ADHD Symptoms in Adult Females
While ADHD affects men and women equally throughout adulthood, the condition often isn't recognized by females. This is probably due to gender stereotypes and the ability of females to mask their symptoms.
Many healthcare professionals don't have the expertise or experience needed to detect ADHD among women. In the end, many women are misdiagnosed and not receiving the proper treatment they need.
1. Disorganization
Girls and women with ADHD frequently struggle with disorganization, a condition that can be very difficult to manage. Your desk, for instance could be a jumble of papers, 17 different chapsticks and a ticket from the Kings of Leon show you attended in 2008. While you spend money on products that promise to aid in your organization, your home and office may still be messy and chaotic.
Inability to keep on top of your work can cause you to miss deadlines and appointments. Additionally, you may be struggling with a concept known as "time blindness," which means you cannot remember or comprehend the amount of time it takes to complete the task. This can cause you to feel frustrated and feel like you're not doing a great enough job in your career, or even your personal life.
There is a possibility that you have trouble controlling your emotions. This could cause you to react excessively when faced with stressful situations. Your fast-paced verbal communication could create misunderstandings and miscommunications with your loved ones as well as your coworkers. You could make statements that hurt feelings of others without a thought. In addition, since impulsivity is common in people with ADHD and ADD, you may be unable to stop yourself from saying things before taking a second to think them through.
If you have ADHD it's possible that a portion of your symptoms stem from gender stereotypes or cultural ideas about how women, men, and boys should behave. This makes it difficult to identify and treat ADHD.
You may also benefit from a treatment for behavioral issues to address the root causes of your disorder. While it could take a while to discover the appropriate strategies for coping using these strategies, they can help you feel more in control of your life and enhance relationships with family and friends as well as coworkers.
2. Impulsivity
People with ADHD experience intense emotions. However their brains aren't able to filter them or assess them. They may be overwhelmed by a small incident, or have trouble in assessing the mood of others. It can also make it easier for them to be distracted by small issues like the book that's out of stock or a friend who's running late to spin class.
Many women suffering from ADHD mask their symptoms and come up with coping strategies to compensate for their attention problems. They might be extremely meticulous or a perfectionist at school or work and struggle to keep on top of appointments, bills, or important dates. They may also have issues with self-control and verbal control. They may also frequently interrupt others, talk too much, 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 a sudden desire to stop, start or change activities; being unable to wait for your turn during a conversation and difficulty interpreting social cues (like facial expressions or body language).
While gender stereotypes can impact on the development of ADHD for women, it is difficult to recognize these issues. The scales of rating used to identify ADHD symptoms are still biased towards male behavior. Some healthcare professionals may not be aware of the woman's ADHD symptoms.
Many women suffering from ADHD report that their symptoms are more severe when hormonal changes occur like menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and perimenopause. This can exacerbate emotional symptoms and trigger a lot of feelings of anger, frustration, or depression. They may also have a persistent feeling of dissatisfaction in their relationships or lives. This could lead to depression, substance abuse and unhealthy coping strategies. This is why it's important for women to recognize that these signs aren't a reflection of their value or worth as a person. The positive side is that with a proper treatment strategy, these symptoms can be reduced or even eliminated.
3. Attention!
ADHD is often characterized by a higher frequency of these symptoms. While everyone struggles to concentrate and pay attention at certain times and in a variety of ways, they are so frequent that they can interfere with your everyday life. signs of add in adult women might make mistakes at work or school and forget appointments, or spend many hours putting off work. You have a hard time waiting your turn in conversations and frequently interrupt others.
Adults who are inattentive can also rush into projects before thoroughly planning them and researching them. This results in a lack of results or poor ones. You could also get easily distracted and leave projects unfinished. This could be an unwatered vegetable garden planted but not watered, or a new system of organization that you built and then left on your nightstand for it to rot.
People with inattention ADHD also struggle with an ongoing feeling of disorganization, both in their home and workplaces. You may have difficulty finding important documents keys, bills or even keys and lose items on a regular basis. You may also lose the track of time and end up over time for meetings, work 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. People with these issues might perform actions or words without thinking about the consequences. For example they might be rude to others or make a lot of nonsensical noises in solitude. They may have trouble sitting still and may be prone to fumbling around or pacing in their seats. They may have difficulty maintaining their job and may have frequent disagreements with their colleagues and supervisor.
In some cases the mood swings and emotional distress caused by ADHD can lead to frustration in relationships and miscommunications. This is particularly true in romantic relationships and at work. People with ADHD are also more likely to have co-occurring conditions, like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD can face a variety of difficulties in seeking diagnosis and treatment that include gender bias and a tendency to conceal their symptoms or undervalue the severity of their symptoms. Famous women like Em Rusciano and Mia Freedman who have publicly discussed their struggles with ADHD have contributed to raising awareness. However, a lot of girls and young woman still do not know they have it.
4. Anxiety
An anxiety disorder is characterized by persistently excessive anxiety. Although everyone feels anxious or nervous occasionally Anxiety disorders are defined by persistently high levels of anxiety. You might feel an uncontrollable feeling of anxiety or anxiety, a fast heartbeat, trouble staying calm and having trouble thinking clearly. You may also feel a heightened sense of danger even in situations that aren't likely be dangerous for you. The most frequent types of anxiety are general anxiety disorder, phobias and agoraphobia and panic disorders, separation anxiety and selective Mutism.
Anxiety is more common in women suffering from ADHD than in men, and tends to get worse at certain times in a woman's life, such as around the time of her menstrual cycle or pregnancy, or perimenopausal. This makes it more difficult to handle everyday activities and social interactions and lead to feelings of low self-esteem and general dissatisfaction with your life.
You're highly sensitive to rejection and have a hard time accepting criticism. signs of add in adult women are prone to interpret feedback incorrectly, or anticipate rejection. You might get upset over small issues that other people don't find an issue with.
Mood swings are another of the adult female adhd symptoms, and you might be able to notice that your moods are unpredictable or difficult to manage. adhd in adult women test may also be prone non-suicidal acts of self-injury like burning, scrubbing, or hitting yourself.
It is crucial to seek a diagnosis if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above. It will help you identify your issues and give you strategies for improving your living quality. You can take an ADHD test online or talk to your doctor for a professional assessment. In certain instances your doctor may prescribe medication to alleviate your symptoms. In other instances they may recommend the combination of lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapy. In any case, it's essential to change your lifestyle as quickly as you can. This can help you get back in control of your life and make you feel more productive, confident and competent.