Psychiatr. praxi. 2026;27(2):81-88 | DOI: 10.36290/psy.2026.014

Adult ADHD in women: clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and the role of hormonal fluctuations

MUDr. Michal Vodička

Psychiatrická ambulance, České Budějovice

ADHD in adult women often remains unrecognized for years and is frequently misdiagnosed as an anxiety and/or depressive disorder, or their difficulties are instead attributed to a primary disorder of emotion regulation or to nonspecific stress-related overload associated with family and caregiving responsibilities. Compared with men, women's clinical presentations are typically less externally conspicuous (with lower levels of disruptive motor hyperactivity) and more internalized, with prominent inattention, executive function impairments, chronic disorganization, and emotional dysregulation. Symptom expression may further fluctuate across the lifespan in relation to reproductive hormonal changes, including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and the postpartum period, and perimenopause. This article summarizes the characteristic manifestations of ADHD in adult women, common sources of diagnostic error, and the clinical implications of hormonally related symptom variability.

Keywords: ADHD, women, executive dysfunction, comorbidities, hormonal fluctuations.

Accepted: June 10, 2026; Published: July 21, 2026  Show citation