ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD typically experience symptoms of emotional volatility and sensitivity to rejection. They may also suffer from insomnia and poor sleep quality, which can exacerbate symptoms.
Girls and women are typically better at masking their ADHD symptoms and coping mechanisms to conform to social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis or delay in treatment.
1. Trouble focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school, during meetings at work, or when reading and listening to others' conversations. It can be challenging to complete everyday 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 condition can have difficulty organizing their home and desk. They might also have difficulty deciding how to prioritize their tasks. These problems can lead them to miss appointments, arrive at the wrong place at the right time, or fail to keep up on their job responsibilities. These difficulties can make them feel uneasy about themselves, and they could blame themselves for their own problems.
Inattention ADHD symptoms can make it hard to manage the demands of life, resulting in poor work or school performance and the accumulation of debt. inattentive add in women can be triggered by stress or other mental health issues, including depression and anxiety that are often associated with ADHD in women, as per CHADD.
Teachers and parents could be biased against boys and men, causing some women and girls to be underdiagnosed. 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 adult women with ADHD. They can be more evident during menstruation or perimenopause that is the time leading up to menopausal symptoms which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems such as mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD may benefit from stimulant medications to boost their concentration but it won't treat the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help with organization and focus. Some schools and workplaces offer accommodations to help with these issues as well.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make managing your daily tasks and responsibilities challenging. You may have difficulty remembering important information about events or people particularly when they take place in a noisy or busy environment. You might also notice that you often forget appointments or get late for work and school. Forgetting to pay bills or respond to emails is a common occurrence for women suffering from ADHD that can lead to financial stress and leave you feeling rushed. You may experience difficulties working in a busy or noisy office, and may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This can make someone else feel ignored or misunderstood.
Many women and girls who suffer from ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They also run the risk of being forced into inappropriate sexual behaviour or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. This is because they have a difficult time regulating their emotions and are more likely to feel overwhelmed. They may also have issues with their self-esteem and may be more inclined to see their problems as "personal flaws" rather than recognizing that their behavior is related 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 men and boys. They may camouflage symptoms with anxiety and mood disorders, which could lead to a misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.
The symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations and, particularly during puberty when estrogen drops and progesterone rises. This can result in a wider variety of symptoms, making it more difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD.
Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you gain the life skills needed to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes, like eating a balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine and other stimulants that could cause symptoms to worsen. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can calm your mind and reduce restlessness and impulsiveness. They can also help improve the regulation of emotions. Talking to a mental health professional could be beneficial, since they can talk about possible accommodations at school or at work that can help you manage your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In the majority of cases, women with ADHD experience more inattentive symptoms than hyperactive or impulsive ones. This could be due to the fact that women and girls have different brains than men and boys. Or it could be due to the amount of activity in the brain areas that regulate impulsive behavior.
This means it can be difficult for a physician to identify and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women devise strategies to mask their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, while others aren't sustainable and may result in other health issues. For instance, some women turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to manage their symptoms. They may also develop depression or other mental health problems like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies may make it harder for someone to notice that they have a problem and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom in women that can affect work or school performance and relationships. This includes being incapable of staying focused on a particular task, forgetting important events or tasks, and being easily distracted by the environment or their thoughts. They might fidget or tap their feet or hands or squirm in their seats. They may also speak out loud or yell, and they may be disruptive.
adhd in adult women test who have the most inattentional type of adhd may struggle with concentrating on their 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 disorganized and forgetful. They may also be messy. It can be difficult to keep up with commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or lose 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 adhd can cause issues at work, home or in school. It can also trigger feelings of irritability, boredom, and frustration. They have a difficult waiting for their turn at school, at home or in the workplace and often interrupt others. They aren't able to manage their behavior and tend to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women who suffer from ADHD may find it harder to manage their symptoms. This is partly due to societal expectations that demand that women and mothers are the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman with ADHD struggles to fulfill her obligations, she may experience heightened feelings of anxiety which can lead to low self-esteem. This makes it more difficult for her to seek treatment.
Women who suffer from ADHD are not often diagnosed as easily as men or boys because their symptoms don't appear as obvious. 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 also more likely to develop coping mechanisms which mask their ADHD symptoms. For inattentive add in women and forgetfulness could be interpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can also change throughout the woman's life. For example, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstrual or pregnancy, a woman could notice her ADHD symptoms to become more intense. This could cause her to be viewed as a victim of prejudice or thought of as an emotionally overly sensitive.
The information in this article is based on research regarding how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones, and anatomical structure. gender is an internal sense of the person you are as a man, a woman, or if non-binary, you're a person. This distinction is crucial because it allows for a better understanding of how and why the ways ADHD manifests can differ between genders. This is why throughout this article we refer to males and those assigned male at birth (AMAB) as men and boys and women and people assigned to female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This is in line with the way many research studies use this term. For more information, check out the guide on sex and gender by Verywell Health.