ADHD Adult Female Symptoms
ADHD can affect people of all ages and genders, but it can be more difficult for women to get diagnosed. It's because women rarely exhibit the same level of hyperactivity or the same impulsivity as men, which means they could be overlooked or incorrectly diagnosed.
A clear diagnosis is the first step in managing your symptoms. Adults who suffer from ADHD are often treated with stimulant medications, however, there are other alternatives.
1. Problems with Focusing
Women suffering from ADHD are prone to being distracted by a variety of things, but they're also having difficulties staying focused on tasks and conversations especially when they are experiencing sensory or emotional overload. These difficulties can be exacerbated during menstrual cycles.
Women with inattention ADHD also have issues with their working memory, making it difficult to remember simple things like appointments or upcoming events. They often forget where they left their keys to their car or the name of the lady who drove them home from spin class, or even important dates and deadlines.
symptoms for ADHD in adults and the inability to keep up with plans are also signs of ADHD among females of adulthood. They are more likely to be sidetracked by shiny objects or social media, which makes it harder to complete their assignments and projects. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and underperforming at school or at work.
Because of societal ideas about gender, a lot of women suffering from ADHD go undiagnosed. In turn, they experience guilt and mistakenly attribute their problems as "bad behaviors" or "character defects". They often feel like an impostor. A diagnosis could be an "lightbulb" moment for them, since it provides them with an external explanation for their struggles and helps them accept themselves more fully.
Untreated ADHD in women and girls can have a variety of negative effects, including academic difficulties, behavioral problems as well as family and relationship issues, and coexisting mental health conditions. A proper diagnosis and treatment plan will improve the lives of people who suffer from ADHD at any time in their lives. Treatment options may include stimulant medication and therapy. *
2. Difficulty Finishing Projects
Women with ADHD often struggle to complete tasks and duties. They may forget important details, have difficulty switching between tasks or responsibilities, and find it difficult to meet deadlines. They are also more likely to make mistakes, have trouble organizing their schedules and managing their time and underestimate the time it takes to complete tasks.
Women suffering from ADHD may find the emotional symptoms of ADHD like irritability or mood swings, particularly difficult. Symptoms can be exacerbated by hormonal changes, such as those that occur during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause. Women who have not been diagnosed with ADHD may be frustrated and unhappy in their work performance and in their relationships.
Women who suffer from ADHD find daily routines like chores and grocery shopping difficult. They might have a difficult recalling to take out the trash or to turn off the stove, and they are easily distracted by the smallest things in their environment. They might also struggle doing repetitive tasks, such as folding laundry or washing the dishes. The monotonous or repetitive chores can become unbearable and cause impulsive behavior like excessive talking or sharing. Women with ADHD can also make erratic choices and use unhealthy coping strategies, like alcohol or other drugs.
If you have difficulty finishing tasks, have memory issues, chronic procrastination and relationship challenges, 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 can help you manage your ADHD symptoms and create strategies to deal with them. You can minimize lapses of concentration and attention by adhering to a schedule by using a planner or reminder app, taking notes during meetings, and maintaining good sleep hygiene. Exercise can also help improve concentration because it boosts the levels of brain neurotransmitters.
3. Difficulty Remembering Names
Difficulty remembering names can go hand-in-hand with other ADHD symptoms such as difficulty in following directions and having trouble finishing projects. This is due to a lack of organizing and prioritizing tasks, which can hinder information retrieval. This problem is more likely to occur during times of fatigue, stress or hormonal changes.
Forgetting names can feel even more frustrating when it's followed by a sense of forgetfulness over bigger items like appointments, events, or personal reminders. These lapses may be worsened by depression or anxiety, which commonly co-occur with ADHD in women.
ADHD is often not recognized in women due to gender bias and internalized symptoms. Inattentive ADHD symptoms are more subtle than hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, making them harder to detect and identify. They are therefore under-diagnosed and under-referred to doctors to receive treatment and diagnosis.
In addition, there is a gender-based bias due to the fact that ADHD is generally seen as a male condition, with hyperactive boys being the ones who are 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 diagnose or treat ADHD in women.
Fortunately, it's becoming more common for women to receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. A diagnosis can enhance your relationships, help you achieve your goals at work and school, and offer you the support you need. Talk to an Salience Health provider if you're interested in being diagnosed. We can assess your symptoms with tools like Creyos Cognitive Testing and Brainview Advanced and connect you to a therapist that is the right fit for you.
4. Ailoofs that appear difficult to see
Women with ADHD might exhibit subtle signs of inattention. They may skip appointments, forget to complete chores around the home, or have trouble making notes at work. They might also have problems with impulsivity and trouble understanding the boundaries of social interaction. This can result in confusion and misinterpretation of relationships with friends and family, and it can cause feelings of loneliness and isolation.
In addition, women with untreated ADHD frequently have difficulty meeting social expectations for them as women. This can cause feeling inadequate and ADHD symptoms when they are faced with the burden of taking care of children and household chores. If not treated, ADHD can cause low self-esteem among women. They might resort to unhealthy methods of coping, such as binge-eating and watching marathons of TV.
The difficulties of ADHD for women are compounded by gender discrimination in the way women and girls are viewed as well as how clinicians assess them. Some research suggests that girls and women are more likely to hide or compensate for their ADHD symptoms, and can be less likely to receive treatment and diagnosis than boys and men.
Women with ADHD may also have difficulties in recognizing their symptoms. They may be confused with anxiety disorders or mood disorders. This could lead to false diagnosis or delayed treatment.
These changes can increase a woman's frustration with her ADHD symptoms. They could also increase the likelihood that she will be viewed or dismissed as moody or overly emotional. These changes can cause women to be more annoyed with her ADHD symptoms and increase the chances of being viewed as a naive, or dismissed as a moody or emotional.
5. Impulsivity
Women also experience the impulsivity that is associated with ADHD. They also may have difficulty controlling their emotions and could be prone to having "foot-in-mouth" moments. These behaviors that are impulsive can have a significant impact on your professional and personal life.
The part of the brain that controls the ability to make decisions and reason is known as the prefrontal cortex. This brain area can help people avoid making poor decisions by providing a nudge on their behavior. People with ADHD have less functioning prefrontal cortex. This can make it difficult to resist the urges or prevent themselves from doing something reckless or hurtful. It can also cause an inability to respect themselves. Women's impulsiveness is often manifested as an inability to maintain social boundaries and self-control in conversation (interrupting others, finishing their sentences, and talking too often).
Women also may have issues controlling their impulses during the various hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives. Estrogen fluctuates at different times during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. The use of oral contraception and hormone therapy during perimenopausal and menopause can further alter the levels of estrogen and other hormones that impact women's ADHD symptoms.
The method by which ADHD symptoms are expressed in girls and women can vary from those of males and females and is one of the reasons they are often not diagnosed. Many people with ADHD are unaware of their health issues. The positive side is that identifying and treating ADHD can make a difference in the quality of life of a person regardless of age. If you're not sure whether or not you suffer from ADHD discuss it with your doctor and see how they can assist. Treatment options include medication, cognitive behavior therapy, and couples counseling.