adhd in adult women treatment For Women
Women who suffer from ADHD have reported emotional instability and sensitivity to rejection. They might also experience insomnia and low quality sleep, which can cause the symptoms to become worse.
Women and girls tend to hide their ADHD symptoms more effectively than men and employ strategies to cope with the social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.
1. Difficulty Focusing
Concentration is the biggest issue for women suffering from ADHD. This neurodevelopmental disorder makes it difficult to focus at school, during meetings at work as well as when reading or listening to other people talk. It can also be challenging to manage 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 the women who suffer from the inattentive form of the disorder may struggle to organize their home and their desk. They may also have difficulty deciding how to prioritize their tasks. These issues can cause them to miss appointments, arrive at the wrong place at the correct time or not follow through on their tasks. They may also cause them to feel ashamed of themselves and blame themselves for their troubles and think they are lazy or forgetful.
Inattention ADHD symptoms can also make it hard to keep track of the demands of life, resulting in poor work or school performance and an accumulation of debt. According to CHADD they can be triggered by stress or other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Teachers and parents could be biased against boys and men, causing women and girls to be underdiagnosed. 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 who are adults 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 cause emotional problems such as mood swings and irritation.
Adults suffering from ADHD may benefit from stimulant medications to improve their concentration but it won't cure the condition. Other strategies, such as mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help with organization and focus. Some workplaces and schools have accommodations that can help with these issues, too.
2. Forgetting Things
It can be difficult to keep track of daily tasks or to manage your obligations. You may struggle to remember important information about people or events particularly when they take place in a noisy or busy environment. You might also find yourself not remembering appointments or being late to work or school. Women who suffer from ADHD tend to forget to pay bills or respond to emails, which could cause financial stress and a sense of urgency. You might have trouble working in a busy or noisy workplace and frequently get lost in conversations, causing others feeling unimportant or misunderstood.
Many women and girls suffering from ADHD are also having a difficult time maintaining friendships and are at risk of being pressured into sexual activities that are not desired or becoming victims of intimate partner violence. This is due to the fact that they have a difficult managing their emotions and are more likely to become overwhelmed. They could also be struggling with self-esteem, and they might view their difficulties as something that is a "personal fault" instead of realizing that their behavior is linked to their ADHD symptoms.
Girl and women with ADHD are also often overlooked because of gender bias because their symptoms are less noticeable than the symptoms of men and boys. They might be more likely to camouflage their symptoms by claiming mood or anxiety issues, which can result in being misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
Symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations and, particularly during puberty when estrogen drops and progesterone rises. This can cause a greater range of symptoms, which makes it harder to diagnose and treat ADHD.
When diagnosed and treated, you can learn to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also try lifestyle changes, like eating a balanced diet and avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants that may cause symptoms to become worse. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to calm your mind and decrease restlessness and impulsiveness. They can also help improve emotional regulation. Talking to an expert in mental health can be beneficial, as they can talk about possible accommodations at school or at work that can aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.
3. Disruptive Behavior
In most cases, females with ADHD are more likely to experience inattention than hyperactive or impulsive ones. This could be due to the fact that girls and women have different brains than boys and men. Or it could be due to the volume of brain activity areas that control impulsive behavior.
It can be challenging for doctors to recognize 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, turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to manage. They may also become depressed or have other mental health conditions like anxiety. These unhealthy coping methods can make it difficult for someone to recognize an issue with their mental health and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Disruptive behavior is among the most common symptom of adhd for women. It can impact their academic or work performance, and even their relationships. This includes being in a state of disorientation and not being able to focus on a particular task, or forgetting important events or tasks and being easily distracted by the environment or their thoughts. They might fumble or tap their hands or feet or squirm in their seat. They can also talk out loud or yell, and they could be disruptive.
Women with the inattentive subtype may have trouble staying focused during lectures or conversations or completing schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following instructions in class or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They may be unorganized, messy, and forgetful and find it difficult to adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace items like glasses, wallets, keys and even wallets.
Having the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type of adhd can disrupt work or school, cause social problems, and create relationship challenges. This subtype can lead to problems at home, at work, and at school, and can trigger feelings of anxiety or boredom. adhd in adult women treatment are unable to wait for their turn in school, work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They are unable to manage their behavior and tend to be reckless.
4. Anxiety
Women and girls who have ADHD may find it harder to manage their symptoms. This is due in part to societal expectations that demand women and mothers to be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations, it can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. This, in turn, can make it harder to seek treatment for her ADHD.
Women with ADHD are often not recognized as easily as males or females 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. Furthermore, they are more likely to develop strategies for coping that mask their ADHD symptoms, including excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness which can be mistaken for symptoms of anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADHD in women can differ at different times during the woman's life. For instance, during times of hormonal changes, like menstruation or pregnancy, women may notice her ADHD symptoms to be exacerbated. This can lead her to be viewed as a victim of prejudice or thought of as an excessively emotional.
The information in this article is based on research into how ADHD affects people based on their sexual. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is biology: chromosomal make-up hormones, hormones, and anatomical structures, whereas gender is an internal sense of who you are as a man, a woman, or if you're non-binary, you're or a person. This distinction is important because it helps us understand how and why ADHD manifests differently in men and women. In this article, we are referring to males as well as people who were assigned male at birth as males and boys. We also refer to females and those who were assigned female at conception as girls and women. This terminology is used in a variety of research studies. To find out more, check out Verywell Health's guide on gender and sex.