By Kimberly Blaker

According to Sari Solden, in her book Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, "Almost all women find that life today is complex, upsetting or frustrating, but they are still able to meet most of [life's] demands reasonably well…. For women with untreated Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), however, the demands of daily life can be crippling. It cripples their self-esteem, their families, their lives, their work and their relationships.”

ADD, also known as Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), affects between three and five percent of the population. However, adult ADD, especially as it appears in women, has only recently been recognized.

Characteristics of ADD in Women
The symptoms of ADD are many but some are more commonly seen in women and opposite the more recognized symptoms. While there are a multitude of characteristics, most women with the disorder don't have every symptom. Instead, each woman has a mixture severe enough to impair some areas of life.

For women struggling with ADD disorganization is often a serious problem. They may be unable to organize their homes, offices, or lives. To outsiders, such disorganization is not always visible. Women who lead professional lives may have assistants, secretaries, and cleaning services to help them. Others may have a partner that compensates for their organizational dysfunction.
Other women with ADD find clutter and disorganization an incredible distraction. This may lead to mental disorganization as the scattered brain struggles to store, weed out, and organize the chaotic stimuli. Therefore, being tidy and organized equals survival.

Women with ADD can be at either end of the spectrum, either hyperactive or hypoactive (under active). A hyperactive woman may go at full speed until she crashes and be unable to sit and play games or read to her children unless she finds the activities stimulating.

Many women with ADD are at the other extreme. They're hypoactive, unable to muster the energy to do much of anything. These women are often unable to keep up with life's many demands such as maintaining a home, participating in family activities, staying in touch with friends, even holding down a job.

Women with ADD struggle with the inability to regulate attention. This doesn't mean they can never maintain attention. Many ADD women daydreamed their way through school without a clue to what was being taught or going on around them. Yet, subjects or activities they enjoyed didn't pose this problem.

Hyper-focusing also poses problems and can coexist with symptoms of inattention. A woman may over-focus on that which interests her and be unable to shift her attention. ADD women may be impatient either visibly or internally. Standing in lines, sitting in waiting rooms, and being placed on hold for lengthy waits drives some women to the brink.

For some, having ADD is like being on an emotional roller coaster becoming overly excited by the positive and swinging to the opposite extreme over slight problems, disappointments, and perceived criticism or rejection.

Misdiagnosis
New studies show that the incidence of ADD in men and women is nearly identical according to Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., co-author of Understanding Women with AD/HD. The most common reasons that women with ADD don't receive the diagnosis, says Nadeau, include the following:
• Their doctor diagnoses the depression that often accompanies ADD, but misses the ADD itself. Women with ADD, more often than men, have coexisting anxiety and depression that must be treated as well.
• Women who are more hyperactive, hyper-talkative, and impulsive may be misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
• Doctors still look for ADD signs typical of boys and don't understand that ADD signs in females often don't appear until puberty or later. This is due to hormonal fluctuations that impact ADD so that ADD is worse when girls enter puberty, during PMS, and as estrogen levels drop in peri-menopause and menopause.
• Girls tend to try harder in school, so their ADD patterns are masked or overlooked by teachers.

Treatment options
Over the last several years, numerous treatment options have become available for ADD. The diagnosis may involve several overlapping symptoms and antidepressants can be especially helpful. In addition to Ritalin® and Dexedrine, medications such as Wellbutrin® have a chemical structure similar to amphetamines and may be prescribed. Another medication, Strattera®, is not a controlled substance, and is approved for treating ADD. At times mood stabilizers are also prescribed.

Therapy can also be beneficial. Therapy is helpful for women in coming to terms with the lifelong disorder and can relieve negative coping behaviors that have developed. Coaching is useful in teaching women new skills and strategies for structuring their lives and in encouraging follow through. However, because ADD is neurobiological, therapy and coaching work best in conjunction with medication. Your doctor will work with you to help you determine which medications and practices are best.

Unfortunately, several ineffective treatments are being marketed. Treatments that are suspect, according to Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), include dietary plans such as the Feingold Diet, vitamin and mineral supplements, anti motion-sickness medication, Candida yeast, EEG Biofeedback, Applied Kinesiology (also known as Neural Organization Technique), and Optometric Vision Training, to name a few. Excessive claims are often made about these treatments, citing a few favorable responses or studies that don't hold up to scrutiny.

Where to go for help
Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential. Finding a qualified provider isn't always easy because adult ADD, especially as it affects women, has only recently been recognized. Before seeking a diagnosis, read some recommended books for a better understanding of the disorder and the diagnosis and treatment process.

Before spending much time in the diagnosis and treatment process, compile a list of questions to ask the provider to ensure that he or she has a clear understanding of the disorder and appropriate treatments. If you don't feel comfortable with a physician's responses seek help elsewhere.

Kimberly Blaker of New Boston, Michigan and her two children have AD/HD. Kimberly writes for parenting and women's magazines across the United States and other publications.