Centre pour le développement des apprentissages
31/05/2022

ADHD awareness month 2022 / Conference: « Hormonal changes in mood severity in women with ADHD across the lifespan »

Treffpunkt ADHS asbl invites to the conference on Thursday 20 Octobre 2022 from 19h-21h in Strassen (in English).

The speaker: Prof. Sandra Kooij (MD, PhD) Professor of Adult ADHD at Amsterdam University Medical Center/VUMc, Amsterdam and Head Expertise Center Adult ADHD, PsyQ, the Hague, The Netherlands

Objective

In medicine, women are still understudied because they are considered less reliable research subjects than men due to hormonal changes during the lifespan. Women with ADHD have been even more understudied, while exactly their hormonal mood changes and increased severity of ADHD urgently need our research attention.

Methods

In a selfreport questionnaire study (Dorani 2020) among 209 women with ADHD, hormonal mood changes during the cycle, after childbirth and during menopausal transition were investigated and compared with available data from women of the general population, using the same instruments. It showed that in every episode of hormonal changes, women with ADHD suffered from a 2-3 fold increase in frequency and severity of mood changes.

Results

This first study seems to point to increased severity of mood changes and ADHD symptoms during episodes of hormonal changes in women with ADHD during the lifespan.

Conclusions

During this talk, the findings and their etiological background will be clarified, such as the interaction between the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone with dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain. Treatment options will be discussed as well.

More information and registration