10 ADHD Symptoms For Women Hacks All Experts Recommend
ADHD Symptoms For Women
Women suffering from ADHD experience emotional instability and sensitivity towards rejection. They may also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which could cause symptoms to get worse.
Women and girls often mask their ADHD symptoms more effectively than men, using strategies to cope with the social expectations and norms. This can lead both to a misdiagnosis and delays in treatment.
1. Trouble focusing
For many women with ADHD focus is the most difficult thing to do. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder could make it difficult to stay on task at school, at meetings at work, or even when listening to others talk. It can also be difficult to get through everyday tasks like keeping track of appointments or remembering to take 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 with the inattentive version of the disorder might struggle with organizing their homes and desk. They might also find it hard to prioritize tasks. These issues can cause them to miss appointments, show up in the wrong place at the correct time or fail to follow through on their tasks. They may also cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their problems believing they are incompetent or forgetful.
Attention-deficit ADHD symptoms can also make it hard to stay on top of obligations, resulting in poor work or school performance as well as the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD they can be triggered either by stress or other mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Women and girls with inattentive ADHD are underdiagnosed or overlooked due to the prejudices that teachers and parents may be prone to towards males and females. 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 of adult age who suffer from ADHD symptoms, they can be caused due to hormonal changes. They can be more evident during menstruation or perimenopause which is the period leading up to a woman's menopause as estrogen levels drop and can cause emotional issues like mood swings or irritation.
Stimulant medications can help increase the concentration of adults suffering from ADHD, but it won't cure the condition. Other strategies, like lifestyle changes, mindfulness training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can also aid in organizing and focus. Some schools and workplaces offer accommodations to help with these issues too.
2. Forgetting Things
Forgetfulness can make it difficult to keep track of your daily tasks or manage responsibilities. It can be difficult to remember important information especially when they take place in a noisy environment. You may also find that you frequently forget appointments or run late to work or school. Women with ADHD are prone to forgetting to pay bills or respond to emails, which can cause financial stress and an impression of urgency. You may have difficulty working in a busy or noisy office, and may be unable to concentrate during conversations. This can make the other person feel ignored or misunderstood.
Many girls and women with ADHD also have trouble maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pushed into unwanted sexual activity or being victims of violence from intimate partners. This is because they have a harder managing their emotions and are more likely to become overwhelmed. They may also have a problem with their self-esteem and may view their difficulties as an "personal flaw" instead of realizing that their behavior is related to their ADHD symptoms.
Due to gender biases due to gender bias, girls and women with ADHD are underdiagnosed as their symptoms are less obvious than those of men and boys. They might be more likely to conceal their symptoms as anxiety or mood problems and this can lead to being misdiagnosed or incorrectly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD vary with hormone fluctuations and, particularly during puberty when estrogen drops and progesterone increases. This can cause a greater range of symptoms, making it more difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD.
If you are diagnosed and treated, you will learn how to manage 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 help calm your mind, reduce restlessness and impulsiveness, and improve emotional regulation. A mental health professional may be able to assist you by discussing possible accommodations that could aid you in managing ADHD symptoms at work or at school.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, women who suffer from ADHD have more irritable symptoms than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be because women and girls have different brains than men and boys. Or it could be due to the volume of activity in the brain areas that regulate impulsive behavior.
In the end, it is often difficult for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women devise strategies to disguise their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, however others are not sustainable and could cause other health problems. For instance some women resort to alcohol or other drugs to cope with their symptoms. They might also develop depression or other mental health issues like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies may make it more difficult for someone to recognize that they have a problem and may delay a correct diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is a typical adhd symptom in women that can affect school or work performance and relationships. They can be a problem when they are unable to stay focused on a specific task, ignoring important events or tasks, and being easily distracted by the environment or their thoughts. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands or squirm. They may also shout or talk loudly, and may interrupt.
Women who are inattentive are prone to having difficulty in concentrating during lectures or discussions or completing schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following directions in class or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They can be disorganized, messy, and forgetful and have a difficult time adhere to 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 disorder can cause trouble at home, at work, and in school, and it can cause feelings of restlessness or boredom. They can't wait for their turn in school, work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They tend to act recklessly and are not able to manage their behavior.
4. Anxiety
Girls and women with ADHD may have a harder time to cope with their symptoms. This is due to the expectations of society that require women and mothers be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman suffering from ADHD struggles to fulfill her responsibilities, she could be afflicted with anxiety and stress which can lead to low self-esteem. This makes it harder to seek treatment.
In addition, women who suffer from ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed because their symptoms are not as pronounced as those of boys and men. 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 that cover up their ADHD symptoms. For example excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness could be interpreted as signs of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD can change over the course of a woman's lifetime. For instance, during periods of hormonal changes, such as menstruation or pregnancy, a woman may find her ADHD symptoms to become more severe. This can lead to her being misunderstood or dismissed as a woman who is emotionally overly sensitive and can cause a feelings of frustration.
This article is based upon research into how ADHD affects different individuals based on their gender. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a matter of biology: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structures, whereas gender is a subjective sense of the person you are as a male, a woman, or if non-binary, an individual. This distinction is crucial because it allows for better understanding of how and the ways ADHD manifests may differ between genders. This is why throughout this article, we refer to both men and those assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as men and boys and women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is used in many research studies. For previous , read Verywell Health's guide on sex and gender.