Experts share signs of ADHD in women and why it's so difficult to get a diagnosis

Experts have shared how ADHD is exhibited in women and why they often go undiagnosed. ADHD is a common disorder caused by differences in the brain, with key symptoms including inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

Girls and women are more likely to have inattention as their main symptom; not having as much hyperactivity or impulsivity makes them stand out less, which means their ADHD is more likely to go unnoticed or undiagnosed.

Experts from , a leading non-profit working to empower people with learning and thinking differences including ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, language disorders and written expression disorder, have shared the symptoms women can look for.

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ADHD therapist Jenna Free often shares signs, symptoms and advice on TikTok to her 109k followers. In one video, she discussed why it is so difficult to get an ADHD diagnosis in women.

Jenna said: "Therapist for ADHD. With ADHD. I work with mostly women and most of those women have been diagnosed only in the past year or two. And most of them are late 20s to early forties. Can be for many reasons, a couple of which include doctors thinking, 'well, hey, you've been successful in life, you've gotten this far, you're probably fine.'

"As well as the symptoms can be very internal. So the intensity is internal. It's in our minds. You can be laying there all day scrolling and you are still in those hyperactive symptoms and, but they're just not bothering anyone else. So we don't get diagnosed as often.

"Another reason women can get diagnosed later in life is because we've been masking our whole lives. Society has said sit still, be quiet, just be good, be agreeable. So we've tried very, very hard. But then in adulthood, we get a certain level of responsibilities where it's like, ‘oh, those coping mechanisms aren't working anymore. I've had kids now or I'm in a full time career and things are not working like they used to. I'm crashing, I'm spiralling and I know something is wrong.’

“That's how I got diagnosed myself; I had two kids. Things were not going smoothly as they used to be, at least not on the outside. So I started to notice there's definitely something different here. What is it? And that's when I got the diagnosis for ADHD.”

According to , women are "less likely than men to have hyperactivity as a symptom", and this is one of the reasons they’re diagnosed less often. Your symptoms determine the type or 'presentation' of ADHD you have. Mental health professionals look at the main symptoms to make a diagnosis.

There are three types of ADHD:

• Predominantly inattentive: You have trouble with attention, focus, and organization.

• Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive: You may feel restless or act without thinking.

• Combined: You have parts of the two other types.

The experts said that girls and women mostly have the inattentive type of ADHD, which doesn’t stand out like being hyperactive and impulsive does - those symptoms are more common in boys and men. Inattentive girls and women are more likely to be overlooked or misdiagnosed.

The main symptoms that determine what type of ADHD you have are inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Symptoms can look different in different people and can also vary in intensity. Not everyone with ADHD has all three symptoms. But almost everyone with ADHD has inattention.

Below are some common signs of the three key symptoms of ADHD.

Inattention

The "predominantly inattentive" type of ADHD is the most common type in adults. It’s particularly common in women. Here’s what trouble with focus and attention can look like:

• Being spacey or daydreamy

• Getting distracted frequently, especially while reading or listening

• Making mistakes that come from not paying attention to details

• Struggling to finish tasks or projects, even when they’re mostly done

• Avoiding tasks or projects that require sustained focus

• Having trouble planning and staying organized

• Losing things, like your wallet, phone, keys, or glasses

• Having a space that is messy and cluttered

• Forgetting to return calls, go to appointments, or run errands

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Impulsivity

Impulsivity means acting or talking without thinking first. It’s a lack of self-control. Here’s what it can look like:

• Risky behaviour, including risky sexual behaviour

• Inability to resist temptation, like too much snacking or overspending

• Getting easily frustrated

• Being quick to anger

• Interrupting people

• Answering questions before they’re finished being asked

• Jumping into tasks or projects without planning

• Making decisions without thinking about the consequences

Hyperactivity

As a woman with ADHD, you’re less likely to be hyperactive than a man with ADHD. Hyperactivity is also more common in kids than in adults. But if you were hyperactive as a child, you might still have signs now. Here’s what hyperactivity might look like:

• Feeling restless or needing constant movement (like foot tapping, squirming, pacing)

• Fidgeting and grabbing things to touch and fiddle with

• Trouble with quiet activities

• Frequently needing to get up or check your phone

• Trouble “shutting off” at night

• Trouble sleeping

• Trouble waiting your turn

• Talking nonstop or interrupting others

• Jumping from one task to another without finishing anything

The lists a number of , which we've listed below:

• carelessness and lack of attention to detail
• continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones
• poor organisational skills
• inability to focus or prioritise
• continually losing or misplacing things
• forgetfulness
• restlessness and edginess
• difficulty keeping quiet, and speaking out of turn
• blurting out responses and often interrupting others
• mood swings, irritability and a quick temper
• inability to deal with stress
• extreme impatience
• taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others – for example, driving dangerously