Daily life is pretty frantic. You\u2019ve lost your keys \u2013 for the third time this week. Plus, you found yourself spacing out while the boss was talking to you and you\u2019re way behind on that project. Feeling a bit stupid?<\/p>\n
The problem may not be your intelligence. It could be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which affects 8%-10% of the world\u2019s population. More than four million women have ADHD and don\u2019t know it, says Patricia Quinn, M.D., a developmental pediatrician and co-founder and director of the National Center for Girls and Women with ADHD in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n
So why are women in the dark about ADHD, a brain disorder that can make them more distractible, inattentive or impulsive?<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen are very good at compensating, coping, staying up late and working very hard. They really suffer silently,\u201d says Quinn, who has authored 20 books on the disorder, including the award-winning Attention, Girls! A Guide to Learning about Your ADHD (Magination Press) and the upcoming 100 Questions and Answers About ADHD in Women and Girls (Jones & Bartlett Learning), which is scheduled for release in October.<\/p>\n
In fact, most women don\u2019t find out they have ADHD until 38, about the same time their children are diagnosed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey usually get diagnosed when the [stresses in their lives] outweigh their ability to compensate,\u201d Quinn adds.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s good news, though: It\u2019s controllable through a combination of behavioral therapies and medication, she says.<\/p>\n
In this exclusive Lifescript interview, Quinn discusses her own ADHD, how you can tell if you have it and the best ways for managing life with the disorder.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the difference between ADHD and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?
Unfortunately, the names are a real issue. They\u2019re used interchangeably and a debate is going on about whether there are two [disorders]. ADHD is the most common.<\/p>\n
The AD part is the inattentiveness, daydreaming and not being able to focus on one thing or finish something you started. It affects organization and time management and leads to losing things and being forgetful. Then, there\u2019s hyperactivity.<\/p>\n
Many people occasionally have those traits, like forgetfulness. How do you know if they\u2019re severe enough to be ADHD?
Everybody loses their keys once in a while. But when you never can find your keys, that\u2019s the problem. I lock my keys in the car all the time.<\/p>\n
I had a policeman at the Washington Monument break into my car because my keys were in there with the car running. I was in Baltimore \u2013 where I gave a lecture on ADHD \u2013 and I locked my keys in the car. It was ridiculous.<\/p>\n
We finally had to buy a car that I couldn\u2019t lock the keys in.<\/p>\n
How else do you know if you have ADHD?
The basic symptoms are the same for men and women: inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. You have to have them for at least six months.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re usually pervasive and affect you throughout the day. We also look for family history.<\/p>\n
Is ADHD genetic?
Yes. There\u2019s a 17%-34% chance the mom [has] ADHD and an 18%-38% chance that it\u2019s the dad.<\/p>\n
Adults have just been getting diagnosed since the 1990s. Most likely, they don\u2019t know about grandparents with the disorder.<\/p>\n
In our family, we all have ADHD. My dad did. He was in a private school and was asked to leave. He could never sit still. He was never diagnosed, but we knew he had it.<\/p>\n
In school, my sister was always in trouble \u2013 jumping off desks in the principal\u2019s office while wearing the nun\u2019s capes.<\/p>\n
I had all these issues, but I didn\u2019t realize there was a problem until medical school. I\u2019m more distractible and hyper-talkative, but I can hyper-focus.<\/p>\n
Do ADHD symptoms show up the same way in women and men?
Women and girls with ADHD are more likely to internalize symptoms and become anxious. Symptoms most often reported by women are dysphoria [unhappiness], inattention, organization problems and impulsive behaviors.<\/p>\n
By contrast, men report more problems with conduct, learning and attention, greater stress intolerance and poor social skills.<\/p>\n
The hyperactivity component in women may be very different from that in boys and men.<\/p>\n
For men, it tends to be external motor activity; for girls it\u2019s more fidgeting and twirling their hair. With females [you see more] hyper-talkativeness. They\u2019re out of control emotionally.<\/p>\n
Why are symptoms different in women?
