[Gillybean01]

ADHD in girls why is it so much harder to diagnose?

Sorry Long post

Possible trigger:

my Daughter is 12 years old she has had problems with behaviour, self esteem, self harming, thoughts of wanting to kill herself, refusing to do homework, innatention, disruptive, over talkative, anger issues, doesnt like to sit in one seat at school, walks out the classroom, friendship troubles, easily led, impulsively lies, gets bored easily, defiant, hates being told what to do.

Starting school aged 4 she kicked the teachers and didn't want to be there, she was rude, couldn't share, refused to sit quietly on the carpet, disrupting the class and having arguments with school friends, she has moved primary schools 3 times but no matter how they treated her she has had trouble doing as she is told, these issues come home with her and she has trashed her room numerous times, fights with her brother too.

Now aged 12 in high school she has gone from pulling her hair out, punching herself and sitting in the road at age 7 to cutting herself with scissors, knives or glass. she walks out of class, shouts at the teachers, refuses to do homework, doesn't make a huge effort with school work in general even though she is capable and is more interested in the social side even though she admits she gets angry and jealous easily and can loose her friends.

we are currently going through Cahms (childrens mengal health team) as I was forced to call an ambulance just 3 weeks ago when the self harming got bad and she has had an emergency meeting with them and an assessment last week too, they say she has deep emotional problems

Does this sound like any girl that has been diagnosed with ADHD?

I believe she has all the traits but I could be wrong. she was assessed at age 7 but we were told she was normal and her behaviour was normal yet 5 years later here we are, awaiting assessment from an ADHD consultant too as I don't think Cahms in our area diagnose ADHD

[sideblinded]

Gillybean01, Hello again, I am not following you. I promise. I just happen to have ADHD and my diagnosis didn't come until I was an adult. I am a female and I do remember having troubles in school staying in line and being easily distarcted and I also had impulse control problems, inattention and daydreaming. I was very hyperactive but I was too afraid to really do anything to get myself in trouble at an earlier age. Then I started skipping school and all the other stuff teens do.

What you are describing may be on the ADHD spectrum but their seems to be other factors that may or may not be ADHD. There is something called conduct disorder. This could be many other things so I would get her evaluated as soon as you can. The earlier she is assessed the earlier she can get help. You may need to be persistent with any evaluator as girls do get missed and overlooked for ADHD and other behavior disorders as I did. Best of luck to you. Let us know what you found out.

[Gillybean01]

Originally Posted by sideblinded

Gillybean01, Hello again, I am not following you. I promise. I just happen to have ADHD and my diagnosis didn't come until I was an adult. I am a female and I do remember having troubles in school staying in line and being easily distarcted and I also had impulse control problems, inattention and daydreaming. I was very hyperactive but I was too afraid to really do anything to get myself in trouble at an earlier age. Then I started skipping school and all the other stuff teens do.

What you are describing may be on the ADHD spectrum but their seems to be other factors that may or may not be ADHD. There is something called conduct disorder. This could be many other things so I would get her evaluated as soon as you can. The earlier she is assessed the earlier she can get help. You may need to be persistent with any evaluator as girls do get missed and overlooked for ADHD and other behavior disorders as I did. Best of luck to you. Let us know what you found out.

Thank you

I have asked for a CAF to be done tomorrow at her school and for them to push for her to be seen as today she refused to go the school, self harmed, then when to school was rude to teachers then rude to me this evening

cant take much more of the rudeness

This seems to be MUCH more than ADHD. Even if ADHD is part of this, much of it seems to be much more involved. Has she had a full psychological assessment?

[Gillybean01]

no we are still waiting, today i was so stressed i called social services, my gp, Cahms, streats ahead that deal with anti social behaviour and no one could help at home.

we were told at age 7 it was normal for her to pull her hair out in anger, sit in the road and say she wanted to die and be disruptive in class

I dont see much conduct disorder in her but depression, ODD, ADHD, she is a compulsive liar, steals from me, is soo rude and disrespectful. its heart breaking to see

[Gillybean01]

cahms the mental health team have said she has deep emotional issues

[pinkflower17]

I'm sorry you're going through all this. I recognize some of those characteristics in myself. The impulsivity, difficulty paying attention, getting tasks completed, sitting still etc.
However, like a previous poster said, it sounds like there's a lot more going on. A lot more. Just an opinion, but it does sounds like maybe oppositional defiant disorder or borderline personality disorder. Most people who self harm end up eventually being diagnosed with a personality disorder, most commonly borderline personality. Maybe something to look into. Is she in therapy? On meds at all? Does she see a psychiatrist? It sounds like you're in the UK? I know things work a little bit differently there (I'm in the US).
Again, this is just an opinion, but if my child was going through all that, I'd have her in therapy ASAP.

[doyoutrustme]

ADHD has many co-morbid disorders, but that description doesn't necessarily sound like ADHD to me. Sometimes inattention and impulsitivity could have as much to do with anxiety and emotional issues. Is she getting any counseling?

[Gillybean01]

she has emotional issues, she is being assessed for councilling. no anxiety that i no of, someone mentioned borderline personality disorder, and that could fit along with innatention, inability to sit still, so i guess adhd like symptoms so their could be a co-existing condition there

[KEB1990]

Not saying she is but do you if she's being bullied ? Either by her peers or teachers? I was bullied by a couple of teachers when I was in middle school and was homeschooled after that. With the issues she's having and if she's being bullied can make it worse. I've ADHD and OCD. I can see some of the same issues I deal with as you daughter does. All she may need is the councilling and some sort of treatment . Goodluck with your daughter and I hope you both find the peace you need.

[hypermic]

Your daughter is showing signs of severe emotional disturbance that sound similar to Borderline Personality Disorder. She may have ADHD, but it is likely she has something else also. It is possible she has suffered serious trauma or abuse such as the bullying suggested above.

You should take this behavior VERY seriously. Your daughter needs extended and expert help, she is also going to need significant emotional support from everyone in her life.

I have seen kids like your daughter before (from your description anyway). You need to minimize ANY external pressures on your daughter and have her accessed by an expert. She sounds at high risk of putting herself in extreme danger. She is not coping psychologically.

(All this is just my personal opinion from my own experiences)