ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD have reported emotional instability and sensitivity towards rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor quality sleep, which can make symptoms worse.
Women and girls are often better at masking their ADHD symptoms, using coping mechanisms to meet societal expectations and norms. This can lead to a misdiagnosis as well as delays in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for many women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school in meetings at work as well as when reading or listening to others' conversations. It can also be difficult to manage 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. According to CHADD the women who suffer from the inattentive version of the disorder might have difficulty organizing their home and their desks. They may also find it hard to prioritize their tasks. These difficulties can cause them to miss appointments, arrive in the wrong place at the right time or not follow through on their job responsibilities. They may make them feel ashamed of themselves and blame themselves for their problems, thinking they are lazy or forgetful.
Inattention ADHD symptoms can also make it hard to manage the demands of life, resulting in poor school or work performance and the accumulation of debt. They are often triggered by stress or other mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, which often co-occur with ADHD in women, according to CHADD.
Some girls and women with inattentive ADHD are not diagnosed or recognized due to the prejudices that parents and teachers may have toward boys and men. 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 can be more evident during perimenopausal or menstrual cycle that is the time leading up to menopausal symptoms as estrogen levels drop and cause emotional problems like mood swings and irritation.
Stimulant medications can help enhance concentration in adults suffering from ADHD However, it can't solve the problem. Other strategies, such as lifestyle modifications, mindfulness-based training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can aid in focusing and organization. Certain schools and workplaces offer accommodations to help with these issues, too.
2. Forgetting Things
It can be difficult to keep track of your daily tasks or manage responsibilities. You may have difficulty remembering important details about events or people particularly when they take place in a noisy or busy environment. You may also end up not remembering appointments or being late to work or school. Forgetting to pay bills or reply to emails is a common occurrence for women suffering from ADHD, which can create financial stress and make you feel rushed. You might have trouble working in a crowded or noisy workplace and frequently lose focus during conversations, leaving others feeling unimportant or misunderstood.
Many women and girls with ADHD also have difficulty maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pressured into unintentional sexual activity or being victims of intimate partner violence. This is because they have a harder time regulating their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They might also be struggling with their self-esteem and may view their issues as something that is a "personal fault" instead of recognizing that their behavior may be linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender bias due to gender bias, girls and women with ADHD are often overlooked because their symptoms are more subtle than those of males and boys. They may camouflage symptoms with anxiety and mood disorders, which could cause a misdiagnosis and improper treatment.
The symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones, especially during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen rises. This can lead to a more frequent change in symptoms throughout the day, which makes it difficult to identify and treat ADHD effectively.
Being diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you develop how to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes, like eating a balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to worsen. You can also try mindfulness and meditation techniques to relax your mind, reduce impulsiveness and restlessness, and improve emotional regulation. Talking with an expert in mental health can be beneficial, since they can talk about possible accommodations at work or at school that might aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women with ADHD tend to be more inattentive than hyperactive or hyperactive symptoms. It could be because the brains of girls and women differ from those of boys and men or it could have to do with the amount of activity is happening in the regions of the brain responsible for managing disruptive and impulsive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to identify ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are not sustainable and could result in other health issues. weblink , for instance use excessive alcohol and other drugs to deal with their problems. They could also develop depression or other mental health conditions such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping methods can make it difficult for people to recognize they have a mental health problem and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom in women that can impact school or work performance and relationships. These include being incapable of staying focused on a specific task, forgetting important events or tasks, and easily getting distracted by the surroundings or their thoughts. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands or make a squirming sound. They may also talk loud or yell, and they may be disruptive.
Women who are inattentive are prone to having difficulty staying focused during lectures or conversations and juggling schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following directions in the classroom or at work, and managing daily tasks. They are often disorganized, messy, and forgetful and find it difficult to keep track of 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 subtype can lead to issues at work, at home, and at school, and it can cause feelings of restlessness, boredom, and frustration. They have a tough waiting for their turn at school, at home, or in the workplace and often interrupt others. They aren't able to control their behavior and are likely to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD might find it difficult to manage their issues. This is due to societal expectations that demand that mothers and women be the primary caregivers of their children and their household. When a woman struggles to meet her responsibilities this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This can make it harder to seek treatment for her ADHD.
In addition, women with ADHD often have difficulty getting diagnosed since their symptoms aren't as prominent as those of boys and men. 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 mechanisms that cover up their ADHD symptoms. For example excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness can be misinterpreted as signs of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can change over the course of the woman's life. Women may experience ADHD symptoms in the course of hormonal changes, like menstrual cycles and pregnancy. This can lead to her being misunderstood or dismissed as a terribly emotional woman, which adds to her sense of frustration.
The information in this article is based on research regarding how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is biology: chromosomal make-up, hormones, and anatomical structure, while gender is an internal perception of what you're like as a man, woman, or if non-binary, or a person. This distinction is important because it enables a better understanding of how and why the ways that ADHD manifests can vary between genders. In this article, we are referring to males as well as people who were assigned males at birth as boys and men. We also refer to females and those who were assigned female at conception as women and girls. This terminology is used in many research studies. For more information, check out the guide to sex and gender by Verywell Health.