ADHD Symptoms in Adult Females
While ADHD affects men and women equally throughout adulthood, the condition typically isn't recognized by females. This is likely due to gender stereotypes and the capacity of women to conceal their symptoms.
Many healthcare professionals lack the knowledge and experience to detect ADHD in women. Many females are misdiagnosed and fail to receive the care they require.
1. Disorganization
Women and girls with ADHD are often plagued by disordered thinking, which can be a challenge to manage. Your desk, for example, may be a mess of papers, 17 chapsticks, and even a ticket to the Kings of Leon show you attended in 2008. Although you may have spent money on products to help you manage your clutter, your office or home is likely still messy and chaotic.
Your inability to stay on top of your work can result in missed deadlines and missed appointments. You might also struggle with "time blindness," where you don't know or remember the time it takes to finish an assignment. This can cause you to be in a state of discontent and feeling as if you're not doing a great job in your professional or personal life, particularly when you feel that other people don't appreciate your efforts.
You might also have trouble controlling your emotions, which may cause you to overreact in stressful situations. You may also say things that are not intended to hurt someone's feelings. In addition, since impulsivity is common for people with ADHD and ADD, you may find it difficult to resist making comments without considering them.
If you suffer from ADHD it's possible that a portion of your symptoms are rooted in gender stereotypes or cultural ideas regarding how women, men and boys should behave. This can make it harder to recognize and treat your ADHD.
You could also benefit from a behavioral therapy to address the root causes of your disorder. While it could take some time to identify the appropriate coping strategies Implementing these strategies will help you feel more in control of your life and improve relationships with family, friends, and coworkers.
2. Impulsivity
People who suffer from ADHD are prone to intense emotions. However, their brains are not capable of filtering them or analyze them. This means they can get overwhelmed by a single setback or struggle to accurately assess the emotional state of others. It can also make it easier for them to get distracted by minor issues such as books that are out of stock or a friend who's running late to spin class.
Many women with ADHD compensate for their attention issues by hiding symptoms and implementing strategies to cope. They could be perfectionists or extremely attentive at school or at work however, they have trouble keeping the track of important dates, deadlines, and appointments. They might also struggle with self-control in speech and speak too much, interrupt others often, or dump information during conversations.
The hyperactive/impulsive subtype of ADHD tends to be more common in boys and men, but it's not unusual for women to have these symptoms too. The symptoms include a sudden urge to start, stop or alter activities and being unable to hold for your turn during a conversation and difficulty interpreting social signals (like facial expressions or body language).
While gender stereotypes can influence on the development of ADHD for women, it's not always easy to identify these issues. The rating scales that are used to identify ADHD symptoms still favor male behavior. Some healthcare professionals may miss the mark on the woman's ADHD symptoms.
Many women suffering from ADHD say that their symptoms are more severe when hormonal changes occur like menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and perimenopause. This can intensify emotional symptoms and cause frequent feelings of anger, frustration or depression. They may also have an unrelenting feeling of discontent in their relationships or their lives. This could lead to depression, substance abuse, and unhealthy coping behaviors. It is important for women to realize that these symptoms don't indicate their worth or importance as a human being. The good news is that, with a well-planned treatment strategy, these symptoms can be reduced or even eliminated.
3. Inattention
While everyone struggles with paying attention and focusing at times with ADHD the symptoms can occur so frequently that they interfere with your daily life. You might make mistakes at school or work, forget appointments or spend long hours delaying. You are unable to stand in line and interrupt others during conversations.
Inattentive symptoms in adults can include a tendency to jump into projects without fully planning and researching the subject, which results in poor or insufficient results. You could also get easily distracted and abandon projects that are not completed. This could be a vegetable garden that was planted but never watered, or a new organizational system that you assembled and then left on your nightstand to collect dust.
People with inattentive ADHD suffer from chronic disorganization at home and at work. please click the up coming article might have difficulty finding important documents, keys or bills and frequently lose things. You could also forget to keep your track of time and become late for school, work or for meetings.
Women with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD are less likely to experience these inattentive symptoms, but they can still have problems with organization, time management and self-control. Women with these symptoms might perform actions or words without considering the impact, like talking over other people or making strange sounds when they are alone. They may have trouble sitting still, and may flitter around in their seat or pace. They may have difficulty maintaining the job they have, and are in frequent disagreements with their colleagues and their manager.
In some cases mood swings and emotional turmoil caused by ADHD can cause frustration and miscommunication in relationships. This is especially the case when it comes to romantic relationships and at work. People with ADHD also are more likely having comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Girls and women with ADHD can face a variety of challenges when seeking treatment and diagnosis, including gender bias and a tendency to hide their symptoms or underestimate the severity of their symptoms. The rise of famous women like Mia Freedman and Em Rusciano who have publicly shared their personal struggles with ADHD has increased awareness, but many girls and young women still don't know they have the condition.
4. Anxiety
Although most people experience anxiety or nervous from time to time, persistently outsize anxiety is the hallmark of an anxiety disorder. You may experience a constant sense of unease or fear and also an intense pulse, trouble maintaining calm, and having trouble thinking clearly. You might also have a heightened sense of danger, even in situations that aren't likely be dangerous for you. The most commonly encountered types of anxiety include general anxiety disorder, phobias, agoraphobia and separation anxiety, panic disorders and selective mutism.
Anxiety is more common among women suffering from ADHD than men, and tends to get worse during certain periods of women's lives, such as around the time of her menstrual cycle, pregnancy or perimenopause. This makes it more difficult to manage everyday tasks and social interactions and cause feelings of low self-esteem and general discontent with your life.
You are very sensitive to rejection, and you have a tough acceptance of criticism. You are prone to misinterpret feedback, or even anticipating rejection and you might be angry about minor things that others don't find a problem with.
Mood swings are another of the adult female adhd symptoms, and you might discover that your mood is unpredictable or difficult to control. You may also be prone self-injury that is not suicidal, such as scrubbing, burning or hitting yourself.
If you're struggling with any of the above symptoms, it's essential to get a proper diagnosis. It will help you understand your challenges and give you strategies to improve your quality of living. You can take an ADHD test online, or talk to your physician for a professional assessment. In certain cases a doctor might prescribe medication to help alleviate your symptoms. In some cases your doctor may suggest an amalgamation of lifestyle changes and cognitive behavior therapy. In either scenario, it's essential to begin making positive changes in your life as soon as you can. This will allow you to regain control of your life and make you feel more confident and capable.