Study: Women with Undiagnosed ADHD Suffer Poor Self-Esteem, Mental Health
May 30, 2023Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD negatively impacts women’s self-esteem, mental health, well-being, and relationships, while diagnosis and treatment for ADHD increase feelings of self-acceptance and self-worth, according to new research published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.1Women with undiagnosed ADHD are most likely to experience impairment in the areas of social-emotional well-being, relationships, and life control, according to the research — the first of its kind to examine how under-diagnosis impacts the mental, emotional, and physical health of women.Studies have consistently shown that females are underdiagnosed with ADHD in childhood2, 3,4; to better understand adult women’s experiences living with undiagnosed ADHD and receiving a late diagnosis, researchers conducted a systematic review of three databases that revealed the following themes.Undiagnosed ADHD can profoundly impact self-esteem and self-worth.
Findings indicated that girls with undiagnosed ADHD often endured childhood misunderstanding, self-blame, and rejection.“Low self-esteem might result from difficulties endured growing up with an undiagnosed disorder that neither they nor those around them understood,” researchers wrote. “With no external cause to attribute functional impairments to, the women in these studies often felt something was wrong with them.”The researchers noted that many women in these studies felt “different” and alienated in childhood and expressed difficulties relating to their peers. “Women with ADHD had problems picking up on social cues, felt awkward and out of place socially, and struggled with unintentionally saying things considered hurtful or inappropriate,” they wrote.
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