Societal bias prompts ADHD patients to keep diagnosis private

New Delhi: Approximately 53 percent of adults with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) choose to keep their diagnosis private. This tendency is more pronounced among young women (aged 18–34), with 66 percent opting for silence compared to 42 percent of young men, highlighting an inherent societal bias.

According to the non-profit organisation Understood.org, about 63 per cent of adults with a learning or thinking difference wish they had been diagnosed earlier in life.

The study surveyed 2,000 adults in the US aged over 18. The study also found that most adults (56 per cent) agreed that women with ADHD were perceived differently than men with ADHD, including three in four women with ADHD (75 per cent) who feel this way.

As per Laura Key, VP of content strategy and co-leader of the women's initiative at Understood.org, women with ADHD are considerably more likely to be "undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood" than men.

In addition, the study found that about 58 per cent of adults know that women are just as likely to have ADHD as men, yet many have misconceptions about ADHD in women. A notable 75 per cent of adults were unaware that women with ADHD were less likely to be diagnosed than men, and 72 per cent were unaware that they were more likely to be misdiagnosed than men.

The study also revealed that 87 per cent of people were unaware of bias against women in ADHD testing tools.

Source:IANS