ADHD Today: Girls and Women, Medication Benefits and Risks, and Rising Diagnosis Rates

This two-hour interactive session covers three topics school counselors encounter in practice.

First, ADHD was defined from studies of boys, and that bias still shapes which students get noticed. Drawing on Dr. Morse's recent co-authored book, A Clinician’s Guide to ADHD in Women, we will examine how ADHD presents in girls and women, what an accurate diagnosis requires, and which students counselors can help identify.

Second, stimulants, the most effective ADHD medicines, have been linked to fewer childhood emergency-room visits for injuries, better academic achievement, and lower early mortality; appetite suppression and sleep disturbance are also common. We will weigh these benefits against the risks, a balance families often raise with counselors, and we will also discuss how treating a parent’s own mental health condition can help a child with ADHD.

Third, ADHD diagnoses have risen substantially over recent decades. We will ask how much reflects a true increase vs.…