Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot pressure to look after their families, maintain healthy relationships, and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem like a nightmare.
It is crucial to be diagnosed and treated if you suffer from ADHD. It can help you deal with these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You're Always Late
Being constantly late is among the most frequent signs that you could be suffering from ADHD. People with ADHD can have difficulty managing their time and can be easily distracted by other activities. This can cause issues at work or school for example, like not remembering homework or ignoring important meetings. This can create stress for you and the people who depend on your presence. To stop being late, set an alarm on your calendar or phone and ensure that you prepare for the night before. You should also allow yourself some extra time to get to your destination.
In addition there are women who suffer from ADHD have difficulty making friends due to their constant absence out on social occasions. They might be unable to discern social cues or comprehend body language. They might also have difficulty concentrating on conversations and getting 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. Teachers and parents are more likely to refer a male or female for an ADHD assessment than to do the same for girls.
2. You're having trouble focusing
People with ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their tasks. If they are engaged in a conversation with others they can often wander off on a tangent or talk about things that do not pertain to the topic at hand. They might also have trouble staying still and may be more impulsive.
These problems can strain relationships with friends, family members and co-workers. For example, it is common for people suffering from ADHD to be late for appointments or forget deadlines. They may also be disorganized and can spend a lot of time on unimportant tasks or have a hard time relaxing at home. They may also have trouble working effectively or have trouble keep up with their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be identified as having ADHD in children. However, as adults the prevalence of ADHD evens out. It is thought that this is because women tend 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, especially during menopausal changes, may impact the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You've Got a Poor Memory
Women suffering from ADHD have a hard time remembering important dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries. They also tend to forget the dates of meetings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep a pace in social settings and conversations.
It's also typical for those with ADHD to have poor filters, meaning they say things without thinking them through. This can cause a lot of "foot-in-mouth" moments that can be a source of frustration for coworkers and loved ones.
Another indication of adhd in women is difficulty making and keeping friendships. Many girls with ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This could lead to difficult romantic relationships. This increases their chance of being pushed to engage in inappropriate sexual activities or be the victim of intimate partner abuse.
Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to live up to society's expectations in the areas of parenting, homemaking, relationships, and even their careers. This can lead to more stress in their lives, which makes it more difficult to recognize and treat ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms like alcohol or drugs, to disguise their symptoms. This can hinder treatment. It is crucial to be diagnosed as a first step for identifying and managing these challenges. The good news is that you can seek help.
4. You're having trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions may find themselves procrastinating or finding it difficult to complete tasks due to difficulties deciding which tasks should be prioritized. They also have difficulty remembering and keeping track of the decisions they've made. This type of ADHD impacts the performance of their work, relationships, and self-esteem.
Symptoms of ADHD in women can be difficult to recognize as they are for children, as parents and teachers don't make girls the focus of evaluation as often as they do for boys. Moreover, women are better at masking their symptoms. They may develop coping strategies that allow them to appear "normal", and meet the expectations of society. For instance they may rely on apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can receive an official diagnosis from their primary physician who may refer them to an expert. Depending on the results, the doctor may recommend medication or talk therapy. Therapy sessions with the therapist will teach you more effective ways to cope and help you switch negative thoughts for positive ones. They can help you and your family members to improve communication. This can be a challenge when both or one of the partners in a relationship has ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and boost the efficiency at school or at work.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often feel overwhelmed when they attempt to complete deadlines or perform multiple tasks at once. They may also have trouble managing their emotions and find it difficult to make or keep friends, particularly when they struggle to pick the social cues and may be susceptible to impulsive behavior.
adhd in older women who are unable to multitask are also more likely to develop adhd. They can also lose or misplace items and get easily distracted. This can be an issue for women who work 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 type of ADHD is more likely to be misdiagnosed by women because the symptoms are less obvious than those that are associated with the inattentive form.
Women who have not been diagnosed with ADHD adult may also develop coping mechanisms that cover up their difficulties. For example, they may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to fit into the mainstream. This can further worsen their symptoms as they struggle to cope with chronic feelings of being inadequate, resulting in uneasy relationships and a general feeling of self-worth being shattered.
6. You're having difficulty managing your time
In the workplace, ADHD time management problems can be a major issue. It's difficult to get things done when you do not have a system in place for filing paperwork, returning phone calls, or finishing projects in time. Even even if your work is flawless the bosses may be concerned about your professionalism when you fail to meet 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 people to experience co-occurring anxiety or depression, and may have difficulty maintaining relationships. The society expects women to be caregivers which can worsen the symptoms of ADHD for many women, especially if they don't have access to the right treatment and support they need. This can result in difficult relationships with friends, family and romantic partners. The strain on relationships can lead to frustration and misunderstandings which can make it difficult for women to seek out help.
7. You Have Trouble Making Friends
Women with ADHD can find it frustrating to have trouble making friends. One reason is that societal expectations demand women to be able to perform various roles, such as raising children, sustaining relationships, and performing well at work. They may be suffering from symptoms that become worse as they attempt to meet the expectations. They may also have an increased risk of developing a poor relationship with their peers or having co-existing anxiety disorders and mood disorders. Moreover women are more likely to develop coping strategies that cover up their ADHD symptoms. This can lead to over-exercising, staying up later than necessary and relying on telephone reminders or daily schedules to help manage their lives.
Forgetfulness and impulsiveness are also undesirable behaviors that can create problems at work and in personal relationships. For instance, not remembering a friend's party could make them feel unloved. They may also think you don't care about them. Also, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or expressing anger at any moment could lead to miscommunication and conflicts. Set your expectations for your friendships to avoid bad feelings, misinterpretations and resentment. This can be accomplished by using a calendar to keep track of your friends' important dates, and a notebook to note down details about new acquaintances and keeping commitments.