A recent study discovered THIS surprising fact about anxiety and ADHD

A new study by the University of Toronto has found that women with ADHD are “much more likely to have a wide range of mental and physical health problems in comparison to women without ADHD.”  This is some seriously worrisome news for those of us with ADHD, or those of us with friends with ADHD. In short: this is worrisome news.

For those of you who don’t know, WebMD defines ADHD as “a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity. ADHD begins in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. As many as 2 out of every 3 children with ADHD continue to have symptoms as adults.”

Esme Fuller-Thomson, the Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair at the University of Toronto’s Facto-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging explained the study’s findings:

That’s a disturbingly high rate of suicidal thoughts and depression.

Fuller-Thomson continued:

She also acknowledged the study’s many disappointments, most specifically, that they could notice the problem but not figure out why this was happening:

In fact, the study found that around 37%, or one in three of the women ADHD, had reported their difficulty meeting basic expenses such as food, shelter and clothing due to their inadequate household income. Meanwhile, only 13% of women without ADHD had this unfortunate outcome.

Fuller-Thomson hopes that there’s at least one silver lining to these studies: people will stop thinking of ADHD as a “boys’ disorder:”

Studies like these will hopefully encourage our insurance providers to make even more resources available for anyone who might be suffering from ADHD or anxiety, regardless of their income.