed 4 March

2021.

University of South Carolina. "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is both under and over

diagnosed, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 October 2012.

sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121019141124.htm. Accessed 1 March 2021.

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