ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD often report symptoms of emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor sleep quality which can make symptoms worse.
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 or delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
For many women with ADHD concentration is the biggest challenge. This neurodevelopmental disorder can make it difficult to concentrate at school, during meetings at work or while reading or listening to others talk. It can also be challenging to get through 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 suffering from the inattentive type of the disorder might have trouble organizing their homes or at their work desk and find it difficult to prioritize tasks, according to CHADD. These problems can cause them to miss appointments, arrive in the wrong place at the right time, or fail to keep up on their job responsibilities. These issues can cause them to feel uneasy about themselves, and they may blame themselves for their own problems.
Inattentional ADHD can also result in poor performance at school or at work, and debt accumulation. According to CHADD they can be triggered by stress or other mental disorders like anxiety and depression.
Teachers and parents may be biased towards boys and men, causing 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 women who are adults with ADHD, symptoms can also be caused due to hormonal changes. They may be more apparent during perimenopausal or menstrual cycle that is the time leading up to menopausal symptoms which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems like mood swings or irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD can benefit from stimulant medications to improve their focus but it won't treat the condition. Other strategies like mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help with focus and organization. Some schools and workplaces offer facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make it difficult to keep track of daily tasks or to manage your the responsibilities. You may struggle to remember important information about people or events particularly when they take place in a crowded or noisy environment. You might also notice that you are often late for appointments or are late for work and school. Inability to pay bills or reply to emails is common in women with ADHD that can lead to financial stress and make you feel stressed. You might have trouble working in a busy or noisy office, and you might get lost in conversations. This could make someone else feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many women and girls who have ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They also run the risk of being pushed into sexually inappropriate behavior or becoming intimate partner violence victims. This is due to the fact that they have a harder to manage their emotions and are more likely to become overwhelmed. They may also struggle with self-esteem, and may be more likely to view their issues as "personal imperfections" instead of acknowledging the fact that their behavior is correlated to their ADHD symptoms.
see it here and females who suffer from ADHD are also often overlooked because of gender bias as their symptoms are less evident than those of males and females. They are more likely to camouflage their symptoms by claiming mood disorders or anxiety and this can lead to being misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated.
Web Site of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones, especially during puberty when progesterone levels drop and estrogen rises. This can result in a wider variety of symptoms, making it harder to diagnose and treat ADHD.
Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you develop life skills to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating a balanced diet and limiting stimulants like sugar, caffeine and sugary drinks that could worsen symptoms. You can also practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm your mind, decrease impulsiveness and restlessness and improve your emotional regulation. Talking with a mental health professional can be beneficial, as they can suggest possible adjustments at work or school that can assist you in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
Women who suffer from ADHD tend to be more sluggish than hyperactive or hyperactive symptoms. This could be due to the fact that the brains of women and girls differ from those of boys and men, or it could have to do with how much activity is occurring in the areas of the brain responsible for managing impulsive and disruptive behavior.
It can be challenging for doctors to recognize ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, while others are not sustainable and could cause other health problems. For example women may turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to manage their symptoms. They may also develop depression or other mental health issues like anxiety. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can make it more difficult for someone to recognize they are suffering from a disorder and can delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behaviors are a common adhd symptom that affects women and can impact school or work performance and relationships. They often include not staying focused on a particular task, not remembering important dates or events, and becoming easily distracted by other things in their environment or in their thoughts. They might fidget or tap their feet or hands or squirm in their seat. They can also talk out loud or yell, and they can be interruptive.
Women with the predominantly inattentive type of adhd might have trouble concentrating on lectures or conversations as well as keeping up with reading, writing, or schoolwork; following instructions at work or in class; and managing daily tasks. They may be unorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time keep track of commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or lose items like eyeglasses, wallets, and keys.
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 issues at home, at work and at school, and can trigger feelings of anxiety or boredom. They are unable to wait for their turn whether at school, work, or home. They often interrupt others. They have a tendency to act recklessly and are unable control their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may find it harder to manage their issues. This is due to the expectations of society that insist that mothers and women be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman is struggling to manage her responsibilities this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This makes it more difficult to seek treatment.
In addition, women who suffer from ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed as 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. Furthermore they are more likely to develop coping strategies that cover up their ADHD symptoms, such as frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness which can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Symptoms of ADHD for women can change at different times in the woman's life. For instance, during times of hormonal changes, like menstruation or pregnancy, a woman could discover her ADHD symptoms to become more severe. This could cause her to be misunderstood or thought of as a woman who is overly emotional.
This article is based upon research on how ADHD affects different people based on their gender. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a matter of biology: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structures, whereas gender is an internal sense of who you are as a man, a woman, or if nonbinary, an individual. This distinction is crucial because it enables a better understanding of the ways and the ways ADHD manifests can differ between genders. For this reason, throughout this article we will refer to men and people assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as men and boys and women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This is in line with the way many research studies use this terminology. For more information, read the guide on sex and gender by Verywell Health.