ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women suffering from ADHD typically experience symptoms of emotional instability and sensitive to rejection. They may also suffer from insomnia and poor quality of sleep which can cause more symptoms.
Girls and women are typically more adept at hiding their ADHD symptoms and coping mechanisms to comply with social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
For many women with ADHD, focusing is the most difficult thing to do. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to focus at school, during meetings at work, or when reading and listening to others talk. It can also be challenging to manage daily tasks, like keeping track of appointments or making sure to take 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. Women who suffer from the inattentive version of the condition may be struggling to organize their home or their desks and may have difficulty focusing on tasks according to CHADD. These problems could cause them to skip appointments, show up at the wrong place at the right time, or fail to follow through on their work duties. These issues can cause them to feel bad about themselves, and they may blame themselves for their problems.
Attention-deficit ADHD can also lead to poor performance at school or at work and can lead to debt accumulation. They can be caused by stress or other mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety that often co-occur with ADHD in women, according to CHADD.
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.
Hormonal changes can also cause symptoms for women who suffer from ADHD. They can be more noticeable during perimenopausal or menstrual cycle, the run-up to a woman's menopause which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems such as mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD may benefit from stimulant medication to boost their concentration but it won't solve the problem. Other strategies, like lifestyle changes, mindfulness training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help with focus and organization. Some schools and workplaces have accommodations that can help with these issues, too.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make managing your daily chores and responsibilities difficult. You may find it difficult to remember important details particularly when they happen in a noisy setting. You may also find that you often forget appointments or get late to work or school. Forgetting to pay bills or reply to emails is common among women suffering from ADHD and can cause financial stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed. You may have difficulty working in a crowded or noisy workplace and frequently lose focus during conversations, causing the other person to feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many women and girls with ADHD also have difficulty maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pushed into unintentional sexual activity or being victims of violence from intimate partners. This is due to the fact that they have a more difficult managing their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They might also have a problem with their self-esteem, and they might view their issues as something that is a "personal fault" instead of recognizing that their behavior may be linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Women and girls with ADHD are also underdiagnosed because of gender bias because their symptoms are less obvious than the symptoms of men and boys. They may be more likely to camouflage their symptoms as mood disorders or anxiety and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated.
The symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones and, particularly during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen rises. This can lead to a greater variance in symptoms from day to day, which can make it more difficult to identify and treat ADHD properly.
Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you learn how to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also try lifestyle changes, for example, eating a balanced diet and limiting caffeine, sugar and other stimulants that may cause symptoms to become worse. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to calm your mind and decrease the impulsiveness and restlessness. They can also improve emotional regulation. Talking with a mental health professional can be beneficial, as they can talk about possible accommodations at work or school that might aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD tend to experience less attentive than those with hyperactive or hyperactive symptoms. This could be because women and girls have different brains than men and boys. It could also be due to the volume of activity in the brain areas that control impulsive behavior.
In the end, it can be difficult for a doctor to identify and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping mechanisms to mask their symptoms. Some are healthy, while others aren't sustainable and could cause other health problems. For example women may turn to drinking or using drugs to deal with their symptoms. They could also develop depression or other mental health conditions like anxiety. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can make it difficult for people to recognize they are suffering from a disorder and may delay a correct diagnosis.
Disruptive behaviors are a common adhd symptom in women that can affect school or work performance and relationships. They typically involve not being focused on a task, forgetting important dates or events, and being easily distracted by other things in their surroundings or in their thoughts. They might fidget or tap their hands or feet or squirm in their seat. They may also speak out loud or yell. they can be interruptive.
Women who are inattentive can have difficulty in concentrating during lectures or discussions or completing schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following instructions in the classroom or at work, and juggling daily tasks. adhd symptoms in women adults can be disorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time follow through on commitments or tasks. They are more prone to losing or misplacing items such as 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 home, at work as well as at school, and can lead to feelings of agitation and boredom. It can also cause frustration. They have a hard time waiting for their turn at school, at home or in the workplace and often interrupt other people. They are prone to be reckless and are unable control their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD may have a harder dealing with their issues than males and females. This is due to the expectations of society that insist that mothers and wives be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman suffering from ADHD is unable to keep up with her responsibilities, she can feel anxious and stressed which can lead to low self-esteem. This can make it harder to seek treatment for her ADHD.
Women with ADHD are typically not diagnosed as easily as boys or men 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 mistaken as signs of anxiety disorders.
The signs of ADHD in women can also vary at different times throughout the woman's lifetime. Women can experience ADHD symptoms during hormonal changes such as menstruation and pregnancy. This can result in her being misunderstood or dismissed as a woman who is emotionally overly sensitive and can cause a feeling of anger.
This article is based upon research on how ADHD affects different people depending on their gender. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex is a reference to biology, including hormonal makeup, 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 to better understand the reasons behind why ADHD manifests differently in men and women. In this article, we are referring to males as well as people who were assigned male at birth as boys and males. We also refer to females and those who were assigned females at conception as females and girls. This is in line with how numerous research studies employ this term. For more information, read Verywell Health's guide on gender and sex.