ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD frequently experience symptoms of emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They can also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which could make symptoms worse.
Women and girls tend to hide their ADHD symptoms more effectively than men, using coping strategies to meet the social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school, during meetings at work or while reading or listening to others' conversations. It can also be challenging to get through everyday tasks, such as keeping track of appointments or remembering to take 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 who suffer from the inattentive version of the disorder may struggle to organize their house or desks and may find it difficult to prioritize tasks according to CHADD. These difficulties can lead to them missing appointments, showing up at the wrong time or place or not completing their work tasks. These difficulties can make them feel bad about themselves, and they might blame themselves for their troubles.
adhd in women checklist can make it difficult to manage 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 issues such as anxiety and depression, which often co-occur with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Some girls and women with inattentional ADHD aren't diagnosed or treated because of biases that teachers and parents may 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 adult women who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they can be worsened by hormonal changes. They may be more apparent during menstruation or perimenopause which is the period leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman, when estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings and irritation.
Adults with ADHD can benefit from stimulant medication to boost their concentration however, it cannot cure the condition. Other strategies such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can help in focusing and organization. Some workplaces and school have facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make managing daily tasks and responsibilities difficult. It can be difficult to remember important information, especially if they occur in a noisy area. You may also find yourself not remembering appointments or being late to work or school. Not being able to pay your bills or respond to emails is common among women suffering from ADHD and can cause financial stress and make you feel overwhelmed. You may have difficulty working in a busy or noisy workplace and frequently zone out during conversations, causing the other person feeling ignored or misunderstood.
Many women and girls suffering from ADHD also have trouble maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pressured into unintentional sexual activity or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. This is due to the fact that they have a harder time regulating their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They could also have a problem with their self-esteem, and they might view their problems as a "personal fault" rather than realizing that their behavior is related to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender bias, women and girls with ADHD are underdiagnosed as their symptoms are more subtle than those of males and boys. They may camouflage symptoms with anxiety and mood disorders, which could result in a misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment.
ADHD symptoms can differ based on hormone fluctuations. This is especially the case during puberty when estrogen levels drop and progesterone levels increase. This can cause a greater range of symptoms, making it more difficult to diagnose and treat ADHD.
Getting diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you learn how to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also consider lifestyle changes, like eating a well-balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine, and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to get worse. You can also try mindfulness techniques and meditation to relax your mind, reduce the impulsiveness and anxiety and improve your emotional regulation. Talking with a mental health professional could be beneficial, as they can talk about possible accommodations at school or at work that might aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, women with ADHD experience more inattentive symptoms than hyperactive or impulsive ones. This could be due to the fact that the brains of girls and women differ from the brains of men and boys, or it could have to do with the amount of activity is occurring in the parts of the brain responsible for managing disruptive and impulsive behavior.
This means it can be difficult for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women devise strategies to hide their symptoms. Some are healthy, but others are not long-lasting and could lead to other health problems. For instance some women resort to alcohol or other drugs to deal with their symptoms. They might also develop depression or suffer from other mental health problems such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies can make it difficult for people to recognize that they have a problem and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common symptom of adhd for women. It can affect their school or work performance, as well as their relationships. They often include not staying focused on a particular task, not remembering important events or tasks and being easily distracted by other things in the environment or in their minds. They might fidget or tap their hands or feet or squirm in their seat. They may also speak out loudly or yell, and they could be disruptive.
Women who have the inattentive subtype can have difficulty in concentrating during lectures or discussions or completing schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following directions in classes or at work, and managing daily tasks. They can be disorganized and messy and have a difficult time follow through on commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or lose items such as 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 and in school, and it can lead to feelings of agitation, boredom, and frustration. They are not able to wait for their turn in school, at work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They are unable to control their behavior and tend to be reckless.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may have a harder time to manage 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. If a woman with ADHD is unable to keep up with her obligations, she may feel anxious and stressed which can lead to low self-esteem. This in turn could make it difficult to seek out treatment for her ADHD.
Women with ADHD are often not diagnosed as easily 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. They are more likely to develop coping mechanisms that mask their ADHD symptoms. For example excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness can be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can change over the course of the life of a woman. Women can be afflicted with ADHD symptoms during hormonal changes such as menstruation and pregnancy. This can lead to being viewed as an overly emotional woman, which adds to her sense of frustration.
This article is based on research on how ADHD affects different people depending on their gender. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a matter of biology: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structures, whereas gender is an internal sense of the person you are as a man, woman, or, if non-binary, or a person. This distinction is crucial because it allows for a better understanding of how and the ways that ADHD manifests may differ between genders. For this reason, throughout this article we refer to men and people assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as boys and men and women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is utilized in many research studies. For more details, refer to the guide to sex & gender by Verywell Health.