Why Is ADHD in Women Often Misdiagnosed as Anxiety? 

It’s alarmingly common for ADHD to be misdiagnosed as anxiety in women, particularly those who receive a late diagnosis. This confusion happens because many ADHD symptoms, racing thoughts, restlessness, emotional overwhelm, can closely mimic those of anxiety. But while anxiety is about excessive worry and fear, ADHD is rooted in attention regulation and executive dysfunction. When clinicians or women themselves miss this distinction, it leads to years of misdirected treatment and misunderstood struggles. 

Why the Misdiagnosis Happens 

Here’s why ADHD is misdiagnosed as anxiety in women, and how symptom overlap plays a major role: 

Internalised symptoms 

Many women with ADHD don’t present with disruptive behaviour. Instead, they experience chronic disorganisation, forgetfulness, and intense emotional responses — all of which can look like anxiety, especially if they express worry about failing or letting people down. 

Coping through worry 

Women often use anxiety-like vigilance as a way to stay on track, setting countless reminders, over-preparing, or obsessing over details. While it may look like classic anxiety, it’s often a desperate response to underlying attention and memory difficulties. 

Masking and mislabelling 

 Social expectations lead many women to hide their struggles. When they finally seek help, they may only mention the worry, overwhelm, or burnout, not realising that those are downstream effects of undiagnosed ADHD. Clinicians unfamiliar with how ADHD presents in women may miss the real issue. 

The Cost of Misdiagnosis 

When ADHD is misdiagnosed as anxiety in women, they may receive treatment that doesn’t address the root of their challenges. Medication, therapy, or lifestyle changes aimed at anxiety might offer some relief, but the core executive dysfunction remains untreated. 

Visit providers like ADHD Certify for assessments that look beyond surface symptoms to distinguish ADHD from anxiety. 

For a deeper dive into the science, diagnosis, and full treatment landscape, read our complete guide to Late diagnosis and gender differences.