Dr. Julia Schechter

And then when we start to realize, okay, there is impairment, but it probably is just below the surface, not necessarily above the surface from what we can see.

So hormones themselves, we don't yet see that as the triggering factor to causing ADHD.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, which means that it has to really do with how the brain is developing.

And certainly, hormones are a part of that.

But we don't yet kind of see that connection of, you know, you have a big sort of hormone shift and that causes ADHD.

But what we do have emerging research to suggest is that hormonal shifts may exacerbate these kinds of symptoms.

And so now we're seeing them differently or they're causing impairment in such a way that would make someone then meet criteria more.

for ADHD.

And this is still an emerging literature.

It's really exciting literature.

Some of what we're seeing is that, yeah, across the menstrual cycle in young adult women, we're seeing that at certain points in the menstrual cycle, particularly when estrogen is low, we're seeing that ADHD symptoms seem to be exacerbated.

We also have some of this indication kind of in older women and

and seeing some similar changes there in fluctuating hormones.

And so this is definitely an area that is really needed in terms of more science.

Yeah, we absolutely are.

In fact, what we're finding is that in adulthood, men and women at this point are diagnosed largely at the same rate.

There's been a really big kind of pendulum situation

And women have been diagnosed much, much more in adulthood.

Girls are still less likely to be diagnosed in childhood.

So boys are around three times more likely to be diagnosed in childhood.