ADHD Symptoms in Adult Women
Women who aren't diagnosed with ADHD may have issues at workplace or in relationships. It is crucial to recognize the symptoms 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. A proper diagnosis can improve your life by managing your symptoms and focus your attention on the things that matter.
1. Trouble paying attention
Women may be struggling with their inability to pay attention to specifics or remember deadlines and appointments or underestimate the time it takes to complete their tasks. They may also be unable to keep track of their obligations in their relationships or at work, get easily distracted, and fail to keep their commitments. They may also be afflicted by impulsivity, trouble managing their emotions and the tendency to mutter things without thinking about them first.
The difficulty of paying attention that is experienced by ADHD symptoms in adult women can lead to issues with friendships and relationships, which is why it's crucial to spot the symptoms and seek treatment. Women may have difficulty to make new friends or have difficulty in their relationships due to recurring arguments, missed opportunities for enjoyment, and being ignored. Women may also find it difficult to balance the demands of work, home and childcare.
Many people who have ADHD do not meet the diagnostic criteria, and it may be difficult for health care providers or therapists to identify the disorder. This doesn't mean that it's not real, or that a person has to be more focused. The diagnosis is based on how the symptoms interfere with daily functioning across multiple areas of life.
ADHD symptoms adults male are more likely to experience inattentional symptoms than those who are hyperactive or impulsive which is why they go undiagnosed. Additionally many women suffering from ADHD suffer from a sense guilt about their condition because they don't fit into the stereotypes of someone with ADHD. This can make it difficult for people who suffer from ADHD to seek help or seek treatment.
In some instances women with ADHD are not diagnosed for a long time due to the fact that they're trying to manage and conceal their symptoms. They are also more likely to be suffering from other comorbidities, including anxiety or depression, which can conceal the symptoms of ADHD. They are more likely to experience hormonal fluctuations that can cause their symptoms to flare up or disappear. This is particularly relevant during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and perimenopause.
2. Organizational Issues
Women with ADHD often experience forgetfulness, disorganization and emotional dysregulation. These symptoms can make it difficult for women to manage daily tasks, keep track with their responsibilities and maintain relationships. They may also have low self-esteem or be anxious. Women with undiagnosed ADHD often feel as if they are failing to meet societal expectations and have a harder to keep up with their peers in terms of academic achievement or job performance. ADHD adult female symptoms have a harder time maintaining social connections.
ADHD in women can manifest itself as hyperfocus, procrastination or forgetfulness. These issues can result in women not attending appointments, not paying their bills on time, and feeling overwhelmed. Hyperfocus can cause a lack of attention to other activities that are crucial and a shaky sense of time, which can make it difficult to switch from one activity to another. Procrastination can also cause anxiety, stress, and a constant sense of being behind.
Communication problems, both verbal and nonverbal are a common sign of ADHD. This could mean excessive talk or interrupting others or uttering inappropriate phrases. It can also include the inability to wait for her turn or trouble understanding social boundaries. It is important to keep in mind that these behavior patterns do not necessarily indicate an absence of intelligence or capability.
Many women with ADHD develop strategies to mask their symptoms. This can have positive and negative consequences. Some of these coping strategies could be healthy, for instance, using a daily schedule or setting reminders for certain events. Others could be harmful, such as drinking alcohol or using drugs to mask symptoms or not paying attention to them at all. It is therefore important that women who suspect they may have ADHD seek professional help.
Women with ADHD may benefit from medication, lifestyle modifications, therapy, or other treatments. Some of these include cognitive behavioral therapy to address underlying negative beliefs and thoughts, mindfulness and relaxation techniques and exercise as well as a balanced diet and adequate sleep. A medical professional can also recommend accommodations that can help make school or work more manageable.
3. Disruptive Behaviors
Women suffering from ADHD can struggle with emotional dysregulation. As a result, they are often discontent and frustrated when life's challenges aren't easily resolved. It can be challenging to keep relationships going, whether with romantic partners, co-workers or family members. For instance, forgetfulness and impulsivity can heighten anxiety or confusion in relationships with loved ones and can cause feelings of abandonment, loneliness or depression. A tendency to seek out thrills on the spur of the moment could be misinterpreted by others as a lack of interest or apathy.
These are the reasons why ADHD symptoms for girls and women are often missed or underdiagnosed. They might also have a hard time understanding that their issues are related to the disorder because of stereotypes and social norms that define men's and women's behaviors.
Women and girls with ADHD might conceal their symptoms to avoid embarrassment. This may lead to being referred to a specialist less frequently than men and boys with the same symptoms. This discrepancy may also be due to gender bias in research that informs the diagnostic criteria. Hartung and Widiger discovered in an earlier study that women and girls with ADHD symptoms are more likely to be undiagnosed and under-identified than boys and adults. This could be because clinicians are trained to view hyperactive and hyperactive and ADHD symptoms as more common to boys and men and can make them easier to recognize and referred for evaluation.
Adult ADHD symptoms can manifest as restlessness and difficulty calming down. These are typical symptoms of ADHD, but in adulthood they can have a significant impact on a person's life and wellbeing. People suffering from ADHD are often anxious and are unable to sit still, especially when they are feeling anxious or stressed. They are also prone to fidgeting and tend to be very talkative, often interrupting or completing other people's sentences without thinking they're being rude.
If you suspect that you may have ADHD or other disorders, you may be directed to a psychiatrist by your GP or psychologist. Alternatively, you can self-refer. This content was reviewed by Madeline Dykes (clinical psychologist) as well as members of the Thriving Madly network in Christchurch in October 2024. The content was updated in November 2022.
4. Social Skills
Women with ADHD may have difficulties managing their emotions or effectively communicating at work. This can cause problems in relationships with family and friends as well as in achieving professional goals. They may be unable to recognize and responding in a timely manner to feedback. This can result in disappointment or anger. They may also struggle to maintain healthy eating and sleeping habits, which could increase anxiety. Some women who suffer from ADHD utilize unhealthy strategies for coping to compensate for their problems. This can include alcohol abuse or eating disorders, or self-injury that is non-suicidal (NSSI), such as cutting, burning, or scratching.
As adults, women who suffer from ADHD can find it harder to seek treatment than men due to the fact that they tend to cover up their symptoms. They often come up with strategies to cope in order to conform to the expectations of society, which can make their ADHD symptoms more difficult for others to recognize. These coping strategies can be as simple and straightforward as setting reminders and creating lists, or they could be more complicated, like being able to manage their emotions or developing mindfulness strategies.
These coping mechanisms can be counterproductive and cause more symptoms. They can also hinder adequate sleep, which is crucial in managing ADHD symptoms. In addition, women with ADHD often feel overwhelmed by life's demands and demands, which can cause stress and further exacerbate their ADHD symptoms.
It's true that boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. However, the gap narrows as they age. This is because it's common for women to experience a variety of symptoms throughout their lives, which can result in the diagnosis at various dates.
Changes in hormone levels can impact ADHD symptoms in women. For example, if they have a high estrogen level during pregnancy, symptoms may improve. This is because estrogen levels that are higher aid in regulating brain chemicals that affect attention. If their estrogen levels decrease due to perimenopausal or aging, ADHD symptoms may worsen.
It's now possible for adults suffering from ADHD to receive a precise diagnosis and receive effective treatment. This includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and neurocognitive psychotherapy that can assist people with ADHD build the necessary skills to improve their everyday functioning. They are also able to attend support group meetings for ADHD to share their experiences with others who are on the same journey and gain valuable insight from their colleagues.