Symptoms of ADHD in Women
Women who have ADHD often have miscommunications or frustrations in their relationships. Symptoms like forgetting appointments, being late for meetings, or snoring during conversations can be misinterpreted by others as disinterest or boredom.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD also struggle to be evaluated due to gender bias. Clinicians need to rethink their approach to identifying female patients and treating them.
1. Disorganization
It may be difficult to keep track of your daily chores at school and work if you are disorganized. You could also lose or misplace important things like keys or your phone. You might have difficulty following a schedule or forget important dates, like birthdays or anniversaries. You might also have trouble remembering names, which could make it hard to make new friends or keep relationships.
You may not realize that your disorganization issues are ADHD symptoms However, there are a lot of resources available to help you. You can begin by talking to your primary care doctor. They might refer you to a mental health professional or a therapist who has had experience treating ADHD.
Girls and women with ADHD are often incorrectly diagnosed. This could be due to the strategies they employ to hide their symptoms. They may have low self-esteem and a tendency to blame their challenges on factors beyond their control, such as relationship issues or their gender.
Stereotypes about gender, sex and behavior can make obtaining the support women with ADHD require more difficult. For example, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors are typically seen as more appropriate for boys and men. In the end, many women suffering from ADHD conceal or minimize their symptoms to fit in and avoid criticism and embarrassment.
While being diagnosed with ADHD will not fix the social and cultural issues, it can help you learn to manage your symptoms better. You can enhance the quality of your life by getting treated and making lifestyle changes, such as adhering to a set schedule and focusing on your health, as well as eating a nutritious diet.
You can also improve your ability to focus and complete tasks by taking ADHD medication. It's important to discuss the medication with your doctor and any possible side effects. They can modify your medication, for instance decreasing doses or changing the frequency at which you take them. They can also assist in identifying other strategies to improve everyday functioning. For example they can suggest ways to make accommodations at school or work to alleviate ADHD symptoms.
2. Attention
You may be a woman with ADHD who suffers from "time blindness" which means you are often late for appointments and don't have a clear idea of deadlines. You may also have trouble in focusing or even getting started, particularly on mundane or boring tasks. These signs can be a source of frustration for co-workers and friends. But the truth is, you're not deliberately rude or uncaring. You're simply dealing with the challenges that come with ADHD.
Females and females are more likely to be diagnosed with inattentive ADHD than those who have hyperactive or impulse-related symptoms. These traits are less readily evident, which makes it harder for women and girls to seek treatment. Girls and women come up with strategies to mask the symptoms of ADHD. This can lead to a misdiagnosis, or underdiagnosis. Depression or anxiety-related symptoms can, for instance, be mistaken for the inattention symptoms of ADHD and treated as such instead.
It's also possible that women and girls have trouble getting diagnosed with ADHD because they blame themselves. They may feel dissatisfied with their absences or failing to meet deadlines, which is why they don't inform a doctor of the symptoms. If they seek out an expert in healthcare, they will likely be informed that the behavior is normal and not their fault. This could further increase their anger and shame.
Although medication is the most effective treatment for ADHD in adults, it's important to select the right medication that work for you and your symptoms. The stimulant drugs are usually the first option, but when you're unable to take stimulants or they have no effect on your symptoms, your healthcare professional might recommend non-stimulant medications or antidepressants. They'll also need to determine if your symptoms are caused by hormonal changes such as those that occur during the menstrual cycle, and also during pregnancy or menopause. This is because fluctuations in these hormones can change the way your body processes medication and alter their effectiveness. This is yet another reason to seek out a diagnosis early on. Medication can help you manage your ADHD symptoms and increase your performance at work and at home.
3. Impulsivity
Women who suffer from ADHD have difficulty regulating their emotions. Symptoms may include frequent feelings of anger and anger, anxiety, mood swings that make it hard to manage the day. These emotions can have a negative impact on relationships and work performance. Women also have trouble maintaining friendships and may have more volatile love lives, with more rapid romantic relationships and a greater likelihood of intimate partner violence.
The impulse-control symptoms of adhd in women can be more difficult to notice and identify than the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms seen in boys and men/people AMAB. This is because women and girls are more adept at developing strategies to conceal or mask their ADHD symptoms, in order to meet gender-specific expectations of society (Quinn & Madhoo, 2014). This can lead women with adhd to be incorrectly diagnosed and receive less effective treatment.
For example women with ADHD struggle to resist temptations or avoid engaging in emotional behavior They have a difficult time controlling their spending habits. This can lead to financial difficulties, since they might forget to make payments or pay their bills on time. Women who are impulsive are more likely to shop because they are bored or need stimulation and excitement, which could cause them to develop issues with their relationship with food. This can lead to unhealthy and unbalanced eating patterns, which can cause other health issues.
We know that women are more likely to suffer symptoms of adhd than do men, but research on this topic is sporadic. This could be due to the fact that early research on ADHD was mostly focused on boys and men/people with AMAB. It was therefore easier to diagnose their symptoms. It is also possible that the criteria used to determine ADHD aren't as useful in identifying women suffering from the condition.
The diagnosis of adhd can be a game changer for women, particularly when it is discovered late in life. It can help them comprehend who they are and why they behave the way they do. It can make them feel like a lightbulb, providing them with a reason for their problems.
4. Anxiety
Women with ADHD frequently struggle with anxiety and stressful situations. Anxiety can cause problems with relationships, work and school. It can manifest through physical symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, slow breathing, muscle tension, or headaches. It can also affect sleep. Sleep deprivation can increase anxiety, making it more difficult to manage. Procrastination can be an endless cycle, where anxiety fuels procrastination as well as fear of not getting things done correctly.
It's essential to be aware of your own feelings and recognize if you suffer from an anxiety disorder. Talk to add and adhd in women or doctor if you are experiencing symptoms that are interfering with your daily activities. They will examine your situation and use recognised guidelines to determine if an anxiety disorder is present. This may include how long you have been suffering from symptoms and how intense they are. They might suggest different tools and tests to rule other health conditions out that could be causing the symptoms.
It is often more difficult for women suffering from ADHD to recognize the condition than men, as they tend to mask their symptoms more effectively. They may develop coping mechanisms to function however, these strategies may be unsustainable or exhausting as time passes. Some women with ADHD are able to manage their impulsiveness by preparing for meetings or using the phone to remind them. These strategies for coping, however, may not deal with the underlying causes of their ADHD. This can result in issues at work, home and at school.
The process of determining a diagnosis may be difficult because the majority of rating scales for ADHD are skewed toward male behaviors and symptoms. Women may also be less likely to seek treatment if they don't believe they have ADHD or believe it will negatively impact their career and personal relationships.
If you find that your ADHD symptoms are interfering in your studies or work it is essential to speak out and ask for assistance from co-workers and supervisors. They are likely to be willing to accommodate you, so that you can achieve success at school or at work.