Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), a common ADHD comorbidity, are chronic, functional behaviors that often result in physical damage. A wide range of emotional states can precede and follow a BFRB episode; individuals may feel pleasure, relief, shame, or pain, which may drive another episode.

Certain thought processes or beliefs, boredom, anxiety, or the need to relieve an uncomfortable bodily sensation can trigger the behavior. Some people mindlessly partake in the behavior, or it is a compulsion they can’t stop. Many people enjoy engaging in BFRBs, though they hate the outcome of their pulling or picking.

In this download, you will learn…

• Traits of trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder)
• Signs of excoriation or dermatillomania (skin-picking disorder)
• The difference between nail biting and onychophagia (nail-biting disorder)
• Descriptions of BFRB treatments and interventions, such as habit reversal training (HRT), Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment (ComB), and others.
• And much more!

This Women’s Health Month, ADDitude’s Women Demand Attention initiative seeks to change this by drawing attention to the research that doesn’t exist or doesn’t fully reflect the lived experiences of ADHD in women. From puberty to menopause and PMDD to age-related cognitive decline, the research need is vast and spans the lifespan.

A better understanding of sex differences in ADHD — a condition linked to devastating health outcomes when untreated — will improve diagnostic and treatment outcomes for women.

Download this free calendar and join the chorus of medical experts, health advocates, and government agencies calling for gender equality in health research. The calendar contains actionable steps to address inequities in health research and insights — one for each day in May 2024 — to enhance your knowledge of ADHD in women.

“Research specifically devoted to girls and women with ADHD is not only an issue of equity but a life-or-death issue for some girls and women.” — Julia Schechter, Ph.D., of the Duke Center for Girls and Women with ADHD

Even after an ADHD diagnosis, many clinicians are reluctant or refuse to prescribe stimulant medications due to conflicting or outdated information, leaving many older adults with ADHD without proper treatment.

It’s never too late to seek a diagnosis and symptom relief. Use this Patient Resource to begin conversations about and pursue an evaluation for ADHD as an older adult.

In this download, you will learn

• Why it’s never too late for an ADHD diagnosis
• Why older adults with ADHD symptoms go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed
• Why stimulants do not increase cardiovascular risk
• Why ADHD treatment gets tougher with age
• And much more

The menstrual cycle typically lasts 28 days, but it can be 21 to 40 days long. Regardless of duration, it comprises four phases:

• The menstruation phase begins on the first day of your period and typically lasts three to seven days.
• The follicular phase overlaps with the menstruation phase. It begins on the first day of your period, ends at ovulation, and lasts about two weeks.
• The ovulatory phase lasts 12-24 hours and occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle.
• The luteal phase begins the day after ovulation and lasts roughly two weeks until the start of your next period.

The Menstrual Cycle Workbook for Women with ADHD is based on a 28-day menstrual cycle. (If your cycle is longer than 28 days, we’ve built in floating days to accommodate this.)

If you’re interested in contributing to ADDitude’s research on how ADHD impacts women, please fill out this short survey after charting your symptoms for two months: additu.de/period (URL opens May 10)

How to Use the Menstrual Cycle Workbook

1. Begin tracking symptoms on the first day of your period. Rate the severity of each ADHD symptom below on a scale of 1 (mild) to 5 (life-altering).
2. Continue adding days for the duration of your period. Use as many days as needed and repeat the process for each menstrual phase.
3. Calculate each day’s total symptom severity as you go.
4. After each phase, calculate each phase’s symptom severity by totaling all rows in each column. Divide each total by the number of days you filled in to get the average severity for each symptom and for the whole phase.

After tracking two menstrual cycles, compare the averages in each menstrual phase and see what patterns emerge. Share the results with your healthcare provider. Together, you can use the data to make more informed decisions about your treatment and activities during menstruation.

Being a “highly sensitive person” (HSP) is not a disorder but an attribute common in people with ADHD. An HSP is more sensitive to environmental and social stimuli. They feel emotions deeply. Unkind words that bounce off others can leave them in tears. Stimulating environments and conversations may lead to angry outbursts, headaches, or rashes.

Though they share several similarities, hypersensitivity is not synonymous with sensory processing disorder (SPD), a neurological condition where the brain has difficulty organizing and processing sensory stimuli.

