Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under the pressure to be the caretaker, keep up with children, maintain a healthy relationship and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem like a nightmare.
It is essential to be diagnosed and treated if you suffer from ADHD. It will help you manage these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You are always late
Being constantly late is among the most frequent signs that you may have ADHD. This is because those with ADHD often have trouble managing their time and can be easily distracted by other things. This can cause problems at work or at school for example, like not remembering homework or missing important meetings. This can create stress for both you and those who depend on your presence. Set a reminder on your phone or on your calendar to avoid being late. Also, get ready the night before. It is also recommended to take an extra few minutes to travel to your destination.
Some women who suffer from ADHD are also having trouble making friends, since they are constantly missing social events. They might also have difficulty taking social cues into consideration and understanding body language. They might also have difficulty staying focused on conversations and becoming lost in thoughts.
Lastly, some girls with ADHD go undiagnosed because their symptoms are more difficult to notice than the hyperactive/impulsive ones seen in boys and men. Also, teachers and parents are more likely to refer a male or female to an ADHD evaluation than they are to refer a girl.
2. You are having difficulty focussing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their tasks. If they are engaged in a conversation with someone else they can often go off into a tangent or speak about things that do not have anything to do with the subject in question. They can also have trouble being still and are more likely to be impulsive and take dangerous decisions.
These issues can cause problems with friends, family members and co-workers. People who suffer from ADHD tend to forget appointments or not meeting deadlines. They can also be disorganized and spend too much time on unimportant tasks or have difficulty sitting at home. They may also have difficulty being able to focus at work or keep up with their finances.
In the early years the boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. As adults, the numbers are equal. It is believed that this is due to the fact that women tend to experience a greater frequency of symptoms, and are more likely to seek treatment when one of their children is diagnosed with the condition. The fluctuation in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal changes, may influence the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You Have Poor Memory
Women who suffer from ADHD are often unable to remember important occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or meetings. They may also have trouble recalling names, which can make it difficult to keep up in social situations and conversations.
People with ADHD typically have poor filtering. They say things without really thinking about them. This can lead to a lot of "foot-in-mouth" moments that can be a source of frustration for loved ones and coworkers.
The difficulty of a woman to maintain and making friends is a different indication of adhd. Many women with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions which can result in difficulties in romantic relationships. This can put them at a higher chance of being pushed to engage in sexual activity that is not their own or being victims of violence from their intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to meet the societal expectations of parenting and homemaking, as well as relationships. This can cause a lot of stress to their lives, which makes it harder to identify and deal with ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms that include alcohol or drugs, to mask their symptoms. This can interfere with treatment. Being diagnosed is the first step to identify and managing these challenges. The good news is that you can find help.
4. You're having difficulty making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions may find themselves procrastinating or unable to complete tasks because they have difficulty choosing which tasks should be prioritized. They also have difficulty remembering and keeping track of the decisions they've made. This type of ADHD impacts work performance, relationships, and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD for women are more difficult to identify because teachers and parents do not refer girls as often as boys for evaluation. Furthermore, women are better at masking their symptoms. They may develop strategies for coping that help them appear "normal" and conform to social expectations, such as relying on apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can get an official diagnosis from their primary physician, who might refer them to a specialist. Depending on the results, the doctor may recommend treatment or talk therapy. During therapy, the therapist will teach you more effective ways to cope and help you swap negative thoughts for positive ones. They can help you and your family members to improve communication. This can be difficult when one or both partners in a relationship has ADHD. The medication can help to reduce symptoms, and improve productivity at work or at school.
5. You struggle with multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often feel overwhelmed when they try to meet deadlines or work on multiple tasks at once. adhd symptoms in women adults may also experience difficulty regulating their emotions and finding it difficult to make or keep friends, particularly when they struggle to pick the social cues and can be prone to impulsive behavior.
Women who have difficulty multitasking are more likely to suffer from adhd. They can also lose or misplace items, and become easily distracted. This is a problem for women working in environments where they are constantly interrupted.
In addition, if you have the hyperactive/impulsive type of adhd, having trouble staying quiet and being able to control your emotions can lead to frequent outbursts that are not only disruptive to others but can be damaging to your career. This kind of ADHD is more likely to be misdiagnosed by women as the symptoms are more subtle than those that are associated with the inattention type.
Women with undiagnosed adult ADHD might develop strategies to cover up their issues by using alcohol or drugs to take care of themselves, in order to blend in with other people. This can further aggravate their symptoms as they struggle with chronic feelings of inadequacy, leading to uneasy relationships and a general feeling of low self-esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your time
In the workplace, ADHD time management problems can pose a serious problem. When you don't follow an organized system to finish your projects, return calls or file paperwork, it's difficult to complete tasks. Even if you're doing great work, supervisors will question your professionalism if you consistently miss deadlines.
Women with ADHD are more likely to have the inattentive subtype of symptoms, which can make it harder for them to be diagnosed and treated than men or boys with the hyperactive/impulsive type of symptoms. This is because doctors and teachers are more likely to recognize the hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in boys and men, and may be less familiar with the inattentive-type symptoms of women with ADHD.
Women who aren't treated for ADHD might also be more likely than other individuals to experience co-occurring anxiety and depression, and have trouble maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers which can increase the symptoms of ADHD particularly when they don't have access to the appropriate treatment or assistance. This can lead to strained relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. The strain on relationships can lead to tension and miscommunication which makes it harder for women to reach out for assistance.
7. You Have Trouble Making Friends
Being unable to make friends can be a real challenge for women suffering from ADHD. Because of this, social expectations place high emphasis on women to be competent at many responsibilities, including raising children, sustaining relationships, and performing well at work. They may suffer from symptoms that get worse as they try to meet the requirements. They could also be at a higher risk of developing poor peer relationships or coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Additionally women are more likely to develop strategies for coping that cover up their ADHD symptoms. This could lead to excessive exercise or staying up later than is necessary and relying on telephone reminders or daily schedules to help manage their lives.
Other problematic behaviors include impulsiveness and forgetfulness, which can cause problems in both work and personal relationships. For instance, not remembering the date of a party with a friend can make them feel jilted. They might also think you don't have any interest in them. Likewise interrupting conversations with irrelevant thoughts or expressing anger at the drop of a hat could lead to miscommunication and conflicts. Be aware of your expectations regarding your friendships to avoid bad feelings, misinterpretations, and resentment. You can achieve this by using a calendar to keep track of your friends' important dates, a notepad to keep track of information about new friends and following through with commitments.