ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women suffering from ADHD experience emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which can make symptoms worse.
Women and girls often mask their ADHD symptoms better than men and employ coping strategies to meet the social expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis as well as delays in treatment.
1. Trouble focusing
Concentration is the most difficult issue for many women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to focus at school in meetings at work as well as when reading or listening to others talk. It can be challenging to complete daily tasks, such as remembering appointments or taking 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. According to CHADD women who suffer from the inattentive form of the disorder may struggle to organize their home and their desks. They might be unable to prioritize tasks. These issues can result in being late for appointments, turning up at the wrong time or at the wrong place or failing to finish their work tasks. These problems can make them feel bad about themselves, and they may blame themselves for their troubles.
Inattentive ADHD can also lead to poor performance at work or in school and can also lead to debt accumulation. They are often triggered by stress or other mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, which often co-occur with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Some girls and women with inattentional ADHD are underdiagnosed or overlooked because of the biases parents and teachers 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.
Hormonal changes can also increase symptoms in women who suffer from ADHD. They can be more noticeable during menstrual cycles or perimenopausal periods that is the time leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems like mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD may benefit from stimulant medications to boost their concentration, but it will not treat the condition. Other strategies like mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also assist with focus and organization. Certain schools and workplaces have accommodations to help with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make juggling daily tasks and responsibilities difficult. You may find it difficult to remember important information, especially if they occur in a noisy environment. You may also end up having trouble remembering appointments or getting late to school or work. Women with ADHD tend to forget to pay bills or responding to emails, which could cause financial stress and a sense of urgency. You may have difficulty working in a noisy or busy office, and may get lost in conversations. This could make someone else feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many girls and women with ADHD are also having a difficult time maintaining friendships and are at risk of being forced into unintentional sexual activity or becoming victims of violence from intimate partners. This is because they have a more difficult managing their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They might also have trouble with their self-esteem and may be more likely to interpret their issues as "personal flaws" instead of recognizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender bias due to gender bias, girls and women with ADHD are not diagnosed because their symptoms are more subtle than those of males and boys. They might be more likely to conceal their symptoms with mood or anxiety issues and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones and, particularly during puberty when progesterone levels drop and estrogen rises. This can cause a greater variety of symptoms, making it harder to identify and treat ADHD.
When diagnosed and treated, you will learn how to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also change your lifestyle, such as eating healthy and balanced meals and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and drinks with sugar which can aggravate symptoms. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help relax your mind and reduce restlessness and impulsiveness. They can also improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional might be able to help you by discussing possible accommodations that can assist you in managing ADHD symptoms at work or in school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, females with ADHD experience more inattentive symptoms than hyperactive or impulsive ones. That may be because the female and female brains differ from those of boys and men or it could have to do with the amount of activity is occurring in the areas of the brain that control impulsive and disruptive behavior.
It can be difficult for doctors to diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop strategies for coping to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, while others are unsustainable and can cause other health problems. Women, for instance are prone to drinking excessively or drugs to manage. They might also develop depression or other mental health conditions like anxiety. add and adhd in women coping strategies can make it difficult for someone to recognize that they have mental health issues and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom in women that can affect school or work performance and relationships. These include being in a state of disorientation and not being able to focus on a specific task, or forgetting important events or tasks, and being easily distracted by the surrounding environment or their thoughts. They may fidget, tap their hands or feet or squirm. They may also speak out loud or yell, and they can be interruptive.
Women who have the most inattentional subtype of adhd can struggle to concentrate on lectures or conversations; keeping up with reading, writing, or schoolwork; following instructions at the workplace or in class and juggling their daily chores. They may be unorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more vulnerable to losing or misplacing items 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, at home or at school. It can also cause feelings of irritability, boredom and anger. They have a hard waiting to be called upon at school, home or at work and they frequently interrupt others. They are unable to manage 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 in part to the expectations of society that require women and mothers to be the primary caregivers for their children and household. When a woman struggles to meet her responsibilities this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This makes it harder to seek treatment.
Women with ADHD are not often recognized as easily as boys or men because their symptoms do not seem to be as apparent. 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 can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The signs of ADHD in women can also change at different times in the woman's lifetime. For instance, during times of hormonal changes, like menstrual cycles or pregnancy, a woman could discover her ADHD symptoms to become more severe. This can lead her to be misunderstood or considered an excessively emotional.
The information in this article is based on research about how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is biology: chromosomal make-up hormones, hormones and anatomical structure, while gender is an internal sense of what you're like as a man, woman, or, if non-binary, you're or a person. This distinction is crucial as it allows for a better understanding of how and the ways that ADHD manifests can vary between genders. This is why throughout this article, we refer to both men and those assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys and women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is utilized in many research studies. For more information, read Verywell Health's guide on gender and sexuality.