ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women suffering from ADHD have reported emotional instability and sensitivity towards rejection. They may also experience insomnia and low quality sleep, which could make symptoms worse.
Girls and women often hide their ADHD symptoms better than men and employ coping strategies to meet social expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis and a delay in treatment.
1. Problems with Focusing
Focusing is the biggest challenge for many women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder can make it difficult to concentrate at school or during work meetings as well as when reading or listening to others talk. It can be difficult to complete daily tasks like keeping track of appointments or taking 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 with the inattentive form of the disorder might struggle to organize their homes or at their desk and find it difficult to prioritize tasks, according to CHADD. These problems could cause them to skip appointments, arrive in the wrong place at the right time or fail to keep up on their job responsibilities. They may also cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their problems and think they're lazy or forgetful.
Inattentive ADHD can lead to poor performance at work or in school and can lead to the accumulation of debt. They are often caused by stress or other mental health issues like anxiety and depression that often co-occur with ADHD in women, according to CHADD.
Women and girls with inattentional ADHD are not diagnosed or recognized because of biases that teachers and parents might have toward boys and men. 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 adult women who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they may be caused by hormonal changes. They can be more noticeable during menstruation or perimenopause that is the time leading up to a woman's menopause as estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings and irritation.
The use of stimulants can help improve concentration for adults with ADHD, but it won't cure the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also assist with organization and focus. Certain schools and workplaces have facilities to assist with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
It can be difficult to keep track of your daily tasks or to manage your responsibilities. You may struggle to remember important information about people or events particularly when they occur in a noisy or crowded environment. You might also find that you are often late for appointments or run late for work and school. Forgetting to pay bills or reply to emails is a common occurrence for women with ADHD that can lead to financial stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed. You may experience difficulties working in a noisy or busy office, and you may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This could cause the other person to feel unimportant or misunderstood.
Many girls and women who suffer from ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They also run the risk of being pushed into inappropriate sexual behaviour or becoming intimate partner violence victims. They are more likely than other people to feel overwhelmed due to the fact that they struggle to control their emotions. They could also be struggling 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.
Females and females who suffer from ADHD are also not diagnosed because of gender bias as their symptoms are less obvious than those of boys and men. They may be more likely to camouflage their symptoms as anxiety or mood problems, which can result in being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD differ with the fluctuation of hormones and, particularly during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen rises. This can cause a greater range of symptoms, which makes it harder to identify and manage ADHD.
Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you learn the life skills needed to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating a balanced diet and limiting stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and sugary drinks which can aggravate symptoms. You can also practice meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm your mind, decrease the impulsiveness and anxiety and improve your emotional control. A mental health professional could be able to assist you by discussing possible accommodations that can aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at work or at school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, females with ADHD experience more inattentive symptoms than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. That may be because the brains of women and girls differ from the brains of men and boys or it could have to do with how much activity is occurring in the areas of the brain that manage disruptive and impulsive behavior.
As a result, it can be difficult for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women devise strategies to hide their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are not sustainable and could cause other health problems. For instance, some women turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to deal with their symptoms. They may also become depressed or have other mental health problems such as anxiety. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can make it harder for someone to recognize that they have a problem and delay a proper diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a common symptom of adhd in women. It can affect their school or work performance, or even their relationships. They can be a problem when they are unable to stay focused on a particular task, ignoring important tasks or events, and easily getting distracted by the environment or their thoughts. They may fidget or tap their feet or hands or squirm in their seats. They may also speak out loudly or yell, and they can be interruptive.
Women who suffer from the primarily inattentive subtype of adhd can struggle to concentrate on conversations or lectures; keeping up with writing, reading or schoolwork; following instructions at school or at work; and managing daily tasks. They are often disorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more vulnerable to misplacing or losing things 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, work or at school. It can also cause feelings of boredom, restlessness and frustration. They have a tough time waiting for their turn at school, at home, or in the workplace and they frequently interrupt other people. They are unable to control their behavior and are likely to behave in a reckless manner.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD are more likely to have a difficult to manage their symptoms than men and boys. This is due to the social expectations that demand women and mothers be the primary caregivers for their children and household. When a woman with ADHD is unable to fulfill her obligations, she may feel anxious and stressed which can lead to low self-esteem. This can make it harder to seek out treatment for her ADHD.
In addition, women who suffer from ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed as their symptoms aren't as prominent as those of 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. Additionally, high functioning adhd in women are more likely to develop strategies for coping that mask their ADHD symptoms, such as frequent fidgeting and forgetfulness which can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD may also change over a woman's lifetime. For example, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstrual or pregnancy, a woman could discover her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This could result in being dismissed or misinterpreted as a terribly emotional woman which can increase her sense of frustration.
The information in this article is based on research about how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health acknowledges that sex refers to biology, chromosomal makeup, hormones, and anatomy. whereas gender refers to an internal sense of being a woman, man or a nonbinary. This distinction is crucial because it helps us to better know the ways and reasons ADHD can manifest differently in men and women. This is why throughout this article, we refer to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys, and to women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is used in many research studies. For more details, refer to the guide to sex & gender by Verywell Health.