Women have fluctuating estrogen levels. As they head into menopause in their early 40s, we see estrogen levels start to go down. This affects neurotransmitters [chemicals that transmit signals between nerve cells and other cells] in the brain, such as dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.<\/p>\n
Lower estrogen [means] lower dopamine, [which affects reasoning and concentration], making ADHD symptoms worse. If you lower serotonin, you\u2019re going to get depressed and if you raise noradrenaline levels, you\u2019re going to get very agitated.<\/p>\n
This is often why a woman will seek help for ADHD for the first time in her late 30s, 40s and early 50s.<\/p>\n
What’s ADHD often misdiagnosed as?
People think you\u2019re not very smart. When I diagnose women with ADHD, they often say, \u201cOh, that\u2019s it \u2013 I\u2019m not stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lot of women get labeled incorrectly as depressed.<\/p>\n
Is there a link between ADHD and intelligence?
We have a whole spectrum of intelligence with ADHD.<\/p>\n
We have gifted people with ADHD and that delays the diagnosis because they continue to do well. I had a patient with Down syndrome, and he had it as well.<\/p>\n
We have the whole gamut of intelligence around the world. This goes to [it being hereditary] \u2013 the fact that we see ADHD in every country in about the same ratios as in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Are women with ADHD more likely to have depression or anxiety?
Women with ADHD are five times more likely to be depressed. People see the depression and treat it, but they don\u2019t get any better.<\/p>\n
A lot of women diagnosed with depression really have ADHD. If we treat the ADHD, the anxiety and depression go away in about 60% of the cases.<\/p>\n
What kind of doctor treats the disorder? How can I find a specialist?
Usually, it\u2019s a whole team. If you have co-existing conditions, such as depression, anxiety or issues with self-esteem, it\u2019s more complicated.<\/p>\n
I would recommend [that adults] find a psychiatrist who sees children and adolescents.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve found a trick for helping people find doctors: Call the local university and ask where they send their students for an evaluation or assessment. They can find experts within the community.<\/p>\n
What treatments work best?
A multimodal [multiple elements] treatment program. We use cognitive behavior therapy, where we work on internal scripts: You talk to yourself and say, \u201cI\u2019m not going to do anything else until I get this done.\u201d<\/p>\n
We also use coaches who help people set short- and long-term goals.<\/p>\n
And we talk about ADHD-friendly lifestyles. If someone makes life choices that [accommodate the disorder], they may be able to come off meds.<\/p>\n
ADHD doesn\u2019t go away. You still may have symptoms, but those may not impair you. You learn how to manage it and make good choices.<\/p>\n
Is it possible to treat ADHD with only behavior modification?
It depends on the person\u2019s problems. In some studies, behavior management has worked very well.<\/p>\n
But a lot of parents have ADHD and it\u2019s very hard for them to effectively conduct a behavioral program for their kids.<\/p>\n
Medications improve ADHD\u2019s core symptoms \u2013 inattention, distractibility, impulsivity and hyperactivity \u2013 but they don\u2019t teach you new skills.<\/p>\n
So while you\u2019re able to pay attention long enough to clean your room, you still may not know how to clean your room. I still may need to teach you those organizational skills.<\/p>\n
What medications help?
Two types of medications are used. Stimulants (methylphenidate and amphetamine preparations) are the most effective first-line ADHD treatment. Most are at least 70%-80% effective when prescribed at appropriate dosages in adults.<\/p>\n
Non-stimulants (including atomoxetine or guanfacine) are also quite effective.<\/p>\n
Can pregnant women take the medications?
There\u2019s no prospective long-term study where we\u2019ve given pregnant women these meds and seen what happens to them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/201ed65bget.media_58-150x90.gif\")
<\/p>\n
Read More: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you go through each day frazzled? Unable to get through your to-do list? You could have ADHD. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":401185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-401184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"yoast_head":"\n