ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD often report symptoms of emotional volatility and sensitivity to rejection. They may also experience insomnia and poor quality sleep, which could cause the symptoms to become worse.
Girls and women are typically better at concealing their ADHD symptoms by using coping strategies to conform to social expectations and norms. This can lead to a misdiagnosis and an inability to treat.
1. Problems with Focusing
For many women with ADHD concentration is the most challenging thing. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder can make it difficult to remain focused at school, in meetings at work, or when listening to others talk. It can also be challenging to complete daily tasks, like keeping track of appointments or remembering to take your 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 suffering from the inattentive type of the disorder might struggle to organize their home or their desk and have difficulty focusing on tasks according to CHADD. These issues can cause them to miss appointments, show up in the wrong place at the right time, or fail to keep up on their job responsibilities. They may cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their shortcomings believing they're lazy or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD can lead to poor performance at work or in school and can lead to the accumulation of debt. They can be triggered by stress or other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression that are often associated with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Certain women and girls who suffer from inattentional ADHD are underdiagnosed or overlooked because of biases that teachers and parents might have towards men and boys. 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 who are adults with ADHD symptoms, they can be caused by hormonal changes. They can be more noticeable during menstruation or perimenopause which is the period leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman as estrogen levels drop and cause emotional problems like mood swings or irritation.
Stimulant medication can enhance concentration in adults suffering from ADHD However, it can't solve the problem. Other strategies, such as lifestyle changes, mindfulness training and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can also aid in organizing and focus. Some workplaces and school have facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make managing daily tasks and responsibilities challenging. You may find it difficult to keep track of important details particularly when they happen in a noisy setting. You may also end up not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Women with ADHD are prone to forgetting to pay bills or reply to emails, which can lead to financial stress and an impression of urgency. You may have difficulty working in a crowded or noisy office. You may also lose focus during conversations, causing the other person feeling disregarded or untruthful.
Many women and girls who suffer from ADHD also struggle to maintain friendships. They are also at risk of being pushed into inappropriate sexual behaviour or becoming victims of violence from intimate partners. They are more likely than others to feel overwhelmed due to the fact that they struggle to control their emotions. They may also struggle with self-esteem, and may be more likely to interpret their problems as "personal flaws" instead of recognizing the fact that their behavior is correlated to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender biases, women and girls with ADHD are not diagnosed because their symptoms are more subtle than those of males and boys. They may be more likely to camouflage their symptoms with mood disorders or anxiety and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones particularly during puberty, when estrogen drops and progesterone increases. This can lead to a wider variety of symptoms, making it more difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD.
Getting diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you develop the life skills needed to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also consider lifestyle changes, for example, eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to worsen. It is also possible to practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm your mind, decrease restlessness and impulsiveness, and improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional may be able to help you by discussing possible accommodations that could aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at school or at work.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In the majority of cases, women with ADHD are more likely to experience inattention than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that the female and female brains 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 control disruptive and impulsive behavior.
This means it is often difficult for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are unsustainable and can cause other health problems. Some women, for example are prone to drinking excessively and other drugs to deal with their problems. They may also be depressed or have other mental health problems such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can make it difficult for people to recognize that they have a problem and can delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behaviors are a common adhd symptom that affects women and can affect work or school performance and relationships. This includes being incapable of staying focused on a particular task, ignoring important events or tasks, and being easily distracted by the surrounding environment or their thoughts. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands or squirm. They can also yell or speak loudly and may interrupt.
Women who suffer from the primarily inattentive type of adhd may have trouble concentrating on lectures or conversations and juggling writing, reading or schoolwork; adhering to instructions at the workplace or in class and juggling daily tasks. They may be unorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace items like glasses, wallets, keys and even wallets.
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 trouble at home, at work, as well as at schools, and can lead to feelings of agitation or boredom. They can't wait for their turn in school, at work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They are prone to act recklessly and are unable control their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women who suffer from ADHD may have a harder dealing with their issues than boys and men. This is due in part to the social expectations that demand women and mothers be the primary caregivers for their children and household. When a woman with ADHD is unable to keep up with her responsibilities, she can be afflicted with anxiety and stress which can lead to low self-esteem. This in turn can make it harder to seek out treatment for her ADHD.
Women who suffer from ADHD are not often diagnosed as readily as men or boys 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. Additionally adhd in women test are more likely to develop coping strategies to disguise their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness, that could be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The signs of ADHD in women can change at different times in the woman's life. Women can be afflicted with ADHD symptoms in the course of hormonal changes, like menstruation and pregnancy. This can result in being dismissed or misinterpreted as a woman who is emotionally overly sensitive, which adds to her feeling of anger.
The information in this article is based on research about how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex is a reference to biology, including hormonal makeup, chromosomal makeup and anatomy. While gender is a subjective sense of being a man, woman or a nonbinary. This distinction is important as it helps us to better understand the reasons behind why ADHD manifests differently in women and men. In this article, we refer to males and people who were assigned male at birth as males and boys. We also refer to females and those who were assigned females at conception as females and girls. This is in line with how numerous research studies employ this terminology. To find out more, check out the Verywell Health guide to gender and sex.