ADHD Symptoms in adult add women Females
While ADHD affects men and women equally in adulthood, it often is not recognized in females. This could be due to gender stereotyping and the capability females to hide their symptoms.
Many healthcare professionals lack the knowledge and experience to identify ADHD in women. As a result, many females are misdiagnosed before receiving the proper treatment they require.
1. Disorganization
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD often struggle with disorganization, which can be very difficult to manage. For instance, your desk may be a jumble of unruly papers, 17 chapsticks, and even a ticket to the Kings of Leon concert you attended in the year 2008. Although you may have spent money on products to help you manage your clutter, your office or home is probably still messy and chaotic.
Inability to keep track of your tasks may result in missed deadlines and appointments. Additionally, you may be struggling with the concept of “time blindness,” which means you can’t remember or understand the amount of time it takes to finish the task. This can cause you to feel frustrated and feel like you’re not doing a great enough job in your profession or in your personal life.
You may also be having trouble managing your emotions, which may make you overreact in stressful situations. You may also make comments without intention of hurting people’s feelings. Since impulsivity is a common trait for those with adhd in middle aged women, you might have trouble stopping yourself from making comments without considering them.
If you have ADHD it’s possible that a portion of your symptoms are rooted in gender stereotypes or cultural ideas regarding how women, men and boys should behave. This can make it harder to recognize and treat your ADHD.
You may also benefit from a treatment for behavioral issues to address the root causes of your disorder. It may take a while to discover the most effective strategies for dealing with stress, but implementing them will allow you to feel in control of your own life and improve your relationships with family members, coworkers, and friends.
2. Impulsivity
People with ADHD have intense emotions. However, their brains are not able to filter them or assess them. They can be overwhelmed by a minor event, or have difficulty being able to assess the emotional state of others. It also makes it easier for them to get distracted by minor issues such as the book that’s out of stock or a friend who’s running late to take a spin class.
Many women suffering from ADHD manage their attention issues by hiding symptoms and implementing strategies to cope. They could be perfectionists or extremely attentive at work or in school, but have difficulty keeping track of important dates, bills and appointments. They might also struggle with verbal self-restraint and talk excessively, interrupt others often, or dump information 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 desire to start, stop, or change activities. They also include being unable wait for your turn in a conversation or having difficulty reading social cues.
While gender stereotypes can impact on the development of ADHD in women, it’s difficult to recognize these issues. The scales for rating used to identify ADHD symptoms are still biased towards male behavior. Some healthcare professionals might misunderstand a woman’s ADHD symptoms.
Many women suffering from ADHD also say that their symptoms get worse during times of hormonal changes, like during menstrual cycles or pregnancy, or during perimenopausal (the period leading up to menopausal). This can trigger emotions such as anger, irritability or depression. They may also feel a persistent sense of dissatisfaction with their relationships or life. This can result in self-esteem issues, substance abuse, or unhealthy ways of coping. It’s important that women understand that these symptoms do not show their worth or value as human beings. If you follow a proper treatment strategy, you can lessen or even eliminate these symptoms.
3. Inattention
Although everyone has trouble paying attention and focusing at times with ADHD, these symptoms occur often enough that they cause disruption with your life. You may make careless errors at work or in school, forget appointments, or spend a great deal of time procrastinating. You can’t stand in line and interrupt other people in conversations.
Inattentive symptoms in adults can be accompanied by an inclination to dive into projects without thoroughly planning and analyzing the subject, which results in incomplete or subpar results. You may also be easily distracted and leave projects unfinished. This could be a vegetable garden that was planted, but not watered, or an system of organization that you built and then put away on your nightstand to accumulate dust.
People with inattention ADHD have trouble focusing at home and in the workplace. It is possible that you have trouble finding important documents keys, bills or even keys and misplace things on a regular basis. You could also forget to keep the track of time and end up late for school, work or for meetings.
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 with these symptoms may perform actions or words without considering the consequences. For instance they might be rude to others or make a lot of nonsensical noises when they are alone. They may have trouble sitting still and might move around or get out of their seats. They might have trouble keeping the job they have, and are in frequent disputes with their coworkers and supervisor.
In some instances, the mood swings and emotional stress caused by ADHD can cause frustration and miscommunication in relationships. This is especially the case in relationships with partners as well as at work. People with ADHD also are more likely to having co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD have a myriad of challenges when seeking treatment and diagnosis, including gender bias and a tendency to hide their symptoms or undervalue the severity of them. High-profile women such as Em Rusciano and Mia Freedman who have openly discussed their struggles with adhd with women have contributed to raising awareness. However, a lot of young women and girls aren’t aware of it.
4. Anxiety
Although most people experience anxiety or anxious from time to time, persistently outsize anxiety is a sign of an anxiety disorder. You may feel an uneasy feeling or fear and also an intense pulse, trouble being calm, and trouble thinking clearly. You may also feel an underlying sense of danger in situations that you know are not dangerous. The most common kinds of anxiety are general anxiety disorder, phobias, agoraphobia as well as separation anxiety, panic disorders and selective Mutism.
Anxiety is more prevalent in women suffering from ADHD than in men, and it tends to worsen during certain times of women’s lives like her menstrual cycle, pregnancy or perimenopause. This can make it difficult to manage everyday tasks and social interactions and may lead to feelings of low self-esteem or unsatisfaction.
You are extremely sensitive to rejection, and you have a tough to accept criticism. You are prone to interpret feedback incorrectly, or anticipate rejection. You may be angry about small things that others don’t see an issue with.
Mood swings are a part of the adult female adhd symptoms and you could discover that your mood is unpredictable or difficult to control. You could also be susceptible to self-injury that isn’t suicidal such as burning, scrubbing, or hitting yourself.
If you’re struggling with any of the above symptoms, it’s important to receive a diagnosis. It can help you understand the issues you’re facing, and give you strategies to improve the quality of your life. You can take an online ADHD test, or go to your doctor for a professional assessment. In certain cases a doctor might prescribe medication to help alleviate your symptoms. In other cases they may recommend an amalgamation of lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapy. In any situation, it’s crucial to start making some positive changes to your life as soon as you can. This will allow you to regain control of your life and make you feel more confident and capable.
