As many women as men have ADHD, approximately 6% of the whole population. But 60% of women are diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood compared to 40% of men [1]. That's because ADHD in women may look different than clinically and stereotypically expected.
Because ADHD has long been studied through a male lens, signs of ADHD in women are overlooked or misdiagnosed everywhere, including in basketball. These traits can be perceived as "lazy" and "weird" personality traits or being unprepared for the game.
Understanding what signs are actually undiagnosed ADHD for women lets them be free from expectations and get the help they need.
Signs of ADHD in Women According to DSM-5
How do clinicians determine that a person has ADHD? A standard practice is a behavioral evaluation based on the DSM-5, a standard diagnostic manual for all mental health disorders. These manuals are constantly revised and improved, but they are also criticized for excluding unique experiences of women, people of color, etc.
That's why people more and more frequently refer to independent screenings. There's an ADHD test online that accounts for the diversity of people and their experiences. After such tests show a higher likelihood of ADHD, people can better advocate for their needs.
Below is a breakdown of DSM-5 ADHD symptoms, with context on how they may show up in female basketball players [2].
Inattentive Symptoms
Inattentive ADHD is the most common presentation in women, and it’s also the easiest to overlook. Unlike common "boyish" ADHD, inattentive symptoms are internalized and mostly show up in thoughts and habits. Here they are in the DSM-5:
Cannot pay full attention, hence, makes careless mistakes.
Laser-focuses on fast breaks, defense rotations, or clutch moments, but drifts away during timeouts, repetitive drill.
Fails to sustain attention in activities that require it (reading, conversations, lectures).
Might not listen when people talk to them (daydreams, focuses on their own thoughts).
Doesn't follow coaches’ instructions.
Doesn't like to engage in tasks that require sustained attention (also includes procrastination).
Often loses things.
Can be easily distracted by external stimuli.
Hyperactivity Symptoms
When people think of hyperactivity, they might imagine visible restlessness. In adult female basketball players, hyperactivity is frequently internal rather than physical. Hyperactivity symptoms in basketball can look like:
Fidgets, taps hands, doesn’t stay straight (repetitive movements to soothe yourself in general).
Runs or climbs in inappropriate situations (the inner feeling of restlessness counts as well).
Being loud and interrupting others.
Not feeling comfortable with not playling.
Impulsivity Symptoms
Playing intuitively instead of overthinking.
Interrupting others, finishing sentences of others, and being impatient in conversations.
Has trouble with waiting (waiting for their turn, waiting in line).
Taking low-percentage shots without realizing it.
Performs best under pressure, worst in low-stakes games.
Other Requirements for ADHD Diagnosis
Beyond symptom lists, DSM-5 includes additional criteria that must be met for an ADHD diagnosis, such as:
Symptoms have been present before age 12.
Symptoms should be present in at least two settings (game, work, study, relationships, social life, hobbies, etc.)
Symptoms actually worsen the quality of life.
Other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, BPD, schizophrenia, etc., are excluded.
How Does ADHD Present in Women? Real Experiences
It's a common experience not to relate to clinical criteria for adult women who suspect they might have ADHD. That's because DSM-5 barely includes unique symptoms of ADHD in women and ignores alternative manifestations.
In order to differentiate ADHD from burnout or other mental health conditions, here's a collection of real-life experiences of women who were diagnosed with ADHD [3]. How did they feel before getting a diagnosis and explanation for their "weird" behavior?
“I shine in chaos”
I play women’s rec league basketball. I shine in chaos. Missed shots are not ‘just’ oh-wells to me. I genuinely feel like I’m the worst person afterwards. Off court, I also noticed time blindness, impulsive spending, and like I’m constantly in a play. Coach actually suggested assessment to me. Got diagnosed with ADHD last month. Everything finally made sense.”
What stands out in this reply is not just ADHD symptoms, but contextual contrast. The author describes excelling in chaos and failing in structure. That contrast is a classic adult-female ADHD pattern.
Basketball didn’t cause ADHD. It exposed it by stripping away masking.
