Now that I’m in the middle of my junior year of high school, I’ve taken psychology and developed an interest in going into the psychology field. Having taken this course, I’ve become more knowledgeable of disorders such as ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is far too often underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and dismissed, when it comes to girls with this disorder.
As a girl who has ADHD, I’m no stranger to having my symptoms overlooked. At my first psychological evaluation, I brought up my concerns about my ADHD, and was asked very generic questions regarding my ability to focus, and if I had any behavioral issues. After answering these surface-level questions, I was, without a second thought, told that I have depression, and that it can look very similar to ADHD. While this is true, this is exactly how us girls with ADHD become just another statistic.
While going into that psychological evaluation, my hopes were high because for the first time I felt like I had a chance at not being the odd one out. I wouldn’t feel envious watching my peers excel while I was three assignments behind, nor would I struggle to get the most minor tasks done. I knew that I was a very capable person, but my ability to complete things was not an accurate reflection of that.
Was I just lazy? Did I really just lack work ethic? Why couldn’t I just focus? In order to answer these questions, I needed to do some research, and what I found was quite validating.
People with ADHD do not have as much dopamine as opposed to someone without ADHD. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that serves as “The rewards center of your brain”(Cleveland Clinic). Some things that dopamine effects include memory, movement, the way you feel pleasure and rewards, sleep, and focus. When your average Joe does certain tasks like loading the dishwasher, or folding the laundry, a certain amount of dopamine gets released as a reward. As a result, this makes them feel encouraged to do more. Since people with ADHD are dopamine deficient, that dopamine release doesn’t hit as hard, and there’s no reward to make them want to complete that task, let alone more. After learning this information, I felt a sense of comfort because I knew that there was a legitimate reason as to why my brain worked differently. The signs stuck out like a sore thumb to me, but why not the psychiatrist?
Girls with ADHD tend to demonstrate the inattentive symptoms, rather than the hyperactive ones that boys stereotypically present with. There’s no mistaking hyperactivity; it’s very abundant when it’s there. However, when it comes to inattentiveness, it’s not as prevalent; it can be written off as just being lazy, or having lack of regard. Some may argue that all parties involved don’t always get the correct diagnoses, and the issue isn’t only with girls. While yes, boys with ADHD might also get misdiagnosed, girls are more susceptible to it. About 8% of girls in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. In comparison to boys, that number is almost doubled, with 15% in the U.S. having an ADHD diagnosis. (“Data and Statistics on ADHD) In fact, an estimated 50-75% of girls who have ADHD are not diagnosed, (“Why ADHD is Underdiagnosed in Girls”) but why is that?
Micheal Tobias, who’s been teaching over a decade, with classes including Psychology, Sociology, and AP Psychology says, “Women are taught to sit down and shut up because society tells them to […] That’s why you don’t know when they’re struggling.” Mr. Tobias believes that the difference in societal expectations between boys and girls contributes greatly to the misdiagnosis, and I concur. If a boy gets in trouble for losing his temper, he’s a wild child, or maybe he’s overstimulated. If a girl does the same, it’s probably “that time of the month;” the saying isn’t “girls will be girls.”
All in all, I believe that there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to giving girls with ADHD the correct diagnosis. As a society we need to stop associating ADHD with just the hyperactive symptoms; we need to be equally as familiar with the plethora of other symptoms that girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have that aren’t in the title.
I implore every girl who thinks they might have ADHD to not let anyone disregard your symptoms, as you are the one having them and dealing with the struggles that accompany them.