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Treating adolescent girls and women with ADHD: Gender‐Specific issues
Author(s) -
Quinn Patricia O.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20121
Subject(s) - psychology , affect (linguistics) , anxiety , mood , psychiatry , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , clinical psychology , mood disorders , communication
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), commonly diagnosed in males, is often a “hidden disorder” in girls and women. This lack of recognition can be partially explained because the symptoms are less overt in females. In addition, coexisting disorders in females are often different from those seen in males who have ADHD. Higher rates of anxiety, mood, and substance disorders, as well as learning disabilities, often complicate the picture. Thus, clinicians are challenged with disentangling the symptoms of ADHD from symptoms of these coexisting conditions. In addition, fluctuating hormone levels may affect ADHD symptoms and treatment in females. Only with gender‐sensitive diagnosis and treatment will the public health concern posed by the underdiagnosis of ADHD in females be addressed. This case report of a 23‐year‐old female illustrates the specific difficulties with the gender‐sensitive aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in females. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 61: 579–587, 2005.