Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot of pressure to look after their families, maintain healthy relationships, and be productive at work. ADHD symptoms can make all of these tasks feel impossible.
If you think you may have ADHD it is important to be treated and diagnosed. It can help you deal with these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You Are Always Late
Being always late is one of the most prevalent signs that you might be suffering from ADHD. This is because people who suffer from ADHD often have trouble managing their time, and can be easily distracted by other things. This can cause problems at work or school, such as forgetting homework or missing important meetings. This can create stress for you and the people who depend on your presence. Set a reminder in your phone or on your calendar to help avoid being late. Also, get ready the night before. It is also recommended to give yourself an extra few minutes to get to your destination.
Some women with ADHD also have trouble making friends, since they're constantly missing social gatherings. They might also have a hard time taking social cues into consideration and understanding body language. They may also have difficulty concentrating and get lost in their 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 boy or man to an ADHD evaluation than they are to refer girls.
2. You're having trouble focusing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their activities. When they are in conversation with someone else, they may frequently go off on a tangent or talk about things that don't relate to the issue at hand. They may also have difficulty sitting still and be more impulsive.
These issues can cause problems with friends, family members and colleagues. People with ADHD are prone to forgetting appointments or missing deadlines. undiagnosed adhd in women may also be disorganized and can spend a lot of time on tasks that are not important or have difficulty sitting at home. They may also find it hard to focus at work or keep track of their finances.
In children boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. As adults, the prevalence is identical. It is thought that this is due to the fact that women are more likely to experience a greater recurrence of symptoms, and are more likely to seek treatment when one of their children is diagnosed with the disorder. Changes in hormone levels particularly during menopausal change, can affect ADHD symptoms.
3. You have a poor Memory
Women with ADHD often have difficulty remembering important events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or meetings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, making it difficult to keep a pace in social settings and conversations.
People with ADHD typically have poor filtering. They say things without really thinking about them. This can lead to many "foot in mouth" moments that can be frustrating for coworkers and family members.
Another sign of adhd in women is having trouble creating and maintaining friendships. Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This can lead them into difficult romantic relationships. This can increase their chances of being pressured to engage in inappropriate sexual activities or becoming victims of abuse by their intimate partners.
Many women suffering from ADHD find it difficult to comply with the expectations of society in parenting and homemaking as well as relationships. This can add a lot stress to their lives, making it difficult to recognize and deal with ADHD symptoms. Women have developed coping strategies to mask their symptoms, such as using alcohol or drugs which may interfere with treatment. Getting diagnosed is an important first step for identifying and addressing these issues. You can find help.
4. You have trouble making decisions
Women who are struggling to make decisions might find themselves putting off or finding it difficult to complete tasks because they have difficulty choosing which tasks should be prioritised. They also have difficulty remembering and executing the decisions they've made. This type of ADHD can affect work performance, relationships, and self-esteem.
The symptoms of ADHD in women are more difficult to identify because parents and teachers don't recommend girls as frequently as boys for evaluation. In addition, women are more adept in masked symptoms. They can develop coping mechanisms that enable them to appear "normal", and meet the expectations of society. For example they may rely on apps to manage their daily activities.
Women can get an official diagnosis from their primary physician, who might refer them to a specialist. Depending on the results of the test, the doctor may prescribe medication or talk-therapy. During therapy, your therapist can help you learn more effective ways to cope and help you switch negative thoughts with positive ones. They can assist you and your family to improve communication. This can be a challenge when both or one of the partners in a relationship suffer from ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and increase productivity at school or at work.
5. You struggle with multitasking
Women suffering from ADHD may feel overwhelmed when they have to meet deadlines and complete multiple tasks. They may also find it difficult to control their emotions, and may find it difficult to establish and maintain friendships. This is especially the case when they are unable to discern social signals.
Women who struggle to multitask are more likely to suffer from adhd. They can also lose or misplace items, and become easily distracted. This is especially problematic for women working in a workplace as constant interruptions make it hard to stay on task or concentrate.
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 associated with the inattention type.
Women with undiagnosed ADHD adulthood may also develop coping mechanisms to mask their struggles. For example they may seek out self-medication with alcohol or drugs to blend into the mainstream. This can further aggravate symptoms when they suffer from chronic feelings of inadequacy. This can lead to uneasy relationships and a general sense of low self esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your Time
ADHD time management issues can be a major concern in the workplace. It's difficult to get work completed when you don't have a system of filing paperwork, returning phone calls, or finishing projects in time. Even if your work is excellent the bosses may be concerned about your professionalism when you repeatedly 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 with untreated ADHD are also more likely than other people to suffer from co-occurring anxiety or depression, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. Society expects women to be caretakers which can increase the symptoms of ADHD in a lot of women, especially if they don't receive the proper treatment and assistance they require. This can also result in difficult relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. These relationships that are strained can increase the frustration and cause misunderstandings which makes it harder for women to reach out for assistance.
7. You Have Trouble Making Friends
Having trouble making friends can be especially frustrating for women with ADHD. Because of this, social expectations put a lot of emphasis on women to be competent at multiple roles, including caring for children, maintaining relationships, and performing well at work. When they attempt to meet these expectations their symptoms can get worse. They also may be at a higher risk of having a negative relationship with their peers or having co-existing mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that mask ADHD symptoms. This could cause them to over-exercise, stay up later than they should and rely on their phone reminders or schedules to manage their lives.
Other problematic behaviors include impulsiveness and forgetfulness, which can create problems in both work and personal relationships. For instance, forgetting to attend the date of a party with a friend could make them feel unloved. They might also think you don't really care about them. Also interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or getting angry at a moment's notice could lead to miscommunication and conflict. Being aware of the expectations you place on your friendships can prevent bad feelings, misinterpretations, and resentment. You can accomplish this by keeping a calendar of the important dates with your friends and using a notepad to record information you learn about new friends, and following through on promises.