ADHD diagnoses among mothers surge in the years following childbirth
PsyPost • • health
Key Points:
- A Danish study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that ADHD diagnosis rates drop during pregnancy but rise significantly in the years following childbirth, suggesting that parenthood may unmask previously undiagnosed ADHD in women.
- The study tracked 363,904 mothers from five years before to five years after childbirth and observed a 72% decrease in new ADHD diagnoses during pregnancy, followed by a gradual increase peaking between two to five years postpartum, with diagnosis rates 24% higher than pre-pregnancy levels.
- Over half of the women diagnosed postpartum had prior mental health treatment for conditions like depression or anxiety, indicating potential misdiagnosis or delayed recognition of underlying ADHD symptoms that overlap with mood disorders.
- The findings highlight that ADHD in women often
