ADHD affects all ages and genders: clinical scientist

Dr. Lisa Batten was 26-years-old when she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In her experience, it’s a diagnosis often associated with children — particularly boys — but she’s found it can impact people of all genders at different stages of life.

“It’s a neurobiological disorder, which means it affects the structure of your brain and unfortunately that’s not something you grow out of,” Batten told CTV News Atlantic’s Maria Panopalis in an interview Friday. “Certain symptoms do reduce — hyperactivity, for instance. As your frontal lobe continues to grow, you’ll find some things are more manageable.

“For women it can actually get worse do to fluctuation in things like hormones,”

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Batten, a clinical scientist, said a large portion of the body of ADHD criteria is based on research with young boys, which can contribute to some people’s perception of it. She said ADHD impact boys and girls equally, but it can manifest in different ways.

“Girls tend to internalize their symptoms,” Batten said. “A lot of girls will try to compensate. There is an impact on self-esteem because you don’t feel you fit in anywhere. That internalized shame has a negative effect.

“Women with ADHD are four-times more likely to die by suicide.”

Batten said the growing public knowledge around mental health has improved her experience with ADHD over the years.

“I always felt like I had this quiet struggle,” she said. “I didn’t know many other females who had ADHD so my community was pretty minimal.

“It’s been phenomenal to experience more self-acceptance."