Why Women Are Still Being Missed in ADHD Diagnosis

HOST: October is ADHD Awareness Month, and today we’re talking about a situation a lot of women might see themselves in: getting an ADHD diagnosis decades later than they probably should have.

HOST: Today we are talking with Mentavi Health, our mental health expert. We have Mentavi’s CEO, Keith Brophy, and we also have Dr. Barry K. Herman and Dr. Sharika Klutz here, and we’re going to delve into the subject. First, let’s start with you, Keith. Let’s talk about Mentavi, just as a refresher, and what you do.

KEITH BROPHY: Mentavi Health is an online mental health journey. We provide diagnostic evaluations and optional treatment, when warranted, for common mental health conditions like ADHD, anxiety, depression, and so on.

HOST: And now on to Dr. Herman. We are specific in this conversation to ADHD. What are we seeing here?

DR. BARRY K. HERMAN: Well, as you know, the classic picture of ADHD has always been a little boy who can’t sit still in the classroom. He’s bouncing off walls. His motor’s always running. He’s engaging in disruptive behavior. But girls often present quite differently. They’re more likely to struggle with attention, organization, and completing tasks, without the disruptive hyperactivity that attracts all the attention. They’re the daydreamers. They may sit quietly in class. They may do very well academically, but they’re still struggling. And because they don’t fit the traditional stereotype, their ADHD may go unrecognized for years, sometimes well into their adulthood.

HOST: So, Dr. Herman, why does it take so much longer, sometimes even years longer, for women to be diagnosed with ADHD?

DR. BARRY K. HERMAN: Right. Well, as I said, ADHD is more common in boys during childhood, but girls are much more likely to be overlooked because their symptoms are less disruptive. Many become very good at compensating for their problems, something that we call masking. However, by adulthood, those rates become much more similar. And interestingly, our own Mentavi data show nearly identical rates of ADHD in adult men and women. Our structured approach may help reduce some of the implicit biases that sometimes lead clinicians to explain away women’s ADHD symptoms as something else.

HOST: And Dr. Klutz, you work with women, and I know this conversation is personal to you as well. What does that actually look like when a diagnosis comes and women realize, “Ah, these are the answers I’ve been searching for”?

DR. SHARIKA KLUTZ: Absolutely. Thank you. Yes, this one is personal for me. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 30. Up until then, I thought: maybe I’m not trying hard enough, maybe I’m overly sensitive, maybe I’m just disorganized, I just have to get organized. And what I’ve seen with my patients is a sense of relief, an understanding of what’s been going on.

HOST: Is there something different as they go through phases of life, like having a baby, or going through menopause, that can sometimes make this difficult?

DR. SHARIKA KLUTZ: Part of this is the normal shifts, things that happen postpartum and in menopause.

DR. BARRY K. HERMAN: Right. The key is getting a comprehensive evaluation, not just a simple symptom checklist. That means looking at the big picture: understanding childhood symptoms and how these symptoms have affected someone in all areas of their life, including at home, at school, at work, and even in their relationships, and whether other conditions might better explain them. At Mentavi, we’ve developed a structured diagnostic evaluation, which is reviewed by licensed clinicians. It’s been validated in a clinical study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in the fall of 2025. Our goal is really enhanced, accurate diagnosis that provides the foundation for appropriate treatment.

KEITH BROPHY: We built Mentavi very intentionally for exactly that kind of help. First of all, we have reduced barriers of access, so it’s very easy to start our digital mental health journey. And our goal is to arm the patient with insights that can come from our diagnostic evaluation, or from dialogue with our treatment physician once diagnosed, and we steer them on the journey that’s appropriate to where they’re at.

HOST: I can only imagine there might be some people watching this conversation and saying, “This could be me. I’m really strongly feeling that maybe this could help.” So where does the person start?

KEITH BROPHY: It’s a very easy first step: Mentavi.com on the web, or ADHDOnline on the web. They’ll both take you to the same digital journey.

HOST: Well, there we go. We have a QR code right here, and we also have the website. Keith, Dr. Klutz, Dr. Herman, thank you so much for joining us. We’ve talked about a lot of things here, a great conversation pertaining to our mental health. Thank you so much.

KEITH BROPHY: Thank you. Thank you.