The diagnosis of ADHD has changed dramatically through time . The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM ), which standardizes criteria for mental disorders , recognized ADHD officially in its 1968 edition . Prior to that , the closest diagnosis was “ minimal brain dysfunction ,” which was used to describe hyperactive and impulsive children . Revisions in the current edition of the DSM include listing ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder rather than a disruptive behavior disorder .
serious impairments . Researchers today classify people as having one of three variations : hyperactive , inattentive or a combination . Boys are more often classified as hyperactive while girls are more often described as inattentive or as a combination of inattentive and hyperactive .
The inattentive girls ’ symptoms may be easier to miss , but observers ’ biases may also lead to under-diagnoses , according to a 2018 British study comparing parents ’ observations with more objective measurements . The study , involving 283 diagnosed boys and girls , found that parents perceive ADHDrelated behaviors differently in girls and boys , sometimes underrating hyperactivity and impulsivity in girls while exaggerating those traits in boys . “ The diagnostic criteria [ are ] based on male behaviors ,” says Florence Mowlem , a health consultant who did the study as part of her doctoral work at King ’ s College in London . “ Maybe we do need slightly alternative [ criteria ] for females .”
An ADHD summer camp
Hinshaw recalls that when he and his team began the B-GALS project , their peers doubted they ’ d be able to find enough girls to study . Hinshaw spread the word among local physicians and posted an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle . In the first few days , the team received more than a thousand inquiries , filling up the tape on the project ’ s answering machine .
After carefully screening candidates with questionnaires and an eight-hour assessment session , Hinshaw and colleagues selected 140 girls diagnosed with both the inattentive and combined types of ADHD and 88 girls without the disorder , all 6 to 12 years old and from different ethnic backgrounds . Each summer for three years , the girls attended a five-week camp offering art and drama classes and outdoor activities . The diagnosed girls volunteered to abstain from medication during this time .
The researchers observed the girls ’ interactions and tested them on their IQs , anxiety levels and relationship skills . Their first publication in 2002 , in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , described how girls with the disorder had serious trouble managing their thoughts , emotions and behavior . They also had the same kinds of academic problems as boys with the disorder . In some disciplines , such as math , they fared even worse than their male peers , says Hinshaw .
The girls ’ social lives also suffered . Researchers found that the girls with the
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