CTV News interviewed Esme Fuller-Thomson about her research on women with ADHD

Women with ADHD are less likely to be diagnosed and treated, which can have serious consequences. CTV News spoke to Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson about her research on the topic. Recent studies led by Fuller-Thomson have found that half of adults with ADHD have had a substance use disorder and one in four women with ADHD has attempted suicide.

ADHD presents differently in men and women and as a result women and girls with ADHD tend to slip under the radar screen, says Fuller-Thomson. “Women are often not diagnosed until adulthood when interpersonal and work related tasks start to overwhelm them. Both women and girls have problems, but probably neither are adequately diagnosed.”

Because ADHD is more common among men than among women, little research or clinical attention has focused on women with the disorder.

> Click here to view the full CTV News segment

Fuller-Thomson has been Director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging (ILCA) since 2016 and is cross-appointed to U of T’s Department of Family & Community Medicine and the Faculty of Nursing.

Visit ILCA’s YouTube page to view its COVID-19 Talks video series, where Fuller-Thomson interviews experts on topics ranging from memory problems among older adults to strategies for managing caregiver stress.

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