In this download, you will learn:

• Differences between HSP and SPD
• Featured characteristics of hypersensitivity
• How to treat hypersensitivity
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Untreated depression in teens could have serious consequences. Suicide was the second leading cause of death in 2020 among youth ages 10 to 14 and the third leading cause of death among adolescents ages 15 to 24, according to the CDC.¹

Highly effective interventions for depression exist, yet only 41% of teens with depression receive treatment. This may be because parents can’t differentiate typical teen moodiness from depression or that teens resist treatment.

In this download, you will learn:

• Common symptoms of major depressive disorder in teens
• How depression in adolescents manifests differently than in adults
• Why teenagers resist treatment
• How to help adolescents get the interventions they need
• And more!

The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or Text 988, 988lifeline.org

Source

¹“Adolescent Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/adolescent-health.htm

MDD impacts millions of Americans annually. The World Health Organization ranks depression as the single largest contributor to global disability.¹ More than half of people with ADHD will experience a depressive episode, yet many signs of depression go unnoticed, leading to missed diagnoses and a lack of treatment.

Major Depressive Disorder affects every aspect of a person’s life, making it seem like life is not worth living. It’s a serious problem that requires treatment.

In this download, you will learn:

• Why it’s critical to understand how depression manifests
• How MDD looks different in teenagers
  How depression differ from “reactive” or “situational” depression
• Why sadness is not the most common symptom of depression
• Unexpected signs of MDD
• And more!

The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or Text 988, 988lifeline.org.

Sources

¹Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017, https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/254610/WHO-MSD-MER-2017.2-eng.pdf

Experts call this significant and persistent disparity the “depression gap.” Why does it exist?

Experts believe the explanation is likely a combination of biological and sociological factors that uniquely impact women. What are they? And why are women with ADHD more likely to have hormone-related mood disorders and more severe symptoms than their neurotypical peers? ². Find the answers to these questions and more in this download.

You will also learn the following:

• How hormonal fluctuations increase the risk of developing mood disorders
• Signs of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• Postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms
• The life events and circumstances that impact women more often than men
• Effective treatment options for major depressive disorder

The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call or Text 988, 988lifeline.org

Sources

¹“Prevalence of Depression Among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United States, 2013–2016.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db303.htm
²Dorani, F., Bijlenga, D., Beekman, A.T.F., van Someren, E.J.W., Kooij, J.J.S. (2020). Prevalence of Hormone-Related Mood Disorder Symptoms in Women with ADHD. J Psychiatr Res. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.005

Individuals with an eating disorder fear gaining weight, especially in the form of body fat. According to research published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, adults with ADHD are four times more likely to develop eating disorders than are people without ADHD.¹

Eating disorders are serious — but treatable — conditions. Treatment generally includes psychotherapy, medications, nutritional counseling, and medical monitoring. Adults with ADHD and an eating disorder are best served by a medical professional who understands both conditions. For teen-specific treatment guidance, see additu.de/teenseatingdisorders.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• What types of eating disorders are associated with ADHD
• Symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN)
• Symptoms of binge-eating disorder
• Symptoms of bulimia
• The difference between AN and atypical anorexia nervosa
• Signs of eating disorders
• Information on where to get support, resources, and treatment options

Learn more about the eating disorders tied to ADHD here: additu.de/eating-disorders/.

Sources

¹ Nazar, B. P., Bernardes, C., Peachey, G., Sergeant, J., Mattos, P. & Treasure, J. (2016). The risk of eating disorders comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord 49, 1045-1057.https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22643

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurological disorder that impacts the parts of the brain that help us plan, focus on, and execute tasks.

Nearly 1 in 22 American adults have ADHD, which is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity that interferes with and impacts work, home life, and relationships — especially if left untreated. ¹

Historically, it was considered a childhood condition, but ADHD is now recognized as a lifelong condition that persists well into adulthood. In fact, according to research published in American Journal of Psychiatry and JAMA Network Open, ADHD diagnoses among adults are growing four times faster than ADHD diagnoses among children in the U.S. (26% increase among children vs. 123% among adults from 2007 to 2016). ¹,²

However, fewer than 20% of adults with ADHD are accurately diagnosed and treated.³, ⁴

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How many adults worldwide have ADHD
• How many adults with ADHD are accurately diagnosed and treated
• How many adults diagnosed with ADHD have a comorbid condition
• The most prevalent comorbid conditions among adults with ADHD
• The ADHD diagnosis rates among adults of all races and ethnic groups
• And much more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Sources

