Name
Missed, Misdiagnosed, and Misunderstood: Improving Detection of ADHD in Women Through Integrated Care
Description

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often underdiagnosed in women and girls (Attoe and Climie, 2023). Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of ADHD in women can have lasting impacts on social emotional wellbeing, feelings of control, and the ability to form and maintain relationships (Agnew-Blais, 2024; Skoglund et al., 2023). There are a number of challenges associated with diagnosing ADHD in women, including lower likelihood of diagnosis in childhood, past misdiagnoses, gender roles, changes in hormonal life stages and more (Babinski and Libsack, 2025, Osianlis, et al., 2026). Integrated healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to address earlier and more accurate ADHD diagnosis rates for women and girls. This presentation will explore up-to-date research on the key differences in the lived experience of women diagnosed with ADHD and how awareness of these experiences is critical to improving care. We will discuss how screening and assessing for ADHD in integrated healthcare settings can help with the ultimate goal of increasing accuracy and timeliness of ADHD diagnoses in women. We will also provide case examples showcasing common examples of screening for ADHD in integrated healthcare settings.

Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
ADHD, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Identify key differences in how ADHD presents in women compared to men.
Objective 2
Describe common diagnostic pitfalls that contribute to missed or delayed ADHD diagnosis in women.
Objective 3
Identify brief ADHD screening tools that can be implemented in primary care and integrated behavioral health settings.
Content Reference 1

Attoe, D. E., & Climie, E. A. (2023). Miss. diagnosis: A systematic review of ADHD in adult women. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(7), 645–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231161533

Content Reference 2

Agnew-Blais, J. C. (2024). Hidden in plain sight: Delayed ADHD diagnosis among girls and women. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 65(10), 1398–1400. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14023

Content Reference 3

Babinski, D. E., & Libsack, E. J. (2025). Adult diagnosis of ADHD in women: A mixed methods investigation. Journal of Attention Disorders, 29(3), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547241297897

Content Reference 4

Crocker, S. L., Roemer, A., Strohmaier, S., Wang, G. Y., & Medvedev, O. N. (2025). A scoping review of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder assessment and diagnosis: Tools, practices, and sex bias. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-025-00452-2

Content Reference 5

Skoglund, C., Sundström Poromaa, I., Leksell, D., Ekholm Selling, K., Cars, T., Giacobini, M., Young, S., & Kopp Kallner, H. (2024). Time after time: Failure to identify and support females with ADHD—A Swedish population register study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 65(6), 832–844. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13920