[The importance of gender and age for symptoms and epidemiology of ADHD].

Abstract

ADHD is a descriptive diagnosis encompassing diverse symptom profiles with unclear etiology and varying prevalence estimates. This review outlines that evidence suggests diagnostic and treatment practices differ by age and gender, with a marked increase in adult diagnoses and higher treatment rates-especially among women-than cohort studies predict. This may indicate overdiagnosis. Given the diagnostic uncertainty and risk of overtreatment, particularly with rising societal performance demands, more stringent diagnostic criteria and individualised treatment approaches are recommended.