ADHD in LGBTQ+ adults: what research shows and where to find affirming support

LGBTQ+ adults often ask whether ADHD is more common in their communities, partly because so many friends seem to be getting diagnosed. Research does suggest higher rates in some groups, but the evidence is younger and less settled than headlines imply. This page summarizes what peer-reviewed studies show, what they cannot tell us, what affirming care looks like during an evaluation, and LGBTQ+ resources in New York City and New Jersey. It is general information, not a way to diagnose yourself.

What the research shows

Transgender and gender-diverse adults

• Large self-report datasets. A 2020 study in Nature Communications combined five datasets with 641,860 people. Compared with cisgender people, transgender and gender-diverse people on average reported higher rates of autism and of other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses, including ADHD. The diagnoses were self-reported, and some datasets were convenience samples, which the authors acknowledged.
• Health system records. A 2026 study in Comprehensive Psychiatry used records from a US health system from 2019 to 2023, comparing 4,168 transgender and gender non-conforming patients aged 12 and older with cisgender patients. It found significantly higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD, along with higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, PTSD and substance use disorders. On an overall comorbidity index, transgender (2.05) and gender non-conforming (2.22) patients scored higher than cisgender patients (1.81).
• A caution from the systematic evidence. A 2020 systematic review of autism and ADHD in people with gender dysphoria found that few studies had examined ADHD prevalence at all, and called for population-based, controlled studies using diagnostic criteria.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and other non-heterosexual adults

Evidence on sexual orientation and ADHD in adults is thinner. The largest recent data come from the World Mental Health International College Student initiative, which surveyed 72,288 first-year university students in 18 countries. Non-heterosexual students were about 1.5 times as likely as heterosexual students to screen positive for ADHD, and transgender students about 1.5 times as likely as cisgender students. Those figures come from a six-question screener, not a diagnosis; the response rate was about 21%, and the authors said prevalence may have been overestimated. The study did not separate gay, lesbian, bisexual and other groups for ADHD. A positive screen means symptoms are worth a closer look, not that ADHD is present; see what self-test results mean.

Why might rates differ?

No one knows yet. None of the studies above was designed to explain the difference. The authors of the 2020 Nature Communications study noted that differences in diagnostic practices and in who takes part in studies may affect the numbers.

The minority stress model, set out in a widely cited 2003 review in Psychological Bulletin, explains higher rates of mental disorders among lesbian, gay and bisexual people as a result of stigma, prejudice and discrimination creating a hostile and stressful social environment. That model was built around conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance use; whether it applies to ADHD, which begins in childhood, has not been established. What it does mean in practice is that anxiety, depression, trauma and poor sleep, all of which can affect attention, are common enough that an evaluation should look at them carefully, both as alternatives to ADHD and as conditions that can occur alongside it. See ADHD or anxiety, ADHD or depression and ADHD or trauma.

Autism also comes up often. The 2020 Nature Communications study focused mainly on autism, which can overlap with ADHD. The guide to ADHD and autism together explains how they are told apart. Dr. Shershow does not perform autism evaluations.

What affirming care looks like in an ADHD evaluation

• Your name and pronouns. You can tell the office and the clinician the name and pronouns you use, even if they differ from insurance records.
• Your full medication list. Include hormone therapy, PrEP or any other prescriptions. The health review in an evaluation covers all medications, and an accurate list supports safe treatment decisions.
• Your history, on your terms. Childhood history matters for ADHD. If family contact is difficult or unsafe, say so; school records, friends or your own account can fill in. See evaluation without childhood records.
• Privacy. If you are concerned about who can see your records, the New York guide explains who can see an ADHD diagnosis.

LGBTQ+ resources in New York City and New Jersey

These organizations are independent of Dr. Shershow's practice. Each organization's website was online in October 2026; check their sites for current services and eligibility.

• Callen-Lorde Community Health Center (New York City). A community health center with sites in Chelsea, Brooklyn and the Bronx whose programs include transgender health, HIV services and LGBTQ+ health training. Its behavioral health program offers short-term counseling and psychiatry evaluations and follow-up, usually by referral, for existing primary care patients who have Medicaid, Medicare or ADAP or are uninsured.
• The LGBT Community Center (Manhattan). At 208 West 13th Street, it offers confidential, affirming mental health counseling, substance use recovery programs and support groups.
• Hudson Pride Center (New Jersey). An LGBTQ+ social services center with offices in Jersey City and Union City, offering health services, support groups and community programs.
• Trans Lifeline. A national peer support hotline run by and for trans people.
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988. As of July 17, 2025, the separate Press 3 option for LGB+ youth ended; SAMHSA says every caller still reaches trained, culturally competent crisis counselors.

When to talk to a clinician

It is worth talking to a clinician if focus, organization, restlessness or impulsivity have been part of your life since childhood and are affecting work, school, relationships or health. A clinician can also help sort out whether stress, anxiety, depression or sleep problems explain what you are noticing. The adult ADHD self-test can help you organize your thoughts, but it cannot diagnose ADHD or rule it out.

Dr. Shershow is a psychiatrist who focuses on adult ADHD and sees adults located in New York or New Jersey. His evaluation covers current symptoms, childhood, school and work history, health (medical history, medications, sleep, substances) and other explanations such as anxiety, depression or stress, and ends with what it found and the treatment options that fit. See ADHD testing in NYC or ADHD testing in New Jersey, or call the office.