ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD experience emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor quality sleep which can make symptoms worse.
Girls and women are generally 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. Difficulty Focusing
For a lot of women suffering from ADHD concentration is the most difficult thing to do. The symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder could make it hard to remain focused at school, at meetings at work, or when reading and listening to others ' conversations. It can also be difficult to complete 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. Women who suffer from the inattentive version of the condition may be struggling to organize their home or their work desk and struggle to prioritize 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 keep up on their work duties. They may cause them to feel bad about themselves and blame themselves for their problems believing they're lazy or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to manage obligations, resulting in poor school or work performance as well as the accumulation of debt. They are often caused by stress or other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression that often co-occur with ADHD in women, according to CHADD.
Teachers and parents may be biased against boys and men, causing some 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.
Hormonal changes can also exacerbate symptoms in adult women with ADHD. They may be more apparent during menstrual cycles or perimenopausal periods that is the time leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman as estrogen levels drop and cause emotional problems like mood swings and irritation.
Stimulant medications can help improve concentration for adults with ADHD however it doesn't solve the problem. Other strategies, including lifestyle changes, mindfulness training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can also help with focus and organization. Certain schools and workplaces have facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make juggling daily tasks and responsibilities challenging. You may find it difficult to keep track of important details, especially if they occur in a noisy area. You may also end up not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Women with ADHD tend to forget to pay bills or responding to emails, which can result in financial stress and a sense of urgency. You might have trouble working in a crowded or loud office and often zone out during conversations, causing the other person to feel disregarded or untruthful.
Many girls and women who have ADHD also struggle to maintain friendships. They also run the risk of being pushed into unwanted sexual behavior or becoming intimate partner violence victims. This is because they have a more difficult time regulating their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They might also have a problem with their self-esteem and may view their issues as something that is a "personal flaw" instead of realizing that their behavior may be linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Females and females with ADHD are also often overlooked due to gender bias as their symptoms are less evident than those of males and females. They may be more likely to camouflage their symptoms by claiming mood or anxiety issues, which can result in being misdiagnosed or incorrectly treated.
ADHD symptoms can be different based on the fluctuation in hormone levels. This is particularly the case during puberty when hormone levels decrease and progesterone levels rise. This can result in greater variation in symptoms throughout the day, which can make it more difficult to identify and manage ADHD effectively.
Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you develop how to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also consider lifestyle changes, such as eating a well-balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine and other stimulants that may cause symptoms to worsen. You can also practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm your mind, decrease impulsiveness and restlessness, and improve emotional regulation. Talking with a mental health professional could also be helpful, as they can discuss possible accommodations at work or at school to aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD are less attentive than those with hyperactive or the symptoms of impulsivity. This could be due to the fact that the brains of women and girls differ from the brains of boys and men or it could have to do with the amount of activity is occurring in the regions of the brain that manage disruptive and impulsive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to recognize ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to hide their symptoms. Some are healthy, but others are not sustainable and can lead to other health issues. For example, some women turn to alcohol or other drugs to deal with their symptoms. They could also develop depression or other mental health problems like anxiety. add test for women of coping can make it difficult for someone to recognize mental health issues and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common adhd symptom for women that can affect work or school performance and relationships. They often include not staying focused on a particular task, not remembering important events or tasks, and becoming easily distracted by other things in the environment or in their minds. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands or shake their hands. They may also yell or speak loudly and may 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 the classroom or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They may be disorganized and forgetful. They can also be messy. It can be difficult for them to stick on commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace things like 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 disorder can cause problems at home, at work, as well as at school, and it can cause feelings of restlessness and boredom. It can also cause frustration. They are unable to wait for their turn, whether at school, at work, or home. They often interrupt others. They are unable to manage their behavior and tend to be reckless.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may find it harder to cope with their symptoms. This is due in part to the expectations of society that require women and mothers be the primary caregivers for their children and household. When a woman struggles to meet her responsibilities, it can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. This can make it more difficult for her to seek help.
Women with ADHD are often not diagnosed as readily as males or females because their symptoms do not appear as prominent. 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 that cover up their ADHD symptoms, including frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness which could be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can change over the woman's life. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, such as menstrual cycles or pregnancy, women may notice her ADHD symptoms to become more severe. This can lead her to be viewed as a victim of prejudice or dismissed as an emotionally overly sensitive.
This article is based upon research into how ADHD affects different individuals based on their gender. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology, hormonal makeup, chromosomal makeup and anatomy. whereas gender is a subjective sense of being a male, female, or nonbinary person. This distinction is important as it helps us comprehend the reasons behind why ADHD manifests differently in women and men. In this article we will refer to men and people assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys and women and people assigned to female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This terminology is used in many research studies. For more information, check out the guide to sex & gender by Verywell Health.