¹ Kessler, R.C., Adler, L., Barkley, R., Biederman, J., Conners, C.K., Demler, O., Faraone, S.V., Greenhill, L.L., Howes, M.J., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T.B., Walters, E.E., & Zaslavsky, A.M. (2006). The Prevalence and Correlates of Adult ADHD in the United States: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. American Journal of Psychiatry. 163(4). doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716

² Chung, W., Jiang, S. F., Paksarian, D., Nikolaidis, A., Castellanos, F. X., Merikangas, K. R., & Milham, M. P. (2019). Trends in the Prevalence and Incidence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adults and Children of Different Racial and Ethnic Groups. JAMA Network Open. 2(11), e1914344. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14344

³Barkley, R.A., Brown, T.E. (2008). Unrecognized Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults Presenting with Other Psychiatric Disorders. CNS Spectrums. 13(11):977–984. doi: 10.1017/S1092852900014036

⁴Katzman, M.A., Bilkey, T.S., Chokka, P.R., Fallu, A., & Klassen, L.J. (2017). Adult ADHD and Comorbid Disorders: Clinical Implications of a Dimensional Approach. BMC Psychiatry. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1463-3

Adults with ADHD rarely fall asleep easily, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed.

The reasons for these sleep challenges are numerous — everything from faulty circadian rhythm and neurological abnormalities to engaging in common ADHD behaviors like overstimulating activities late at night.

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSWPD) are common in adults with ADHD. They can also exacerbate ADHD symptoms and lead to health problems, such as a weakened immune system, a dysregulated appetite and metabolism, and moodiness.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• How to distinguish between obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and delayed sleep-wake syndrome
• Symptoms of sleep disorders
• What to do if you are experiencing sleep disturbances
• Treatment options to help you fall asleep
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Auditory processing disorder (APD), or Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), is a lifelong condition that impacts the brain’s ability to filter and interpret sounds typically diagnosed in school-aged children.

Children with auditory processing disorder have normal hearing abilities, but their brains have difficulty receiving, organizing, and making sense of sound, which can impact how they listen, communicate, and learn.

Symptoms of ADHD and APD may overlap, but their root causes are unique. (ADHD is strongly tied to executive functioning deficits, while APD is not.)

In this download, you will learn the following:

• Common signs of APD
• Areas of auditory skill difficulty in children
• How APD and ADHD symptoms may overlap in children
• Who can screen patients for APD
• Age requirement for an APD screening
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Learning to drive is thrilling for most teens, and nerve-wracking for their parents. When an adolescent has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), parents must be extra vigilant — anticipating and addressing symptoms that might cause distracted or impulsive driving.

Teens and adults with ADHD are more likely than others to drive carelessly, speed, fail to obey signs and signals, follow too closely, pass improperly, and not follow road markings. Research suggests they’re at least somewhat more likely than those without ADHD to participate in reckless driving, drunk driving, and poor lane placement.

This doesn’t mean you will be your child’s chauffeur forever. A simple agreement between you and your teen can help define the rules, encourage responsibility, and keep everyone safe on the road. Download this free driving contract template to get started with rules and guidelines such as:

• No night driving for the first six months without a parent on hand.
• No cell phone use while driving; pull over to accept urgent phone calls or texts.
• No passengers except parents for at least the first three to six months.
• Maintain a driving log. Teens should note where they went, how long it took, and what difficulties and distractions were encountered. Parents and teens can then discuss the log and develop ways to improve concentration and avoid problems.
• And more!

Given the considerable driving risks associated with youth and inexperience, stringent safety guidelines make good sense for teens with or without ADHD. Parents can alter the agreement after six to twelve months of driving — when and if the teen demonstrates that he or she can drive competently and safely.

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in self-image, relationships, and emotions.

BPD is estimated to be the third most prevalent personality disorder, affecting about 1.6% of the global population¹. Up to 20% of inpatient psychiatric patients have BPD, suggesting that people with BPD are more likely to require intensive mental health care².

BPD is one of 10 personality disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Along with histrionic, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders, BPD is a Cluster B disorder, which causes affected individuals to appear erratic, emotional, or dramatic.

In this download, you will learn the following:

• common symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• BPD treatment options
• BPD’s link to ADHD
• And more!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only

Sources

¹Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2011). Personality disorders: a nation-based perspective on prevalence. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 8(4), 13–18.
²Chapman J, Jamil RT, Fleisher C. Borderline Personality Disorder. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430883/