ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD often report symptoms of emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor quality sleep which can make symptoms worse.
Girls and women often hide their ADHD symptoms more effectively than men, using coping strategies to meet social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis or delay in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for many women with ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school or during work meetings or while reading or listening to other people talk. It can be difficult to accomplish everyday tasks such as remembering appointments or taking medication.
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 be struggling to organize their homes or at their desk and have difficulty focusing on tasks according to CHADD. These difficulties can lead them to miss appointments, show up at the wrong place at the correct time or fail to follow through on their work duties. They may also cause them to feel bad about themselves and blame themselves for their troubles, thinking they're lazy or forgetful.
Attention-deficit ADHD can also lead to poor performance at school or at work and can also lead to the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD they are often triggered by stress or other mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.
Teachers and parents might be biased against boys and men, causing women and girls to be misdiagnosed. 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 by hormonal changes. For instance, they may be more apparent during the menstrual cycle or during perimenopause--the run-up to menopausal, when estrogen levels decrease and can cause emotional issues such as mood swings and irritation.
Stimulant medication can improve concentration for adults with ADHD however it doesn't cure the condition. signs of adhd in women , such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can help with organization and focus. Certain schools and workplaces have facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make it difficult to keep track of daily tasks or to manage your the responsibilities. You may struggle to remember important details about people or events, especially when they happen in a crowded or noisy environment. You might also find yourself not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Women with ADHD are prone to forgetting to pay bills or respond to emails, which can cause financial stress and an impression of urgency. You may have difficulty working in a busy or loud office and often zone out during conversations, leaving the other person feeling disregarded or untruthful.
Many women and girls who have ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They also run the risk of being forced into inappropriate sexual behaviour or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. They are more likely than other people to feel overwhelmed due to the fact that they are unable to manage their emotions. They may also be struggling with their self-esteem, and may see their difficulties as an "personal flaw" rather than realizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Females and females who suffer from ADHD are also underdiagnosed because of gender bias as their symptoms are less obvious than those of males and females. They could disguise symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders, which can lead to a misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.
Symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations particularly during puberty, when progesterone levels drop and estrogen increases. This can result in greater variance in symptoms from day to day, which makes it difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD properly.
Being diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you gain life skills to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating healthy and balanced meals and avoiding stimulants like sugar, caffeine, and sugary drinks which can aggravate symptoms. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can to calm your mind and decrease anxiety and impulsiveness. They also aid in improving the regulation of emotions. A mental health professional may be able to assist you by discussing possible accommodations that may aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at school or at work.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, women who suffer from ADHD are more likely to experience inattention than those who are hyperactive or impulsive. This could be due to the fact that the brains of girls and women differ from the brains of males and females, or it could have to do with the amount of activity is occurring in the parts of the brain responsible for managing impulsive and disruptive behavior.
In the end, it can be harder for a physician to identify and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others aren't sustainable and may cause health issues of other kinds. For instance, some women are prone to drinking excessively or drugs to manage. They may also develop depression or other mental health issues such as anxiety. These unhealthy ways of coping can make it difficult for people to recognize that they have a mental health problem and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is one of the most common adhd symptoms for women. It can affect their work or school performance, or even their relationships. They typically involve not being focused on a particular task, not remembering important events or tasks, and becoming easily distracted by other things in their environment or in their thoughts. They might fumble or tap their feet or hands or squirm in their seat. They can also yell or speak loudly, and can interrupt.
Women with the inattentive subtype can have difficulty concentrating during lectures or conversations or completing schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following directions in classes or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They can be disorganized, messy, and forgetful and find it difficult to adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace things 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 work, home or in school. It can also cause feelings of irritability, boredom, and frustration. They have a tough waiting to be called upon at school, at home, or in the workplace and are often disruptive to other people. They are unable to control their behavior and tend to be reckless.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD might find it difficult to cope with their symptoms. This is partly due to societal expectations that demand that women and mothers are the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This makes it harder for her to seek treatment.
Women who suffer from ADHD are typically not diagnosed as easily as boys or men because their symptoms do not seem to be as apparent. 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. Furthermore they are more likely to develop strategies for coping that mask their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness that could be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can change throughout the life of a woman. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstruation or pregnancy, women may notice her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This can cause her to be misunderstood or considered being emotionally overly sensitive.
The information in this article is based on research regarding how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology, hormonal makeup, chromosomal makeup and anatomy; while gender refers to the internal feeling of being a male, female, or nonbinary person. This distinction is important because it enables a better understanding of the ways and the ways that ADHD manifests may differ between genders. This is why throughout this article we will refer to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys, and to women and those assigned to female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is utilized in many research studies. For more details, refer to the guide to sex and gender by Verywell Health.