Why do more boys get diagnosed with ADHD? Or why are more girls being diagnosed now?

While boys and males are more traditionally diagnosed with ADHD, in recent times more females and adult women are now being diagnosed with ADHD. Some people claim that this is because of increased awareness, improved testing and/or reduced stigma of the ADHD diagnosis, but is it really?

If a particular condition or symptom is more common in one gender than the other, it usually suggests that the issue is something to do with sex hormones, at least in part.

With respect to boys with ADHD, due to the larger incidence of ADHD in males, one of the many possible causes is indeed a hormone imbalance. But ironically, it is not due to the higher testosterone hormone in males which is driving the ADHD, but actually lower testosterone and/or higher oestrogen, the female hormone! The opposite sex hormone to what there should be in males.

Males can have a hormone imbalance for a number of different reasons including nutrient deficiencies or excesses, low thyroid function, and environmental toxicities.

Similarly, females with ADHD can have a hormone imbalance too, and the female hormone system is a lot more complicated than for a male! But it’s not higher oestrogen which contributes to ADHD development in females, but again, the opposite sex hormone to what there should be – high testosterone!

Having a high level of the wrong sex hormone in some males and females can be a contributing factor to ADHD in some males and females. Because of questionable diets (of excesses and deficiencies), along with increased stress in the COVID times, and increased use of technology and social media by children and teens, has contributed more to the recent large increase in ADHD incidences in both males and females. In a previous study, which I wrote an article on, found that these were the causes of the increased incidence, and nothing to do with improved awareness or more or better testing that some people believe.

Obviously having a hormone imbalance is not the only cause of ADHD in either males or females, as there are many other known root causes and factors to ADHD development and symptoms. To help reduce ADHD symptoms and conditions, improve mental health and behaviours, improve quality of life, prevent worsening symptoms, and even reverse the condition, the causes and factors in each person with ADHD must be found and treated individually. This is what I can do!

For more information on ADHD or how I can help reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in your or your children/family, please see the other pages on this website or book in for a consultation.