ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD have reported emotional instability and sensitivity towards rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor quality of sleep, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Girls and women often hide their ADHD symptoms more effectively than men by employing coping strategies to meet social expectations and norms. This can lead to a misdiagnosis as well as delays in treatment.
1. Trouble focusing
Concentration is the biggest issue for many women with ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to focus at school, during meetings at work as well as when reading or listening to others talk. It can be challenging to complete daily tasks like keeping track of appointments or taking 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. According to CHADD, women with the inattentive version of the disorder may struggle with organizing their homes and their desk. They might also find it hard to prioritize their tasks. These problems can cause them to miss appointments, arrive at the wrong place at the correct time or fail to keep up on their work duties. They may also cause them to feel bad about themselves and blame themselves for their troubles, thinking they are incompetent or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms can also make it hard to keep track of responsibilities, leading to poor school or work performance and the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD, they can be triggered by stress or other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Teachers and parents might be biased towards boys and men, causing some girls and women 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 who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they can be worsened by hormonal changes. They can be more noticeable during perimenopausal or menstrual cycle which is the period leading up to menopausal symptoms, when estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings or irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD may benefit from stimulant medication to improve their focus however, it cannot solve the problem. women and adhd as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help in focusing and organization. Some workplaces and schools have facilities that can assist with these issues as well.
2. Forgetting Things
It can be difficult to keep track of daily activities or take care of the responsibilities. You may have difficulty remembering important details about people or events particularly when they occur in a noisy or busy environment. You may also find that you often forget appointments or get late for work and school. Women with ADHD tend to forget to pay bills or reply to emails, which can lead to financial stress and a feeling of urgency. You might have trouble working in a noisy or crowded office, and you might get lost in conversations. This could cause the other person to feel ignored or misunderstood.
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 struggle to control their emotions. They might also have trouble with self-esteem and could be more inclined to see their difficulties as "personal flaws" rather than recognizing the fact that their behavior is correlated to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender bias due to gender bias, girls and women with ADHD are not diagnosed because their symptoms are less obvious than those of males and boys. They could disguise symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders, which could cause a misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
The symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations particularly during puberty, when estrogen drops and progesterone increases. This can result in greater variance in symptoms from day to day, which can make it harder to recognize and treat ADHD effectively.
When diagnosed and treated, you can learn to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating an appropriate diet and avoiding stimulants like sugar, caffeine and drinks with sugar which can aggravate symptoms. You can also practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to help calm your mind, reduce impulsiveness and restlessness, and improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional could be able to help you by discussing possible accommodations that may help you manage ADHD symptoms at work or in school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD are more inattentive than hyperactive or hyperactive symptoms. That may be because the female and female brains differ from the brains of males and females or it could have to do with how much activity is occurring in the parts of the brain that control impulsive and disruptive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to recognize ADHD in women. Many women develop strategies for coping to mask their symptoms. Some are healthy, but others aren't long-lasting and could lead to other health problems. For instance women may turn to drinking or using drugs to manage their symptoms. They could also develop depression or other mental health conditions like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies can make it more difficult for someone to recognize that they have a problem and can delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is one of the most common symptom of adhd in women. It can impact their academic or work performance, or even their relationships. These include being unable to stay focused on a particular task, ignoring important events or tasks and easily getting distracted by the surrounding environment or their thoughts. They might fidget, tap their hands or feet, or squirm. They may also talk loud or yell. they can be interruptive.
Women who have the inattentive subtype may have trouble staying focused 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 unorganized and messy and have a difficult time keep track of commitments or tasks. They are more vulnerable to misplacing or losing items, including 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 problems at work, at home, as well as at school, and it can trigger feelings of anxiety, boredom, and frustration. They are not able to wait for their turn whether at school, at work, or at home. They often interrupt others. They aren't able to manage their behavior and tend to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may find it harder to manage their symptoms. 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 struggles to meet her responsibilities, it can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. This makes it more difficult for her to seek treatment.
In addition, women with ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed because their symptoms aren't as prominent as the men and boys. 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 to disguise their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness, which can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD may also change over the woman's life. Women may experience ADHD symptoms when hormonal changes occur, such as menstrual cycles and pregnancy. This can lead her to be viewed as a victim of prejudice or considered an excessively emotional.
The information in this article is based on research into how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structure. gender is an internal sense of the person you are as a man, a woman, or, if non-binary, or a person. This distinction is important because it helps us understand the reasons behind why ADHD manifests differently in men and women. In this article, we will refer to males as well as people who were assigned males 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 many research studies employ this terminology. For more information, read the guide to sex and gender by Verywell Health.