ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD experience emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They may also experience insomnia and poor quality sleep, which can make symptoms worse.
Women and girls often mask their ADHD symptoms better than males and employ strategies to cope with the social expectations and norms. This can lead to a misdiagnosis or delays in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
Concentration is the most difficult issue for many women with ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to concentrate at school in meetings at work or while reading or listening to other people talk. It can also be challenging to get through everyday tasks, such as keeping track of appointments or remembering to take your 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 type of the disorder might struggle to organize their home and their desks. They might also find it hard to prioritize their tasks. These issues can result in being late for appointments, turning up at the wrong time or location, or failing to complete their work tasks. These issues can cause them to feel bad about themselves, and they might blame themselves for their own problems.
Inattentive ADHD symptoms can make it hard to stay on top of obligations, resulting in poor school or work performance as well as the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD the symptoms are often triggered by stress or other mental conditions like anxiety and depression.
Women and girls with inattentional ADHD aren't diagnosed or treated because of biases that teachers and parents may have towards men and boys. 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 noticeable during menstruation or perimenopause which is the period leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems like mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD can benefit from stimulant medication to improve their concentration but it won't solve the problem. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also assist with organization and focus. Some workplaces and school have accommodations to help with these issues.
2. Forgetting Things
Inattention can make juggling daily chores and responsibilities difficult. It can be difficult to remember important information especially when they take place in a noisy environment. You may also find yourself not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Inability to pay bills or reply to emails is common among women with ADHD and can cause financial stress and make you feel overwhelmed. You may have difficulty working in a busy or noisy office, and you may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This could make someone else feel unimportant or confused.
Many girls and women with ADHD also have trouble maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pushed into unwanted sexual activity or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. They are more likely than others to be overwhelmed because they struggle to control their emotions. They may also have a problem with self-esteem, and may view their difficulties as something that is a "personal fault" rather than realizing that their behavior may be linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Females and females with ADHD are also often overlooked because of gender bias because their symptoms are less noticeable than those of boys and men. They might be more likely to disguise their symptoms with mood disorders or anxiety and this can lead to being misdiagnosed or incorrectly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD vary with hormone fluctuations, especially during puberty when progesterone drops and estrogen increases. This can lead to a wider range of symptoms, which makes it more difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD.
Getting diagnosed and receiving treatment can help you gain life skills to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also make lifestyle changes such as eating an appropriate diet and avoiding stimulants like caffeine, sugar and sugary drinks which can aggravate symptoms. You can also practice mindfulness techniques and meditation to help calm your mind, reduce the impulsiveness and anxiety, and improve emotional regulation. Talking to an expert in mental health can also be helpful, as they can suggest possible adjustments at school or at work to assist you in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
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 female and female brains differ from the brains of males and females or it could have to do with the amount of activity is happening in the regions of the brain that manage disruptive and impulsive behavior.
As a result, it can be harder for a doctor to identify and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to hide their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are unsustainable and can result in other health issues. For example women may turn to alcohol or other drugs to cope with their symptoms. They may also be depressed or have other mental health conditions like anxiety. These unhealthy coping methods can make it difficult for people to recognize that they have a mental health problem and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom for women that can affect school or work performance and relationships. adhd symptoms women involve not being focused on a particular task, not remembering important dates or events, and becoming easily distracted by other things in the environment or in their thoughts. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands or squirm. They may also yell or speak loudly, and can interrupt.
Women with the predominantly inattentive subtype of adhd can struggle with concentrating on conversations or lectures and juggling writing, reading or schoolwork; adhering to instructions at school or at work; and managing daily tasks. They might be unorganized and forgetful. They can also be messy. It can be challenging to keep up on commitments or tasks. They are more vulnerable to losing or misplacing items, including 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, at home, as well as at schools, and can lead to feelings of agitation, boredom, and frustration. They are unable to wait for their turn in school, work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They are prone to act recklessly and are not able to control their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women who suffer from ADHD may have a harder time to manage their symptoms. This is largely due to societal expectations that demand that mothers and women be the primary caregivers of their children and their household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This can make it more difficult to seek treatment.
Women with ADHD are often not diagnosed as easily as men or boys because their symptoms don't 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. In addition they are more likely to develop strategies for coping to disguise their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness, which could be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can also change over the course of a woman's lifetime. For instance, during times of hormonal changes, such as menstruation or pregnancy, women may find her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This can cause her to be misunderstood, or considered a woman who is emotionally overly sensitive.
This article is based upon research into how ADHD affects different individuals based on their gender. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup, hormones, and anatomical structures, whereas gender is a subjective sense of the person you are as a male, a woman, or if you're non-binary, you're a person. This distinction is important because it allows for a better understanding of how and why the ways in which ADHD manifests can vary between genders. In this article, we will refer to males and people who were assigned male at birth as boys and males. We also refer to females as well as people who were assigned female at conception as girls and women. This is in line with the way many research studies use this term. For more information, read the guide to sex & gender by Verywell Health.