ADHD Symptoms For Women

Women with ADHD report emotional volatility and sensitivity towards rejection. They might also experience insomnia and poor sleep quality, which can exacerbate symptoms.

Girls and women adhd checklist are generally better at masking their ADHD symptoms and coping mechanisms to conform to social expectations and norms. This can lead to a misdiagnosis and a delay in treatment.

1. Trouble focusing

Concentration is the most difficult issue for many women suffering from ADHD. The symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder may make it difficult to stay on task at school, in work meetings, or even when reading and listening to others talk. It can also be challenging to complete daily tasks, like keeping track of appointments or making sure to take medications.

Difficulty focusing is one of the most common adhd symptoms for girls and women, regardless of their gender identity or whether they have hyperactive/impulsive or inattentive ADHD. Women with the inattentive form of the disorder might have trouble organizing their homes or at their work desk and struggle to prioritize tasks according to CHADD. These issues can result in them not attending appointments, showing up at the wrong time or at the wrong place or failing to finish their work duties. They may cause them to feel embarrassed and blame themselves for their shortcomings believing they are incompetent or forgetful.

Inattentional ADHD can also result in poor performance at school or at work, and the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD the symptoms can be triggered either by stress or other mental conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Teachers and parents might be biased against males and females, which can cause some girls and women to be overlooked. They may not be able to express their ADHD symptoms as well, especially the hyperactive/impulsive ones, and may have difficulty finding treatment that works for them.

For adult women with ADHD symptoms, they may be caused by hormonal changes. They can be more evident during menstrual cycles or perimenopausal periods which is the period leading up to the menopausal phase of a woman which is when estrogen levels decrease and cause emotional problems like mood swings and irritation.

Adults with ADHD may benefit from stimulant medication to improve their focus however, it cannot cure the condition. Other strategies like mindfulness training, lifestyle changes and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) can also help in focusing and organization. Certain schools and workplaces have accommodations to help with these issues.

2. Forgetting Things

It can be difficult to stay on top of daily activities or take care of obligations. It can be difficult to remember important information about events or people, especially when they happen in a noisy or crowded environment. You may also end up not remembering appointments or being late to school or work. Not being able to pay your bills or respond to emails is common among women with ADHD that can lead to financial stress and make you feel stressed. You might have trouble working in a noisy or crowded office, and may zone out during conversations. This could cause the other person to feel unimportant or confused.

Many women and girls suffering from ADHD also have difficulty maintaining friendships and are at risk of being forced into sexual activities that are not desired or being victims of intimate partner violence. They are more likely than others to feel overwhelmed due to the fact that they have difficulty regulating their emotions. They may also struggle with self-esteem, and may be more likely to interpret their problems as "personal flaws" instead of acknowledging the fact that their behavior is correlated to their ADHD symptoms.

Females and females with ADHD are also often overlooked because of gender bias because their symptoms are less obvious than those of males and females. They could disguise symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders, which could result in a misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment.

ADHD symptoms can differ based on the fluctuation in hormone levels. This is particularly the case during puberty when hormone levels drop and progesterone levels rise. This can cause a greater range of symptoms, which makes it more difficult to diagnose and manage ADHD.

Finding a doctor and getting treatment can help you develop the life skills needed to manage your ADHD symptoms. You can also alter your lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and limiting stimulants like sugar, caffeine and sugary drinks that can worsen symptoms. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to calm your mind and decrease the impulsiveness and restlessness. They also aid in improving emotional regulation. A mental health professional might be able to help you by discussing possible accommodations that could help you manage diagnosing adhd in women symptoms at work or at school.

3. Disruptive Behavior

Women with ADHD tend to experience more sluggish than hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. That may be because the brains of women and girls differ from the brains of boys and men or it could be to do with how much activity is occurring in the regions of the brain responsible for managing disruptive and impulsive behavior.

This means it can be harder for a doctor to recognize and diagnose ADHD in women. Many women develop coping strategies to mask their symptoms. Some are healthy, while others are not sustainable and can lead to other health issues. For example, some women turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to deal with their symptoms. They might also develop depression or other mental health conditions such as anxiety. These unhealthy ways of coping can make it difficult for someone to recognize they have a mental health problem and delay the diagnosis.

Disruptive behavior is one of the most common adhd symptoms for women. It can impact their academic or work performance, or even their relationships. They often include not staying focused on a task, ignoring important dates or events, and being easily distracted by other things in the environment or in their minds. They may fidget, shake their feet or hands, or squirm. They may also shout or speak loudly and may interrupt.

Women who have the inattentive subtype can have difficulty concentrating during lectures or conversations and juggling schoolwork writing, reading, or reading assignments, following directions in the classroom or at work, and managing daily tasks. They might be unorganized, forgetful, and messy. It can be challenging for them to follow through on commitments or tasks. They are more susceptible to misplacing or losing things like keys, wallets and eyeglasses.

Having the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type of adhd can disrupt work or school, cause social problems, and create relationship challenges. This subtype can lead to issues at home, at work, and at schools, and can cause feelings of restlessness, boredom, and frustration. They have a hard waiting for their turn at home, school or at work and they frequently interrupt other people. They are unable to control their behavior and tend to behave recklessly.

4. Anxiety

Women and girls who have ADHD may have a harder time to cope with their symptoms. This is partly due to the expectations of society, which demand that women and mothers are the primary caregivers of their children and household. If a woman suffering from ADHD is unable to manage her responsibilities, she can experience heightened feelings of anxiety which can lead to low self-esteem. This in turn can make it harder to seek out treatment for her ADHD.

Women with ADHD are often not diagnosed as readily as boys or men because their symptoms do not appear as obvious. They may present with primarily inattentive symptoms, which do not have the same outward appearance as hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms, making them less likely to receive a referral for treatment from teachers and parents. Furthermore they are more likely to develop coping strategies that cover up their adhd in adult women symptoms symptoms, such as excessive fidgeting and forgetfulness, which could be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Symptoms of ADHD in women can also differ at different times during the woman's life. For example, during periods of hormonal changes, like menstrual cycles or pregnancy, a woman may notice her ADHD symptoms to become more intense. This can result in her being misunderstood or dismissed as a woman who is emotionally overly sensitive, which adds to her feelings of frustration.

This article is based on research into how ADHD affects different individuals based on their gender. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a biological phenomenon: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structure, while gender is a subjective sense of what you're like as a man, a woman, or, if nonbinary, a person. This distinction is important as it allows us to better comprehend the reasons behind why ADHD can manifest differently in men and women. In this article we refer to both men and those assigned male at birth (AMAB) as boys and men and women and people assigned to female at birth (AFAB) as women and girls. This is in line with how many research studies employ this terminology. For more information, read Verywell Health's guide on sex and gender.