ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD often report symptoms of emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor quality of sleep, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Women and girls tend to hide their ADHD symptoms better than males, using coping strategies to meet the social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis or delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for many women with ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder can make it difficult to concentrate at school or during work meetings as well as when reading or listening to other people 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 who suffer from the inattentive version of the condition can struggle with organizing their homes and their desk. adult add women might be unable to prioritize their tasks. These difficulties can lead to them missing appointments, showing up at the wrong time or place or failing to finish their work tasks. These issues can cause them to feel bad about themselves, and they could blame themselves for their problems.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms can also make it difficult to manage responsibilities, leading to poor school or work performance and the accumulation of debt. They are often triggered by stress or other mental health issues like anxiety and depression that are often associated with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Women and girls with inattentive ADHD aren't diagnosed or treated because of the biases teachers and parents 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.
For women who are adults who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they may be caused due to hormonal changes. They may be more apparent during menstruation or perimenopause that is the time leading up to menopausal symptoms as estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings or irritation.
Stimulant medications can help improve concentration for adults with ADHD however it doesn't cure the condition. Other strategies, such as lifestyle modifications, mindfulness-based training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can aid in organizing and focus. Certain schools and workplaces have accommodations to help with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
It can be difficult to keep track of your daily activities or take care of responsibilities. It may be difficult to remember important information especially when they take place in a noisy setting. You might also notice that you frequently forget appointments or are late for work and school. Inability to pay bills or reply to emails is common among women suffering from ADHD, which can create financial stress and make you feel overwhelmed. You may experience difficulties working in a busy or noisy office, and you may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This can make the other person feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many women and girls who have ADHD also struggle to maintain friendships. They are also at risk of being pushed into sexually inappropriate behavior or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. They are more likely than others to feel overwhelmed because they have difficulty regulating their emotions. They may also have a problem with their self-esteem, and may see their problems as something that is a "personal flaw" instead of realizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender biases, women and girls with ADHD are often overlooked because their symptoms are less obvious than those of men and boys. They are more likely to camouflage their symptoms by claiming mood or anxiety issues and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
ADHD symptoms can differ based on hormone fluctuations. This is especially evident during puberty, as hormone levels drop and progesterone levels increase. This can cause a greater variety of symptoms, making it harder to diagnose and treat ADHD.
When diagnosed and treated, you can learn to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also try lifestyle changes, for example, eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to worsen. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to calm your mind and decrease restlessness and impulsiveness. They also aid in improving emotional regulation. A mental health professional may be able to assist by discussing possible accommodations that can help you manage ADHD symptoms at school or at work.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In the majority of cases, women who suffer from ADHD are more likely to experience inattention than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that girls and women have different brains than boys and men. Or it could be due to the volume of brain activity areas that regulate impulsive behavior.
It can be a challenge for doctors to identify ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to mask their symptoms. Some are healthy, while others are not sustainable and could cause other health issues. For example some women resort to alcohol or other drugs to manage their symptoms. They might also develop depression or suffer from other mental health issues like anxiety. These unhealthy coping methods can make it difficult for someone to recognize they have a mental health problem and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom for women that can affect school or work performance and relationships. These include being incapable of staying focused on a particular task, or forgetting important events or tasks, and easily getting distracted by the surroundings or their thoughts. They may fidget, shake their hands or feet or shake their hands. They may also speak out loud or yell. they could be disruptive.
Women with the inattentive subtype may have trouble staying focused during lectures or conversations and juggling schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following instructions in the classroom or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They may be disorganized and forgetful. They can also be messy. It can be difficult for them to stick with commitments or tasks. They are more vulnerable to misplacing or losing 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 cause problems at work, home, or school. It can also lead to feelings of irritability, boredom, and frustration. They are not able to wait for their turn in school, work, or home. They often interrupt others. They are unable to control their behavior and are likely to behave recklessly.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may have a harder time to cope with their symptoms. This is due in part to the expectations of society that require women and mothers to be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This can make it more difficult to seek treatment.
Women who suffer from ADHD are not often diagnosed as easily as men or boys because their symptoms do not appear as obvious. 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 they are more likely to develop strategies for coping to disguise their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness which could be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
adult add in women of ADHD can change throughout a woman's lifetime. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstruation or pregnancy, women may discover her ADHD symptoms to become more intense. This can cause her to be misunderstood or considered being excessively emotional.
This article is based on research on how ADHD affects different people depending on their gender. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology: chromosomal makeup, hormones, and anatomy. While gender is a subjective sense of being a woman, man, or nonbinary person. This distinction is crucial because it allows for a better understanding of how and why the ways in which ADHD manifests may differ between genders. In this article, we refer to males and those 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 terminology is used in many research studies. For more information, check out the guide to sex and gender by Verywell Health.
