According to a recently published study, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry They found that women with ADHD are diagnosed approximately four years later than men, which may lead to a greater burden of co-occurring psychiatric disorders and increased health service utilisation.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a lifelong condition characterized by symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention. The disorder is associated with increased behaviors and outcomes, including sexual risk-taking, substance use disorders, crime, and academic underachievement.
Previous studies have estimated that ADHD is often diagnosed late in women, with roughly 3 to 16 men diagnosed for every woman.
Concerned about the potential for significant challenges during development and beyond, the research team undertook this study to investigate diagnostic delays in women with ADHD and to assess the impact of this delay on their well-being.
A research group led by Charlotte Skogland of Uppsala University in Sweden conducted a population-based cross-sectional cohort study of 85,330 people with ADHD living in Stockholm county using data from the Regional Healthcare Data Warehouse for the Stockholm region.
These individuals were required to have at least one recorded ADHD diagnosis and/or a record of taking stimulant or non-stimulant medication for ADHD, and were matched with 426,626 healthy controls in the population.
The primary outcome measure was age at ADHD index (ADHD diagnosis). Mental comorbidity, medication, and health care utilization before and after the ADHD index were also measured.
After statistical analysis, the researchers found that the average age at which women are diagnosed with ADHD is 23.5 years old, compared to 19.6 years old for men.
Additionally, the results showed that psychiatric comorbidity was more common: “Women with ADHD were approximately twice as likely to be diagnosed with both an anxiety disorder (50.4% vs. 25.9%) and a mood disorder (37.5% vs. 19.5%) compared with men with ADHD.”
Pharmacological treatment was also more prevalent, Skogland and colleagues report: “Five years prior to the ADHD index, women had higher rates of use of anticonvulsants, neuroleptics, sedatives, hypnotics, and psychostimulants compared with men…Two years after the index, women with ADHD still had significantly higher rates of use of anticonvulsants, neuroleptics, sedatives, hypnotics, and psychostimulants compared with men with ADHD.”
Finally, increased health care utilization was evident: “Women with ADHD were more likely to receive inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care than men with ADHD throughout the study period.”
The researchers stressed that “early detection, diagnosis and treatment are key to reducing the risk of significant suffering, morbidity, mortality and disability.”
However, it is important to note that the study only included data collected from publicly funded registers and may not include individuals who have no contact with health services. The researchers also noted that the severity of different disorders was not measured.
the study, “Repeated over and over: Failure to identify and support women with ADHD – A Swedish population register study” was written by Charlotte Skogland, Inger Sandström Pollomar, Daniel Leksell, Katariina Ekholm Selling, Thomas Kars, May-Britt Giacobini, Susan Young and Helena Kopp-Kallner.
