ADHD Symptoms in Adult Women
Women with undiagnosed ADHD may have issues at work or in relationships. It is essential to recognize the signs of ADHD and seek the right treatment for you.
Symptoms of ADHD in adults are more likely to be the inattentive type than hyperactivity/impulsive. Being diagnosed with the right diagnosis can aid in improving your life by addressing your symptoms and focusing on what matters most.
1. Trouble paying attention
Women may have difficulty paying attention to details, remembering deadlines and appointments or underestimating the amount of time it takes to complete a task. They may also have difficulty keeping track of their obligations at work or in relationships, become distracted easily and fail to keep their word on their promises. They may also have a tendency to be impulsive, have difficulty managing their emotions, and blurt out ideas without considering them.
It's important to be aware of and treat symptoms of ADHD in adult women. The inability to focus can lead to difficulties with friendships and relationships. Women may find it difficult to make new acquaintances, or they might struggle in their relationships, with recurring fights and missing opportunities to have fun and being neglected. They might also face difficulties managing the demands of home, work and childcare.
It can be difficult for health professionals and therapists alike to diagnose ADHD in a large number of people. This doesn't mean that it's not real, or that the person has to work harder to stay focused. Diagnoses are based upon the symptoms and how they affect the daily activities in a variety of areas.
It is more common for women to have inattentive symptoms and not hyperactive or impulsive symptoms - which could explain why this population often goes undiagnosed. Many women suffering from ADHD also feel ashamed of their symptoms since they don't conform to the stereotypes associated with ADHD. This can make it difficult for people who suffer from ADHD to seek help or receive treatment.
Women who suffer from ADHD are not diagnosed for a lengthy period of time due to the fact that they try to hide their symptoms and cope. They are also more likely to suffer from other comorbidities, including depression or anxiety that can mask the symptoms of ADHD. They are also more likely to experience hormonal fluctuations that can cause their symptoms to flare up or disappear, like during the menstrual cycle or pregnancy, as well as perimenopausal.
2. Organizational Issues
Women who suffer from ADHD frequently experience a lack of memory and disorganization, as well as emotional dysregulation. These symptoms can make them difficult to manage daily tasks, meet their obligations, or maintain relationships. They might also suffer from low self-esteem and struggle with anxiety. Women who have not been diagnosed with ADHD often feel that they're not meeting societal expectations and have a difficult than their peers in terms of academic success as well as job performance and social connections.
ADHD in women may manifest itself as procrastination, hyperfocus or forgetfulness. These issues can lead women to miss appointments, fail to pay bills on time, and feel overwhelmed. Hyperfocus can result in a loss in concentration on other important tasks and a poor understanding of time. This can make it hard to switch from one task to another. Procrastination can cause stress, anxiety, and a constant sense of being in a lag.
Communication problems that are nonverbal as well as verbal are a typical symptom of ADHD. This could mean excessive talk and interrupting other people or uttering inappropriate phrases. It can also indicate the inability to wait for her turn or difficulty recognizing social boundaries. It is important to remember that these behaviors don't necessarily mean an absence of intelligence or capabilities.
Many women suffering from ADHD come up with strategies to disguise their symptoms. This can have both positive as well as negative consequences. Some of these coping strategies could be healthy. For instance using a calendar for the day or making reminders for important dates. Others could be harmful for example, using alcohol and drugs to hide symptoms or ignoring them altogether. Therefore, it is essential that women who suspect that they be suffering from ADHD seek professional help.
Women with ADHD can benefit from medication treatment, lifestyle changes, therapy and a variety of other treatment options. They can avail cognitive behavioral therapy, which addresses the underlying negative thoughts and beliefs as well as mindfulness and relaxation exercising, a healthy diet, and enough rest. A doctor may also recommend adjustments to make working or school easier.
