ADHD

An Interview With Ashley Houchin

The initial studies on ADHD were done on white young males, leaving out females, older people, and minorities. This is why we know so much about how ADHD presents itself in men but not in women. There are many misconceptions about ADHD, especially in how it presents in women, which makes it harder to diagnose and treat.


Dr. Ashley Houchin is the founder and CEO of Lotus Bloom Psychology in Naperville and Lombard, Illinois. Dr. Houchin described that people tend to think of the hyperactive aspect of ADHD, which can be more social than physical for women. Instead of not being able to sit still, women with hyperactive ADHD might be very talkative, talk over others, overshare, etc. Inattentive ADHD is more difficult to pick up on in general, but when women present this way, they are seen as shy, careless, aloof, or disinterested.

“A lot of these social interactions are misunderstood, and people judge women as if this is a part of their personality instead of understanding that this is a symptom and a way that their brain operates differently,” said Dr. Houchin

Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can lead to other mental disorders like anxiety or depression, or it can cause eating or sleep disorders which worsen the symptoms of ADHD. In her experience, Dr. Houchin said that roughly 60% of women with ADHD have a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, but a 2023 ADDitude survey showed 93% of women reported having a second diagnosis along with ADHD. This makes obtaining an accurate ADHD diagnosis even more difficult. It’s becoming more well-known that ADHD can cause emotional dysregulation, but the DSM 5 doesn’t list it as a criterion, however, it does list that symptom for depression.


Recent studies have found that hormones affect ADHD, causing symptoms to get worse during puberty, perimenopause, and menopause. They also may affect treatment. Dr. Houchin says her patients often respond initially to ADHD medications but need more changes to dosage or even medications over time. And since women have only relatively recently been treated with stimulants, the long-term side effects are not yet known.