ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women with ADHD typically experience symptoms of emotional volatility and sensitivity to rejection. They may also suffer from insomnia and poor quality sleep, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Women and girls are often better at masking their ADHD symptoms by using coping strategies to conform to social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
Concentration is the most difficult issue for women suffering from ADHD. The symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder could make it hard to remain focused at school, at meetings at work, or when listening to other people's conversations. It can also be difficult to manage 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. Recommended Resource site who suffer from the inattentive version of the disorder may have trouble organizing their home or their work desk and struggle to prioritize tasks according to CHADD. These problems can result in them missing appointments, showing up at the wrong time or place, or failing to complete their work tasks. They may cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their problems, thinking they are incompetent or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD can also result in poor performance at school or at work and can also lead to the accumulation of debt. They are often triggered by stress or other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression that are often associated with ADHD in women, according to CHADD.
Some girls and women with inattentive ADHD are underdiagnosed or overlooked 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 of adult age with ADHD symptoms, they can be worsened by hormonal changes. For instance, they could be more apparent during menstrual cycles or during perimenopausal transition, the period leading up to menopausal changes. This is when estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues such as mood swings and irritation.
The use of stimulants can help enhance concentration in adults suffering from ADHD However, it can't cure the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can help with focus and organization. Some workplaces and schools offer accommodations to help with these issues too.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make managing daily chores and responsibilities difficult. It can be difficult to remember important details especially when they take place in a noisy area. You might also find yourself not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Inability to pay bills or reply to emails is common in women suffering from ADHD that can lead to financial stress and leave you feeling stressed. You may experience difficulties working in a busy or noisy office, and you might get lost in conversations. This can make someone else feel unimportant or confused.
Many women and girls who suffer from ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They are also at risk of being pushed into unwanted sexual behavior or becoming intimate partner violence victims. They are more likely than other people to be overwhelmed because they have difficulty regulating their emotions. They could also be struggling with their self-esteem and may view their problems as an "personal flaw" rather than realizing that their behavior may be linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD are also often overlooked due to gender bias, because their symptoms are less evident than those of males and females. They are more likely to camouflage their symptoms with mood disorders or anxiety which could lead to being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
ADHD symptoms can differ based on the fluctuation in hormone levels. This is especially evident during puberty, as hormone levels decrease and progesterone levels increase. This can cause greater variance in symptoms from day to day, which can make it harder to recognize and treat ADHD properly.
If you are diagnosed and treated, you can learn how to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating an appropriate diet and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and drinks with sugar which can aggravate symptoms. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to calm your mind and decrease the impulsiveness and restlessness. They can also improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional might be able to assist by discussing possible accommodations that can assist you in managing ADHD symptoms at school or at work.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, women who suffer from ADHD are more likely to experience inattention than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be because girls and women have different brains than males and females. It could also be due to the level of brain activity areas that regulate impulsive behavior.
It can be challenging for doctors to identify ADHD in women. Many women develop coping mechanisms to mask their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are not sustainable and could result in other health issues. Some women, for example are prone to drinking excessively or drugs to manage. They may also develop depression or other mental health problems such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies may make it more difficult for someone to notice that they are suffering from a condition and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is one of the most common adhd symptoms for women. It can affect their work or school performance, or even their relationships. This includes being incapable of staying focused on a particular task, forgetting important events or tasks and being easily distracted by the surroundings or their thoughts. They may fidget, tap their feet or hands, or make a squirming sound. They may also talk loud or yell, and they can be interruptive.
Women with the inattentive subtype may have trouble staying focused during lectures or conversations or completing schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following directions in class or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They are often disorganized and messy and have a difficult time keep track of commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace 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 subtype can lead to problems at work, at home, and in school, and can lead to feelings of agitation or boredom. They are not able to wait for their turn whether at school, work, or home. They are also known to interrupt others frequently. They are unable to control their behavior and tend to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD can have a harder to manage their symptoms than boys and men. This is due to the social expectations that demand women and mothers to be the primary caregivers for their children and household. When a woman struggles to fulfill her obligations and obligations, it can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This, in turn, could make it difficult to seek treatment for her ADHD.
In addition, women who suffer from ADHD often have difficulty getting diagnosed since their symptoms are not as evident 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. In addition, they are more likely to develop coping strategies to disguise their ADHD symptoms, such as frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness that could be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Symptoms of ADHD in women can also vary at different times throughout the woman's lifetime. For instance, during times of hormonal changes, such as menstruation or pregnancy, women may discover her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This could cause her to be misunderstood, or thought of as being excessively emotional.
This article is based upon research into how ADHD affects different people based on their gender. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology, hormones, chromosomal makeup and anatomy; while gender refers to an internal sense of being a man, woman or a nonbinary. This distinction is important as it helps us understand the reasons behind why ADHD can manifest differently in men and women. In this article, we refer to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys, and to women and people assigned to female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This terminology is used in a variety of research studies. For more information, read Verywell Health's guide to gender and sex.