3. Disruptive Behaviors
Women who suffer from ADHD might experience emotional dysregulation. In the end, they often become discontent and frustrated when their problems aren't solved. It can be difficult to maintain relationships, whether with romantic partners, coworkers or even friends. For instance, forgetfulness and impulsivity can heighten anxiety or confusion in romantic relationships and can cause feelings of loneliness, loss or depression. A tendency to seek out thrills at the whim of your heart could be taken to mean a lack of interest or apathy.
This is one of the reasons ADHD symptoms in women and girls are often not recognized or diagnosed. It is possible that they fail to recognize their issues in relation to ADHD because of stereotypes and social norms about gender and sexuality.
Women and girls with ADHD might conceal their symptoms to avoid embarrassment. This may result in being referred to less frequently for diagnosis than boys and men with the same symptoms. In addition, gender bias in the research that informs the diagnostic criteria may contribute to this asymmetry. Hartung and Widiger discovered in a recent study that women and girls with ADHD symptoms tend to be more likely to go undiagnosed and under-identified than boys and adults. This could be due to the fact that clinicians are trained to think of hyperactive and aggressive ADHD as more prevalent in both men and boys. This makes them easier to identify and recommend for assessment.
Adult ADHD symptoms can manifest themselves as anxiety and a struggle to settle down. These are typical symptoms of ADHD however, in the later years of adulthood they can have a major impact on a person's life and wellbeing. People with ADHD might feel anxious or find it hard to remain still. This is particularly the case when they're anxious or stressed. They also tend to fidget, and are often overly talkative. They frequently interrupt or finish other people's sentences without even realizing they're causing offence.
If you suspect you may have ADHD, your GP or a registered psychologist can refer you to a psychiatrist for an assessment. You can also self-refer. This information was reviewed in October 2024 and revised in November 2022 by Madeline Dykes, clinical psychologist and members of the Thriving Madly peer support network in Christchurch.
4. Social Skills Problems
Women suffering from ADHD might have trouble managing their emotions or communicating effectively at work. This can cause problems in personal relationships as well as with professional goals. For instance, they may be unable to recognize and respond to feedback, which could result in frustration and displeasure. Additionally, they might have trouble maintaining healthy eating and sleep habits, which can lead to feelings of anxiety. Women who suffer from ADHD utilize unhealthy strategies for coping to cope with their issues. This includes eating disorders, addiction to substances, and non-suicidal harming of oneself (NSSI), like cutting, burning, or scratching.
As adults, women who suffer from ADHD are more likely to seek treatment than men, as they tend to cover up their symptoms. In order to make themselves acceptable to society and meet expectations, they often develop coping strategies. This could make it more difficult for others to recognize their ADHD symptoms. These coping strategies could be as simple as creating lists and setting reminders or more complicated, such as learning to control their emotions or developing mindfulness strategies.
However, these strategies could backfire and make symptoms worse. These strategies can cause problems in getting the rest you need, which is crucial for managing ADHD symptoms. In addition, women with ADHD often find themselves overwhelmed by their daily demands and this can increase stress and exacerbate ADHD symptoms.
While it's true that a greater number of boys are diagnosed with ADHD than girls, the gap shrinks when they reach the age of adulthood. This is because it's common for women to experience a variety of symptoms throughout their lives, which may lead to the diagnosis at various instances.
Changes in hormone levels could also affect ADHD symptoms in women. If they have higher levels of estrogen during pregnancy, for example the symptoms could improve. This is because higher levels of estrogen can aid in the regulation of brain chemicals that influence attention. If their estrogen levels drop due to perimenopausal changes or age, ADHD symptoms may worsen.
Adults suffering from ADHD can receive an accurate diagnosis and receive effective treatment. symptoms for ADHD in adults includes cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and neurocognitive psychotherapy that can aid people suffering from ADHD build the necessary skills to improve their daily functioning. Additionally, they can also join support groups for ADHD to share their experiences with others on the same journey and gain valuable insights from their peers.