ADHD Symptoms in Adult Females
While ADHD affects men and women equally in adulthood, the condition typically goes undiagnosed in females. This could be due to gender stereotyping and the ability of females to mask their symptoms.
Many healthcare professionals lack the experience or knowledge to detect ADHD in women. Many females are misdiagnosed and do not receive the care they require.
1. Disorganization
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD are often plagued by disorganization, a condition that can be very difficult to manage. Your desk, for instance could be a jumble of papers, 17 chapsticks and a ticket from the Kings of Leon show you attended in 2008. Even though you may have invested money in products to help you organize your workspace, your home or office is likely still messy and messy.
Your inability to keep track of your work can lead to missed appointments and forgotten deadlines. Additionally, you may be struggling with the concept of "time blindness," which means you can't remember or understand how much time it takes to complete an assignment. This could make you feel frustrated and feel like you're not doing a great enough job at your job or in your personal life.
You might also have trouble regulating your emotions, which could cause you to overreact in stressful situations. You might also say things without meaning to hurt someone's feelings. You may also be having trouble stopping yourself from speaking before thinking things through, as the tendency to be impulsive is common among those with ADHD.
If you suffer from ADHD It's likely some of your symptoms stem from gender stereotypes and cultural ideas regarding how men, boys, and women should act. This can make it difficult to identify and treat ADHD.
You could also benefit from behavioral treatment to address the root cause of your disorder. It may take a while to determine the most effective strategies for dealing with stress, but implementing them can help you feel in control of your life and improve your relationships with family members, colleagues, and friends.
2. Impulsivity
People with ADHD experience intense emotions. However, their brains are not able to filter them or assess them. They can be overwhelmed by a small setback, or have difficulty in assessing the emotional state of others. It can also make it easier for them to be distracted by small issues like books that are out of stock or an acquaintance who's late for the spin class.
Many women suffering from ADHD compensate for their attention difficulties by masking symptoms and developing coping strategies. They could be perfectionists, or extremely meticulous at school or work, but have difficulty keeping the track of important dates, deadlines, and appointments. They may also have issues with verbal self-restraint and talk excessively, interrupt others frequently, or info dump during conversations.
The hyperactive/impulsive subtype of ADHD tends to be more common in boys and men, but it's not unusual for women to have these symptoms too. These symptoms include the sudden urge to begin or stop activities. They also include being unable to wait for your turn in a conversation or experiencing difficulty in interpreting social signals.
While gender-based stereotypes may influence the development of ADHD however, it's sometimes difficult to recognize when women are suffering from these problems. The scales for rating used to identify ADHD symptoms are still biased towards male behavior. Some healthcare professionals may miss the mark on a woman's ADHD symptoms.
Many women suffering from ADHD also say that their symptoms get worse during times of hormonal changes, such as menstrual cycle or pregnancy, or during perimenopausal (the run-up to menopause). This can cause emotional issues and trigger a lot of feelings of frustration, irritability, or depression. They may also feel an unending feeling of discontent with their lives or relationships. This can contribute to the use of drugs, low self-esteem, and unhealthy coping behaviors. This is why it's important for women to recognize that these symptoms are not a reflection of their value or worth as individuals. The good news is that with a proper treatment plan these symptoms can be alleviated or even eliminated.
3. Inattention
Although everyone has trouble paying attention and focusing at times with ADHD, these symptoms occur so frequently that they interfere with your daily routine. You may make careless mistakes at work or school or forget appointments or you may spend long hours delaying. You have a difficult time waiting your turn in conversations and frequently interrupt others.
Attention deficit symptoms in adults could be accompanied by an inclination to dive into projects without fully planning and analyzing the subject, which results in poor or insufficient results. You might also get side-tracked easily and tend to leave projects unfinishedfrom the garden that was planted, but never watered, to the new organizational system which was erected and left to gather dust on your nightstand.
People with inattentive ADHD are also plagued by a chronic sense of disorganization, both at home and at work. You may have difficulty finding important documents, bills or keys and may lose things on a regular basis. You might also keep losing your track of time and end up late for work, meetings or school.
Women with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD are less likely to experience these inattentive symptoms, but they can still have problems with organization, time management and self-control. Women who suffer from these conditions may perform actions or words without considering the impact including snoozing over other people or making strange sounds when they are alone. They may have trouble sitting still and adjusting their seats or at a fast pace. They might have trouble keeping the job they have, and are in frequent disagreements with their colleagues and their manager.
In some instances, the mood swings or emotional distress caused by ADHD may lead to frustration in relationships and miscommunications. This is especially the case in relationships with partners as well as at work. People with ADHD are also more likely to suffer from co-occurring conditions, like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Girls and women with ADHD are likely to face many challenges when seeking treatment. These include gender discrimination as well as a tendency to cover up symptoms or minimize their severity, as well as gender bias. The rise of high-profile women such as Mia Freedman and Em Rusciano who have publicly shared their struggles with ADHD has helped raise awareness, yet many young women and girls still don't know they have the disorder.
4. Anxiety
An anxiety disorder is defined by a constant, excessive anxiety. Although everyone feels anxious or nervous at times anxiety disorders are defined by a constant high level of anxiety. You might experience an uncontrollable feeling of anxiety or fear, a rapid heartbeat, trouble keeping calm and having trouble thinking clearly. There is also a sense of danger in situations you know aren't dangerous. The most frequent types of anxiety include general anxiety disorder, phobias and agoraphobia, separation anxiety, panic disorders and selective Mutism.
Anxiety is more common among women with ADHD than in men, and it is more likely to become worse during certain times of the woman's life for instance, during her menstrual cycle and pregnancy or perimenopausal. This can make it difficult for women to handle everyday tasks and social interaction and may lead to feelings such as low self-esteem or unsatisfaction.
You are extremely sensitive to rejection, and you have a difficult acceptance of criticism. You can easily misinterpret feedback, or even anticipate rejection. You might be angry about small things that other people don't find an issue with.
Mood swings may also be a symptom of adult adhd in women. You might notice that you have unpredictable moods or find it difficult to control these. You could also be prone to non-suicidal acts of self-injury like burning, scrubbing, or hitting yourself.
It's crucial to seek a diagnosis if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above. It will help you understand the issues you're facing, and offer you strategies to improve your quality of life. You can take an ADHD test online, or talk to your physician for a professional assessment. In certain cases a doctor might prescribe medication to ease your symptoms. In other cases they might suggest a combination of lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapy. In either case it's crucial to make positive changes as soon as possible. adhd in young women can help you take control of your life and make you feel more productive, confident and capable.