There's A Good And Bad About ADHD Symptoms For Women
ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD typically experience symptoms of emotional volatility and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which could cause the symptoms to become worse.
Women and girls are often better at masking their ADHD symptoms, using coping mechanisms to comply with social expectations and norms. This could lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
For many women with ADHD concentration is the most difficult thing to do. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder can make it hard to remain focused at school, during meetings at work, or when listening to others ' conversations. It can also be challenging to get through daily tasks, like 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 might be struggling to organize their house or work desk and struggle to prioritize tasks, according to CHADD. These difficulties can lead them to miss appointments, show up at the wrong place at the correct time, or fail to follow through on their job responsibilities. They may make them feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their troubles and think they're lazy or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD can also lead to poor performance at work or in school and can also lead to the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD they are often triggered by stress or other mental conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Teachers and parents might be biased towards males and girls, leading to some women and girls to be overlooked. 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 may be worsened by hormonal changes. For example, they can be more apparent during the menstrual cycle or during perimenopause--the run-up to menopause--when estrogen levels dip and cause emotional problems, including mood swings and irritation.
Stimulant medication can increase the concentration of adults suffering from ADHD however it doesn't treat the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also assist in focusing and organization. Certain schools and workplaces have facilities that can help with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make it difficult to keep track of daily tasks or manage responsibilities. It may be difficult to keep track of important details, especially if they occur in a noisy area. You might also find yourself forgetting appointments or running late to work or school. Inability to pay bills or respond to emails is a common occurrence for women suffering from ADHD and can cause financial stress and make you feel stressed. You may experience difficulties working in a noisy or crowded office, and may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This could make someone else feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many girls and women who suffer from ADHD also struggle to maintain friendships. They also run the risk of being forced into sexually inappropriate behavior or becoming intimate partner violence victims. This is because they have a more difficult time regulating their emotions and are more likely to become overwhelmed. They may also have issues with their self-esteem and may be more likely to interpret their issues as "personal imperfections" instead of acknowledging that their behavior is related to their ADHD symptoms.
Girl and women who suffer from ADHD are also underdiagnosed due to gender bias, since their symptoms are more evident than the symptoms of men and boys. They may be more likely to camouflage their symptoms by claiming anxiety or mood problems, which can result in being misdiagnosed or incorrectly treated.
The symptoms of ADHD vary with hormone fluctuations and, particularly during puberty when estrogen drops and progesterone increases. This can lead to a wider variety of symptoms, making it harder to identify and treat ADHD.
Being diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you develop how to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also change your lifestyle, such as eating an appropriate diet and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and sugary drinks that could worsen symptoms. You can also practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to help calm your mind, reduce the impulsiveness and anxiety and improve your emotional regulation. A mental health professional might be able to assist by discussing possible accommodations that can aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at work or in school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD tend to be more inattentive than hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that girls and women have different brains than males and females. Or it could be due to the amount of activity in the brain areas that regulate impulsive behavior.
This means it can be difficult for a physician to identify and diagnose ADHD in women. adhd symptoms women develop strategies for coping to hide their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, but others are not sustainable and could cause health issues of other kinds. Women, for instance use excessive alcohol and drugs to cope. They might also develop depression or other mental health issues such as anxiety. These unhealthy ways of coping can make it difficult for people to recognize they have mental health issues and delay the diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common symptom of adhd for women. It can impact their academic or work performance, and even their relationships. They typically involve not being focused on a task, ignoring important events or tasks, and becoming easily distracted by other things in their environment or in their thoughts. They might fumble or tap their hands or feet or squirm in their seats. They may also shout or speak loudly and they may interrupt.
Women with the inattentive subtype are prone to having difficulty concentrating during lectures or conversations and juggling schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following instructions in class or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They are often disorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time 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 type of disorder can cause problems at work, at home or in school. It can also cause feelings of boredom, restlessness and anger. They are not able to wait for their turn whether at school, at work, or home. They often interrupt others. They are unable to manage their behavior and tend to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD may have a harder time coping with their symptoms than boys and men. This is largely due to social expectations that insist that mothers and wives be the primary caregivers of their children and their household. If a woman with ADHD is unable to manage her responsibilities, she can feel anxious and stressed that lead to low self-esteem. This makes it harder to seek treatment.
Women who suffer from ADHD are not often diagnosed as readily as men or boys because their symptoms don't 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 coping strategies that mask their ADHD symptoms, such as frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness which could be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can also change over the woman's life. Women can experience ADHD symptoms in the course of hormonal changes, like menstrual cycle and pregnancy. This could result in being viewed as a terribly emotional woman which can increase her feeling of anger.
The information in this article is based on research about how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology: chromosomal makeup, hormones, and anatomy; while gender is a subjective sense of being a man, woman or a nonbinary. This distinction is important as it allows us to better comprehend the reasons behind why ADHD can manifest differently in men and women. This is why throughout this article we refer to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) as boys and men as well as women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This is in line with how many research studies use this term. For more details, refer to the guide on sex and gender by Verywell Health.