ADHD Adult Female Symptoms
ADHD can affect both females and males, but it is more difficult for women to be diagnosed. This is because women don't show the same hyperactivity and impulsivity as men, so they could be overlooked or incorrectly diagnosed.
The first step to manage your symptoms is to get an accurate diagnosis. Adults who suffer from ADHD are often treated with stimulant medication, but there are other alternatives.
1. Difficulty Focusing
While everyone gets distracted at times, women who suffer from ADHD have difficulty putting their attention on tasks and conversations, especially when they're suffering from sensory or emotional overload. These difficulties can be made worse during menstrual periods.
Women who are inattentional ADHD suffer from problems with their working memory. This makes it difficult to remember things that are simple, such as appointments or upcoming events. They often forget where they kept their car keys or the name of the lady who drove them home from spin class or even important deadlines and dates.
Other signs of ADHD in females of adulthood include procrastination and difficulty in following through with plans. They are more likely to get distracted by shiny objects or social media, making it difficult to complete their assignments and projects. This can result in feeling overwhelmed and underperforming at the classroom or at work.
Because of the way society views gender, many women suffering from ADHD go undiagnosed. They feel shame and mistakenly label their problems as "bad behaviours" or "character issues". They are often viewed like they're an imposter. A diagnosis can be a "lightbulb" moment for them, because it provides them with an external explanation of their challenges and allows them to accept themselves more fully.
Women and girls with untreated ADHD can experience a wide variety of negative effects such as academic issues and behavioral issues, bad family and relationship problems and co-occurring mental health problems. However, a correct diagnosis and treatment plan can dramatically enhance the lives of people suffering from ADHD at all stages of their lives. Treatment options include stimulant medication and therapy. *
2. Difficulty Finishing Projects
Women with ADHD have difficulty completing tasks or obligations. They may forget important information, have trouble shifting between tasks and responsibilities or have difficulty to meet deadlines. They may also be more likely to make errors, have difficulty organizing their schedules and managing their time and underestimate the time they need to finish tasks.
Women suffering from ADHD may find the emotional symptoms of ADHD, such as irritability or mood swings, especially frustrating. Hormonal changes can trigger symptoms, including those that are experienced during menopausal cycles, pregnancy, and during menstruation. Women who aren't diagnosed with ADHD may feel frustrated and unhappy about their performance at work and in their relationships.
Some women who suffer from ADHD find daily routines like chores and grocery shopping challenging. They might have a difficult time remembering to take out the garbage or turn off the stove and they can be easily distracted by the smallest things around them. They may also have difficulty with monotonous tasks like washing dishes or folding laundry. Simple tasks that are boring or repetitive can become unbearable which can lead to impulsive behaviours like excessive talking or oversharing. The impulsivity of ADHD can also cause women to make impulsive choices and use unhealthy coping methods like alcohol or drugs.
If you're having trouble finishing tasks, memory problems, chronic procrastination and relationships, you should seek a professional evaluation for ADHD. Getting a proper diagnosis can improve your quality of life and help you achieve success in both your professional and personal lives. It will help you better manage your ADHD symptoms and develop strategies to manage them effectively. To minimize lapses in attention and focus, you can try to adhere to a regular schedule and use planners or reminder apps and take notes during meetings, and adhere to good sleep hygiene (avoid screens an hour before bedtime). Exercise can also help improve concentration because it boosts the neurotransmitter levels in your brain.
3. It is difficult to remember names
It is possible that trouble remembering names might be accompanied by other ADHD symptoms, such as difficulty following directions or completing projects. This is due to a lack to organize and prioritize tasks, which hinders information retrieval. This condition tends to get worse when there is a period of fatigue, stress or hormonal changes.
If a person is unable to remember names and addresses, it can be more annoying if they forget important information such as appointments or events, or personal reminders. These lapses can be caused by depression or anxiety, which commonly co-occur with ADHD in women.
Due to gender biases and internalized symptoms, ADHD is often misdiagnosed by women. Inattentive ADHD symptoms are more subtle than hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, making them harder to detect and identify. In the end, they are often not identified and not referred for treatment and diagnosis.
Furthermore, there is a bias based on gender because ADHD is typically considered to be a male-specific condition, with hyperactive boys being the ones who are the most referred to clinics for assessment and treatment. Combined with internalized stigma and the fact that women's symptoms frequently appear different from men's and that many professionals are unable to recognize or treat ADHD in women.
severe ADHD symptoms in adults becoming more common for women to be diagnosed with ADHD in their adulthood. A diagnosis can improve your relationships, help you achieve your goals at work and school, and provide you with the help you require. Contact an Salience Health provider if you're interested in getting diagnosed. We will be able to assess your symptoms with tools like Creyos Cognitive Testing and Brainview Advanced and connect you to a therapist who is the right fit for you.
4. The difficulty appears in the roof
Women with ADHD might exhibit subtle signs of inattention. They might forget to complete chores at home, skip appointments or struggle to take notes. They might also have problems with impulsivity and trouble understanding the boundaries of social interaction. This can result in misinterpretation and misunderstandings in relationships with family and friends and can cause feelings of loneliness and feeling isolated.
Women with untreated ADHD may also have trouble being able to meet the expectations set by society for them as women. They may struggle with the responsibility of caring for children and household chores, and this social pressure can exacerbate their ADHD symptoms and feelings of inadequacy. Many women with untreated ADHD suffer from low self-esteem, and they resort to unhealthy coping strategies like binge eating and TV marathons.
The challenges of ADHD for women can be exacerbated by gender bias, both in how women and girls are perceived and evaluated by clinicians. There is evidence that suggests that girls and women are more likely to hide or compensate for their ADHD symptoms, and may be less likely to be referred for treatment and diagnosis than men and boys.
Women with ADHD may also have difficulties in recognizing their symptoms. They may confuse them with anxiety disorders or mood disorders. This could lead to a false diagnosis as well as delayed or improper treatment.
severe ADHD symptoms in adults can make women more frustrated with her ADHD symptoms. They may also increase the likelihood that she will be misunderstood or dismissed as moody or overly emotional. These changes can heighten the woman's frustration over her ADHD symptoms, and they could increase the chance of being viewed as moody or overly emotional.
5. Impulsivity
Although the impulsivity associated with ADHD affects boys and men differently, women suffer from it too. They can also experience trouble controlling their emotions and could be more prone to "foot-in-mouth" moments. These uncontrollable behaviors can have a major impact on your professional and personal life.
Prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain that is responsible for controlling the process of reasoning and decision-making. This brain area can help people avoid making a mistake by acting as a check on behavior. People with ADHD have less functioning prefrontal cortex, and this can make it difficult for them to resist their urges or avoid engaging in reckless or harmful behavior. It can also lead to a lack in self-respect. Women's impulsiveness is often manifested as a lack of social boundaries and self-control during conversations (interrupting others, not finishing their sentences, or talking too often).
Women can also have problems with control of impulses when hormones change. Estrogen changes naturally at different times during the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, childbirth and menopausal. Contraceptives and hormone therapy used during menopausal perimenopausal cycles can further alter estrogen levels and other hormones which can impact women's ADHD.
ADHD symptoms for girls and women can differ from those seen in males and boys. This is why they are often misdiagnosed. This is why many people who suffer from ADHD are unaware of the fact that they have it. The positive side is that identifying and treating ADHD can make a difference in the quality of life for anyone regardless of age. If you are unsure whether or not you are suffering from ADHD discuss it with your doctor and find out how they can assist. Treatment options include medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and couples counseling.