Women With ADHD: The Difference Diagnosis and Treatment Can Make

Ann Childress, MD, an expert in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sat down in conversation with Busy Philipps, an author, actor, activist, and writer with ADHD, in order to better understand the challenges women face in getting diagnosed.

"I think about men with ADHD as more in your face. They are loud, busy, and have more hyperactive symptoms. In an interview, they may have trouble sitting and will fidget," said Childress. "Often women who come in to see me are not coming for themselves, but for their children."

This was exactly the case for Philipps, who took her 11-year-old daughter for an evaluation and found herself, at 37 years old, resonating with the list of symptoms of ADHD.

"As the doctor was going through the ADHD checklist... every single symptom, I thought, 'I have that,'" said Philipps. For her, receiving treatment has felt incredibly freeing and even "revelatory."

Childress shared that it is a little bit harder to diagnose women with ADHD. She looks at the history and symptoms when first assessing a female patient. Women often feel overwhelmed and cannot stay focused, she said. "They talk about all these inattentive symptoms that are a real problem for them."

"I felt like should be able to handle all these things," shared Philipps. "I felt like I should be a better mom and more on top of it. Once I had treatment, I have been able to look back on that time with so much more compassion for myself."

Childress shared that a lot of her women patients with ADHD share that they do not feel competent, a struggle that leads them to feel "something is wrong with them."

Philipps shared that being a mother of a child with ADHD has further contextualized this feeling. There is nothing wrong with her or her daughter's brains, she explained, and she finally feels that is true post diagnosis.

"These last years since my ADHD diagnosis and finding a treatment that works have been my most productive in my career," said Philipps. "And I also feel so much better about all of it. The things I am focusing on and the projects I am working on are the right ones and I can give them my full attention."

Childress shared that life without ADHD treatment can feel like running the mile with weights on: you will get there, but it will feel so much harder. Unfortunately, there is still a prevalent stigma around diagnosis and many adults will not go receive an appropriate diagnosis.

"I am glad that women my age, and others, are getting the information and seeking out a diagnosis," said Philipps, "because it can be life-changing."

Dr Childress is president of the Center for Psychiatry and Behavior Medicine, Inc, and adjunct associate professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine and Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Busy Philipps is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, activist, and writer, and host of, “Busy This Week”, which she executive produces with Caissie St. Onge and Michael Gleason. Philipps is best known from her series of iconic television roles such as Kim Kelly on the series “Freaks and Geeks” from Judd Apatow and Paul Feig; Audrey Liddell on “Dawson’s Creek”; and Dr Hope Bobeck on “ER.” Philipps spent 6 seasons starring opposite Courteney Cox on the hit comedy “Cougar Town,” for which she won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.