Undiagnosed ADD in Women

Posted on June 30, 2009 in Health & Medicine, Women's Health

On days when your keys are nowhere to be found and the to-do list is a mile long, diagnosing your distraction may be the furthest thought from your mind. But for nearly 5 million American women, attention deficit disorder (ADD) is the reason they’re unable to concentrate. How many more cases of ADD go misdiagnosed or overlooked?

When adult ADD goes untreated for years, women may suffer from anxiety and depression. Detecting the neuro-behavioral condition may be difficult, since someone who has difficulty with small tasks might mask her frustrations with an extroverted personality. When a woman enters periomenopause, hormonal changes may intensify ADD symptoms such as forgetting names or specific information. The good news: this may lead to a diagnosis.

Symptoms of ADD include poor memory, the inability to concentrate and a tendency to daydream. It’s a life-long condition, so those who have it can usually trace back a history of distractions. If ADD runs in the family, there’s a 25 to 35 percent likelihood that another member of the family has it as well.

Once ADD is diagnosed, healthcare professionals can prescribe medication or help strategize for a solution. Some therapists who work with ADD patients have them incorporate certain behavioral changes into their lifestyle. If a frazzled state of mind is more of a pattern, consider asking a doctor about diagnosis.