“My head could never relax”
As one woman with ADHD described it, she felt like her "head was always three steps further." She wasn't only thinking about what she did in the moment, but also planning her next steps and stacking the to-do list in her head.
This is how restless might show up in women with ADHD. Unlike the need for constant physical movement, their thoughts are restless. It's exhausting, and no amount of rest can "turn the head off", making women with ADHD more prone to stress, burnout, and self-blame.
“I was just a weird kid who liked things too much”
Hyperfixation is one of the lesser-known ADHD symptoms in women. It describes a special interest, for which ADHDer always has energy and neglect other things, while hyperfixated. Basketball can be one of them.
As children, many girls who experienced hyperfixation as a sign of ADHD might not have been disruptive. But they could have been intense. They fixated deeply on specific matches, read the same book repeatedly, talked endlessly about one topic, or became emotionally attached to hobbies, characters, ideas, and even certain physical objects.
This might continue into adulthood, but in a more masked way. The special interests women keep to themselves or deprioritize them completely, not feeling fulfilled or relaxed.
“Something was different about me”
Since childhood, girls with ADHD feel like they don't fit. Because of constant comparison and social expectations, they might feel less effective, funny, easy-going, smart, or popular like other kids.
This inner intuition is a result of multiple factors: rejection sensitivity, fatigue, fidgeting, interrupting other people, etc. Women with ADHD may not be able to explain why exactly they feel like impostors, and it comes with a cost. Constant self-monitoring contributes to even more exhaustion and a feeling of inauthenticity.
“I would just procrastinate until it was too late”
Procrastination in ADHD is not about laziness or poor priorities. It’s rooted in neurodevelopmental differences, and therefore, there are a few criteria that indicate procrastination in the DSM-5.
Deadlines create adrenaline, which temporarily boosts focus. Some women with ADHD might do tasks in intense bursts. Alternatively, girls who have comorbid anxiety and ADHD might be so scared of failing that they overcompensate by doing tasks way too far in advance.
“The student with a lot of potential, but who didn’t make an effort”
Neurodevelopmental changes in the brains of a person with ADHD actually allow for more creative thinking and seeing systems in chaos. That's why some women with ADHD are called gifted, but "lazy."
Traditional school or work systems are not designed for ADHDers. Women with ADHD are divided between handing in a perfect assignment and not handing in anything. Behind the scenes, many girls are masking, overcompensating, or burning out from trying to meet expectations without adequate support.
“Being bored is painful”
If a woman with ADHD is bored, it doesn't mean that her brain can just shut off. Vice versa, due to the absence of stimulation, the brain stimulates itself through more thoughts, ideas, plans, reflection, etc. This comes from low dopamine tolerance, which makes under-stimulating tasks feel almost physically distressing.
To escape this discomfort, women who show ADHD signs might seek stimulation (playing music, watching a TV show in parallel, drinking fuzzy drinks, biting their lip, etc) or switch tasks, scrolling completely. When boredom feels painful, the brain looks for relief wherever it can find it, even if that relief creates new problems later.
“Rejection sensitivity made me a people-pleaser”
Rejection sensitivity isn't in official diagnostic criteria, but it's a derivative of emotional dysregulation that is one of the most common ADHD symptoms in adult women. Being sensitive to rejection means also being sensitive to critique, negative comments, perceived resentment, and disapproval.
In order to avoid negative feelings related to rejection sensitivity, women with ADHD might people-please, satisfy everyone's needs before their own. That's harmful due to a few reasons: 1) Adult women with ADHD spend their time doing something they don't want to; 2) Their self-esteem builds off of what others will think about them; 3) Overcommitting and overcompensation might lead to burnout.
Sources:
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Telehealth Use in Adults — National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System, United States, October–November 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/pdfs/mm7340a1-H.pdf
DSM-IV to DSM-5 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Comparison. National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t3/
Women who weren’t diagnosed until you were adults, can you share what your symptoms were? Reddit Thread. 2024. https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1dtvtcd/women_who_werent_diagnosed_until_you_were_adults/
