5 ADHD Symptoms For Women Lessons Learned From The Pros
ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD report emotional volatility and sensitivity towards rejection. They may also suffer from insomnia and poor quality sleep which can cause more symptoms.
Girls and women often hide their ADHD symptoms better than males and employ coping strategies to meet the social expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis or delays in treatment.
1. Trouble focusing
Concentration is the biggest issue for women suffering from ADHD. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder could make it difficult to stay on task at school, during meetings at work, or when listening to others 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 suffering from the inattentive type of the disorder might be struggling to organize their house or work desk and find it difficult to prioritize tasks according to CHADD. These problems could cause them to skip appointments, show up in the wrong place at the correct time or fail to keep up on their tasks. They may also cause them to feel ashamed of themselves and blame themselves for their shortcomings and think they're lazy or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms can also make it difficult to keep track of obligations, resulting in poor school or work performance as well as the accumulation of debt. They can be triggered by stress or other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression that often co-occur with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Certain women and girls who suffer from inattentive ADHD aren't diagnosed or treated because of the biases teachers and parents might 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.
For women of adult age who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they can be exacerbated by hormonal changes. They may be more apparent during perimenopausal or menstrual cycle which is the period leading up to a woman's menopause, when estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings or irritation.
Adults with ADHD may benefit from stimulant medications to improve their concentration but it won'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 accommodations that can help with these issues too.
2. Forgetting adhd in women symptoms can make managing daily tasks and responsibilities challenging. It can be difficult to remember important details about events or people particularly when they occur in a crowded or noisy environment. You may also find yourself forgetting appointments or running late to work or school. Forgetting to pay bills or respond to emails is common in women with ADHD that can lead to financial stress and leave you feeling rushed. You may have difficulty working in a noisy or crowded office, and you might zone out during conversations. This could cause the other person to feel unimportant or confused.
Many women and girls suffering from ADHD also have trouble maintaining friendships and are at risk of being forced into sexual activities that are not desired or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. This is due to the fact that they have a harder to manage their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They might also have trouble with self-esteem, and may be more likely to interpret their issues as "personal flaws" rather than recognizing that their behavior is related to their ADHD symptoms.
Because of gender bias, women and girls with ADHD are underdiagnosed as their symptoms are less obvious than those of males and boys. They may camouflage symptoms with anxiety and mood disorders, which can result in a misdiagnosis or improper treatment.
The symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations, especially during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen rises. This can lead to a wider range of symptoms, which makes it harder to identify and treat ADHD.
Being diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you develop life skills to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also try lifestyle changes, like eating a balanced diet and avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to get worse. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help relax your mind and reduce restlessness and impulsiveness. They can also improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional could be able to assist you by discussing possible accommodations that could aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at work or at school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, females with ADHD have more irritable symptoms 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 be to do with how much activity is occurring in the areas of the brain responsible for managing impulsive and disruptive behavior.
In the end, it can be harder for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping mechanisms to mask their symptoms. Some are healthy, while others aren't sustainable and could cause other health problems. Women, for instance, turn to excessive alcohol and other drugs to deal with their problems. They might also develop depression or other mental health issues like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies can make it difficult for someone to recognize that they have an issue with their mental health and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common symptom of adhd for women. It can affect their academic or work performance, and even their relationships. These include being incapable of staying focused on a specific task, forgetting important events or tasks and being easily distracted by the surrounding environment or their thoughts. They might fumble or tap their feet or hands or squirm in their seats. They can also yell or speak loudly, and can interrupt.
Women who have the inattentive subtype may have trouble in concentrating during lectures or discussions, keeping up with schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following instructions in classes or at work, and managing daily tasks. They are often disorganized and messy and have a difficult time keep track of commitments or tasks. They are more susceptible to losing or misplacing items 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, and at schools, and can trigger feelings of anxiety and boredom. It can also cause frustration. They have a hard waiting to be called upon at school, home, or in the workplace and often interrupt other people. They are unable to control their behavior and are likely to behave recklessly.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD may find it harder to cope with their symptoms. This is largely due to societal expectations that demand that mothers and women be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman with ADHD struggles to keep up with her responsibilities, she can be afflicted with anxiety and stress that lead to low self-esteem. This makes it harder to seek treatment.
In addition, women with ADHD often have difficulty getting diagnosed as their symptoms aren't as pronounced 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 also more likely to develop coping mechanisms that mask their ADHD symptoms. For example excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness could be interpreted as signs of anxiety disorders.
This Web site of ADHD can change throughout the woman's life. For example, during periods of hormonal changes, such as menstrual or pregnancy, a woman could find her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This can result in being viewed as a terribly emotional woman and can cause a sense of frustration.
The information in this article is based on research into how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is biology: chromosomal make-up hormones, hormones, and anatomical structure, while gender is an internal sense of who you are as a man, a woman, or if you're non-binary, you're a person. This distinction is important because it enables a better understanding of how and the ways that ADHD manifests can differ between genders. In this article, we are referring to males and people who were assigned male 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 a variety of research studies. To find out more, check out the Verywell Health guide to gender and sex.