Women With ADHD Face Later Diagnosis, Worse Outcomes Than Men

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Women with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face delayed diagnosis and worse outcomes than men, according to a study published in European Psychiatry and presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress, held from Oct. 10 to 14 in Amsterdam.

Laura Oltra-Arañó, from Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues analyzed differences in ADHD severity, its comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, and its impact on psychosocial functioning by sex. The analysis included 900 adults referred for the first time to the ADHD Program (2018 to 2024). 

The researchers report that the combined ADHD subtype was the most common, affecting 48.2 percent of participants. Age of symptom onset was similar for men and women (P = 0.220), although women were diagnosed significantly later (28.96 versus 24.13 years; t = 3.540; P < 0.001). Men more frequently had legal problems than women (18.1 versus 6.6 percent; X²=24.924; P < 0.001). Women with ADHD had worse outcomes, including higher symptom severity (P < 0.001), worse psychosocial functioning (P = 0.039), and greater disability (P = 0.001), as well as higher rates of depression (P = 0.003) and anxiety (P < 0.001).

“This is important because it shows that ADHD often goes unnoticed in women until it becomes a serious problem,” lead author Silvia Amoretti, Ph.D., from the Vall d”Hebron Institute of Research in Barcelona, Spain, said in a statement. “Our findings suggest that we may be missing the early signs in girls and women, especially when their symptoms are less disruptive but still impactful. This has clear implications for earlier screening and sex-sensitive diagnostic tools.” 

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