ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD often report symptoms of emotional instability and an sensitivity to rejection. They may also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which can cause the symptoms to become worse.
Girls and women are typically more adept at hiding their ADHD symptoms by using coping strategies to conform to social expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis as well as a delay in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
For a lot of women suffering from ADHD, focusing is the most challenging thing. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school in meetings at work, or when reading and listening to others' conversations. It can also be challenging to manage daily tasks, like keeping track of appointments or making sure to take 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. According to CHADD women who suffer from the inattentive form of the disorder may struggle to organize their home and their desks. They might also have difficulty deciding how to prioritize their tasks. These difficulties can lead to them not attending appointments, showing up at the wrong time or location or not completing their work tasks. They can cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their shortcomings believing they are incompetent or forgetful.
Attention-deficit ADHD can lead to poor performance at work or in school and can lead to the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD they can be triggered either by stress or other mental conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Some girls and women with inattentional ADHD are not diagnosed or recognized because of biases that parents and teachers may be prone to towards males and females. 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.
Hormonal changes can also cause symptoms in adult women with ADHD. For instance, they could become more noticeable during menstrual cycles, or during perimenopause, which is the time before menopause--when estrogen levels dip and can cause emotional issues, including mood swings and anger.
The use of stimulants can help improve concentration for adults with ADHD, but it won't solve the problem. Other strategies such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can help with focus and organization. Some workplaces and schools have facilities that can assist with these issues, as well.
2. Forgetting Things
The habit of forgetting can make managing daily chores and responsibilities difficult. You may find it difficult to remember important details particularly when they happen in a noisy setting. You may also find that you are often late for appointments or run late for school or work. Not being able to pay your bills or reply to emails is a common occurrence for women with ADHD that can lead to financial stress and make you feel stressed. You may experience difficulties working in a crowded or noisy workplace and frequently zone out during conversations, leaving the other person to feel ignored or misunderstood.
Many girls and women with ADHD also have trouble maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pressured into sexual activities that are not desired or being victims of intimate partner violence. They are more likely than other people to be overwhelmed because they have difficulty regulating their emotions. They might also be struggling with their self-esteem and may view their difficulties as something that is a "personal fault" instead of realizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Girl and women who suffer from ADHD are also often overlooked due to gender bias, since their symptoms are more obvious than those of males and females. They could disguise symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders, which can lead to a misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
The symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones particularly during puberty, when estrogen drops and progesterone rises. This can result in greater variance in symptoms throughout the day, which can make it more difficult to identify and manage ADHD properly.
When diagnosed and treated, you will learn to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes, such as eating a well-balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine, and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to worsen. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can relax your mind and reduce restlessness and impulsiveness. They also aid in improving emotional regulation. Talking with a mental health professional can be beneficial, as they can discuss possible accommodations at school or at work that might aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD tend to be more inattentive than hyperactive or hyperactive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that the brains of girls and women differ from those of men and boys, or it could have to do with the amount of activity is occurring in the parts of the brain that manage disruptive and impulsive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to hide their symptoms. Some are healthy, while others aren't long-lasting and could lead to other health problems. For instance some women resort to drinking or using drugs to cope with their symptoms. They could also develop depression or other mental health problems such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies can make it difficult for people to recognize that they have mental health issues and delay the diagnosis.
Disruptive behaviors are a common adhd symptom for women that can impact school or work performance and relationships. They often include not staying focused on a particular task, not remembering important dates or events, and being easily distracted by other aspects of the environment or in their thoughts. They may fidget, tap their feet or hands, or shake their hands. They may also shout or speak loudly, and can interrupt.
Women with the predominantly inattentive type of adhd might have trouble concentrating on lectures or conversations; keeping up with writing, reading, or schoolwork; following instructions at the workplace or in class and managing daily tasks. They are often disorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace things like eyeglasses, wallets, and keys.
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 work, at home or at school. It can also cause feelings of irritability, boredom, and frustration. They can't wait for their turn whether at school, at work, or at home. They are also known to interrupt others frequently. They tend to act recklessly and are not able to manage their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls with ADHD may have a harder dealing with their issues than boys and men. Iam Psychiatry is partly due to social expectations, which demand that mothers and wives be the primary caregivers for their children and their household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations and obligations, it can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This makes it harder to seek treatment.
In addition, women with ADHD frequently have a difficult time getting diagnosed as their symptoms are not as prominent 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. In addition they are more likely to develop strategies for coping to disguise their ADHD symptoms, such as frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness which can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD may also change over a woman's lifetime. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstrual or pregnancy, a woman may discover her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This can lead her to be misunderstood or considered a woman who is overly emotional.
The information in this article is based on research regarding how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structure, while gender is an internal sense of what you're like as a man, woman, or if nonbinary, an individual. This distinction is crucial because it enables a better understanding of the ways and the ways ADHD manifests can differ between genders. In this article we will refer to males and those assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as boys and men, and to women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This is in line with how many research studies employ this terminology. To learn more, read Verywell Health's guide on gender and sex.