Ethnic Inequality in ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment

Published by Kimberly Jenkins May 3, 2026

The other aspect that adds complexity in diagnosing and treating ADHD in women is ethnic and racial considerations. As it was shown, women who belong to the category of ethnic minorities, specifically women of non-white ethnicity, tend to have lower chances of being diagnosed with ADHD. Researchers have discovered that Hispanic/Latina and especially African American women are less likely to get the diagnosis of ADHD compared to White females despite exhibiting identical symptoms (Morgan et al., 2013; Coker et al., 2016).

Thus, for example, girls of color, especially Black and Latina girls, usually face harsh punishment at schools for behaving as people with ADHD typically do. At the same time, nobody tries to identify why girls display such behaviors. Therefore, discrimination in society and lack of equal opportunities for accessing healthcare can hinder the understanding of ADHD signs.
To overcome this problem, ethnic-specific models and methods of ADHD diagnostics should be developed, and researchers need to pay more attention to ethnic minorities.