ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD report emotional volatility and sensitivity to rejection. They may also suffer from insomnia and poor quality of sleep, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Girls and women are typically better at masking their ADHD symptoms by using coping strategies to meet societal expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis and a delay in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
Concentration is the biggest issue for many women with ADHD. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder can make it hard to concentrate at school, in work meetings, or even when reading and listening to other people's conversations. It can be challenging to complete everyday tasks such as keeping track of appointments or taking medications.
Difficulty focusing is one of the most common adhd symptoms for girls and women, regardless of their gender identity or whether they have hyperactive/impulsive or inattentive ADHD. Women who suffer from the inattentive version of the disorder might struggle to organize their homes or at their work desk and have difficulty focusing on tasks according to CHADD. These problems could cause them to skip appointments, show up at the wrong place at the right time or fail to follow through on their work duties. These problems can make them feel embarrassed about themselves and they might blame themselves for their own problems.
Attention-deficit ADHD can also lead to poor performance at work or in school and can also lead to debt accumulation. According to CHADD, they can be triggered by stress or other mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.
Teachers and parents may be biased towards males and females, which can cause women and girls to be underdiagnosed. They may not be able to express their ADHD symptoms as well, especially the hyperactive/impulsive ones, and may have difficulty finding treatment that works for them.
For women of adult age with ADHD symptoms, they may be worsened due to hormonal changes. They may be more apparent during menstrual cycles or perimenopausal periods, the run-up to a woman's menopause, when estrogen levels drop and cause emotional problems such as mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD can benefit from stimulant medications to boost their concentration, but it will not treat the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help in focusing and organization. Some workplaces and schools offer accommodations to help with these issues, as well.
2. Forgetting Things
The habit of forgetting can make juggling daily chores and responsibilities difficult. You may have difficulty remembering important details about people or events, especially when they happen in a noisy or crowded environment. You might also find that you frequently forget appointments or get late for school or work. Inability to pay bills or reply to emails is common among women suffering from ADHD, which can create financial stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed. You may have difficulty working in a busy or noisy office, and you might zone out during conversations. This can cause the other person to feel unimportant or confused.
Many girls and women with ADHD also have difficulty maintaining friendships and are at risk of being forced into unintentional sexual activity or becoming victims of violence from intimate partners. This is because they have a harder managing their emotions and are more likely to become overwhelmed. They may also struggle with their self-esteem and may be more likely to interpret their difficulties as "personal imperfections" instead of recognizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Girl and women with ADHD are also underdiagnosed due to gender bias, because their symptoms are less noticeable than those of boys and men. They are more likely to conceal their symptoms as mood or anxiety issues and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones, especially during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen increases. This can result in greater variation in symptoms from day to day, which can make it more difficult to identify and treat ADHD correctly.
Getting diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you learn the life skills needed to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes, like eating a well-balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine, and other stimulants that may cause symptoms to worsen. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can to calm your mind and decrease the impulsiveness and restlessness. They can also help improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional may be able to assist by discussing possible accommodations that may aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at school or at work.
3. Recommended Resource site who suffer from ADHD tend to be more sluggish than hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that girls and women have different brains than boys and men. It could also be due to the amount of activity in the brain areas that control impulsive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop strategies for coping to disguise their symptoms. Some are healthy, but others aren't long-lasting and could lead to other health issues. For instance women may turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to deal with their symptoms. They might also develop depression or other mental health problems like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies may make it difficult for people to recognize they are suffering from a condition and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common adhd symptom for women that can impact school or work performance and relationships. They typically involve not being focused on a task, forgetting important events or tasks, and being easily distracted by other aspects of the environment or in their minds. They may fidget, shake their hands or feet, or shake their hands. They can also talk out loudly or yell, and they may be disruptive.
Women who suffer from the primarily inattentive type of adhd might struggle with concentrating on their lectures or conversations as well as keeping up with writing, reading or schoolwork; following instructions at work or in class; and juggling daily tasks. They can be disorganized, messy, and forgetful and find it difficult to keep track of commitments or tasks. They are more prone to misplacing or losing items such as keys, wallets and eyeglasses.
Having the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type of adhd can disrupt work or school, cause social problems, and create relationship challenges. This type of adhd can cause issues at home, work, or school. It can also lead to feelings of irritability, boredom and frustration. adhd women test are unable to wait for their turn, whether at school, at work, or at home. They are also known to interrupt others frequently. They are prone to be reckless and are unable control their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD are more likely to have a difficult time coping with their symptoms than boys and men. This is largely due to the expectations of society that insist that women and mothers are the primary caregivers of their children and household. When a woman struggles to fulfill her obligations and obligations, it can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This in turn could make it difficult to seek out treatment for her ADHD.
In addition, women with ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed because their symptoms aren't as evident as those of men and boys. They may present with primarily inattentive symptoms, which do not have the same outward appearance as hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms, making them less likely to receive a referral for treatment from teachers and parents. They are more likely to develop coping strategies which mask their ADHD symptoms. For instance, excessive fidgeting or forgetfulness can be mistaken as signs of anxiety disorders.
The signs of ADHD in women can also differ at different times during the woman's life. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, such as menstruation or pregnancy, a woman may find her ADHD symptoms to become more intense. This can cause her to be misunderstood or dismissed as a woman who is overly emotional.
The information in this article is based on research into how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones, and anatomical structures, whereas gender is an internal perception of what you're like as a man, a woman, or if you're non-binary, a person. This distinction is crucial as it enables a better understanding of how and why the ways ADHD manifests can vary between genders. This is why throughout this article, we refer to men and people assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys, and to women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is used in many research studies. For more information, read the guide on sex and gender by Verywell Health.