Why More Men Have ADHD Than Women

It’s actually NOT the case that more men have ADHD than women.

Rather it’s that more men are diagnosed than women as per Sari Solden, who wrote Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace your differences and transform your life.

So the question becomes, Why do more men get diagnosed with ADHD than women?

In short, adhd symptoms stand more for men than women. This is because men and women are different.

You can see this in kids …

Generally speaking, boys are noisier than girls.

They demand attention and they can be more physically active. So boys in school are a problem for their teacher. Getting them diagnosed benefits the teacher, the rest of the class, and the boy himself actually gets to learn something.

Girls are quieter.

They sit silently, they are easily distracted by something they see outside the window, or passing the door. They run late, can’t seem to get their homework done on time, or even done at all. And more importantly, their school report says something like “Sally is not working to her full potential’ unless they are motivated by the topic of the lesson they just don’t pay attention. Their mind is somewhere else.

As adults they habitually fail to reach their potential. While men gradually become less hyperactive and seem to grow out of it, they might continue to drive the people around them crazy when the weather turns bad and they are forced to spend more time inside.

How does this impact your life if you’re a man?

Firstly, having a job that requires them to sit still for long periods of time does not suit them at all well. They need to be able to move around. They have lots of ideas, and need a team to help them carry them through, because they will lose interest once the novelty wears off. They might have lots of unfinished projects.

They like starting home improvement projects, then their partner will be hounding them. That drives them both mad.

They wonder “why me?”

We know that ADHD is largely inherited, so unless they know it comes from their father, they think they’re Robinson Crusoe in the family, out on their lonesome.

So don’t feel so bad, you really aren’t out there on your own.

How does this impact your life if you’re a woman?

In lots of ways women suffer more.

Firstly because their ADHD is not recognised. Their inattentive type, that used to be called ADD and has now been absorbed into the whole ADHD diagnosis, impacts especially on their ability to get organised. Their home gets untidy, they can’t find files, they forgot that the kids needed special equipment for school today, that is not ready. They seem to be constantly running late.

Importantly, men typically depend on women to keep their lives in order. Who can women depend on? Sometimes they pair up with a partner who is better organised, but who complains that as a couple they are always running late. And so on. They don’t invite friends home because the house is a mess. Paying someone to clean for them is something they’ve worked out. Sometimes though they can’t afford to do that.

Women might recognise their own symptoms in their son, partner, parent, but if they ask for medical assistance they are more likely to be diagnosed as depressed, anxious or ditzy, according to Sari Solden.

They need to be more determined about getting the professional help they need.

Coaching is the perfect solution to helping you through the minefield of ADHD challenges. The good thing about it is that you don’t even have meet face to face – many coaches, like me, work online and by phone as well. Contact Me now.