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AuDHD Flourishing

112 ADHD in Women and Girls

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Thanks to Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson for letting me cross-post this important discussion about one of the first longitudinal studies of ADHD in women and girls!


Full show notes, timestamps, and Transcript available on Hyperfocus' site

(Ep 5, The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study, Dec 5, 2024 has the full version; it was reposted Aug 28 2025 with more brief notes)



Show notes:

Dr. Stephen Hinshaw is one of the leading voices when it comes to ADHD in women and girls. 


That’s in large part due to his work on The Berkeley Girls Study. (Its full name is The Berkeley Girls with ADHD Longitudinal Study, but most people know it by that shorthand or acronym: The BGALs Study.)


Under Steve’s leadership, researchers began studying 140 girls with ADHD and a control group of nearly 90 girls without it. They’ve been following these girls into their adulthood, producing a reams of information that has helped shape current understanding of ADHD in women and girls. 


That said, Rae Jacobson had plenty of questions for Steve:

  • Why did you want to study ADHD in girls at a time when it was typically seen as a boys’ disorder?
  • Why is it that one type of ADHD seems to lead to such negative outcomes?
  • What do we do about the stigma that still surrounds the disorder?


note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and self-harm. Please take care when listening and skip this one if you need to.


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