Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are subject to a lot of pressure to be the caretaker, keep up with children and maintain a healthy relationship and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem impossible.
It's important to get diagnosed and treated for ADHD. It will help you manage these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You're always late
Being always late is among the most frequent signs that you may have ADHD. This is because people with ADHD often have trouble managing their time, and they can be easily distracted by other activities. This can lead to problems at school or at work and can result in not attending important meetings or forgetting about homework assignments. It can also cause a lot of stress for you and those who depend on you. Set a reminder on your phone or on your calendar to help you avoid being late. Also, be prepared the night before. Also, try to leave a few extra minutes for yourself to reach wherever you're headed.
Additionally there are women who suffer from ADHD are unable to make friends because they're constantly missing out on social gatherings. They might also have difficulty learning to recognize social cues and comprehend body language. They may also have difficulty concentration and may 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. Parents and teachers are more likely to refer males or boys for an ADHD assessment than they do for girls.
2. You have difficulty focusing
People with ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their work. In a conversation, they might often veer off topic or talk about other topics. They may also have difficulty sitting still and are more likely to be impulsive and take reckless decisions.
These issues can affect relationships between family members as well as friends and coworkers. People who suffer from ADHD are prone to forgetting appointments or missing deadlines. They may also be disorganized, spend too much time on unimportant tasks or have difficulty sitting at home. They might also have difficulty staying focused at work or find it difficult to keep up with their financial obligations.
Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed as having ADHD in children. However, as adults the prevalence of ADHD evens out. iampsychiatry is thought that this is due to the fact that females are more likely to experience a higher recurrence of symptoms, and they are more likely to seek treatment after one of their children is diagnosed with the condition. The fluctuation in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal transition, can affect the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You may have a poor memory
Women with ADHD struggle with remembering important dates, like birthdays and anniversary dates. They also forget the dates of meetings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep pace in conversations and social situations.
People with ADHD typically have poor filtering. They speak things without really considering them. This can result in numerous "foot in mouth" instances that can be frustrating for family members and colleagues.
Another indication of adhd in women is difficulty making and keeping friendships. Many women with ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This can lead them into difficult relationships with their partners. This increases their risk of being pressured to engage in unwanted sexual activities or be the victim of abuse by their intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to meet the societal expectations of parenting, homemaking and relationships. This can lead to more stress in their lives, making it harder to identify and manage ADHD symptoms. Some women develop coping mechanisms that include drinking or using drugs to hide their symptoms. This can interfere with treatment. It is crucial to be diagnosed as a first step for identifying and managing these challenges. You can seek help.
4. You are having trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions can delay or not be able to finish tasks, as they are unsure of what tasks to prioritise. They also have difficulty recalling their choices and following through on their decisions. This type of ADHD can affect work performance, relationships, and self-esteem.
Symptoms of ADHD in women may be more difficult to identify as they are for children because teachers and parents don't make girls the focus of evaluation as often as they do boys. Moreover, women are better in masked symptoms. They can develop coping mechanisms that allow them to appear "normal", and meet societal expectations. For instance they may rely on apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can get an official diagnosis from their primary care doctor who may refer them to an expert. Depending on the results, the doctor could suggest treatment or talk therapy. During therapy, your therapist can help you learn healthier coping skills and help you swap negative thoughts for positive ones. They can also assist you and your family members improve communication which can be a problem when one or more members of the relationship suffer from ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and boost productivity at school or at work.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women with ADHD often find themselves feeling overwhelmed when they try to keep deadlines in line or complete several tasks at once. They may also have difficulty managing their emotions and find it difficult to make or keep friends, especially when they struggle to pick the social cues and can be prone to impulsive behavior.
Women who are unable to multitask are also more likely to develop at risk of developing adhd. They can also lose or misplace items, and are easily distracted. This is especially challenging for women working in a workplace where constant interruptions make it hard to stay on task or focus.
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 since the symptoms are less obvious than those that are associated with the inattention-deficit type.
Women who are not diagnosed with ADHD adulthood might also develop coping strategies to cover up their struggles. For instance they may seek out self-medication with alcohol or drugs to fit into the mainstream. This can further exacerbate symptoms when they suffer from chronic feelings of being insecure. This can lead to strained relationships and a general feeling of low self esteem.
6. You're having difficulty managing your time
In the workplace, ADHD time management problems can pose a serious problem. It's hard to get things completed when you don't have a system for filing documents, returning phone calls, or completing projects within the timeframes you set. 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 with untreated ADHD are also more likely to develop anxiety or depression that co-occurs and may have a difficult time maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers and this can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD, especially if they do not have access to the appropriate treatment or assistance. This can result in difficult relationships with friends, family and romantic partners. These strained relations can increase frustration and miscommunication which makes it more difficult for women to seek assistance.
7. You're having trouble making friends
Women who suffer from ADHD may find it difficult having a difficult time making friends. For one thing, societal expectations demand women to be able to perform many responsibilities, including parenting children, maintaining relationships, and doing well at work. When they attempt to fulfill these expectations their symptoms can get worse. They could also be more at risk of developing bad relationships with their peers or having coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that cover ADHD symptoms. This could lead to them over-exercising, staying up later than they should and rely on their schedules or reminders on their phones to manage their lives.
Inattention and forgetfulness are undesirable behaviors that can create problems at work as well as in personal relationships. For example, forgetting about the birthday celebration of a friend can cause them to feel depressed and don't appreciate them. In the same way, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or becoming angry at a moment's notice can cause confusion and conflict. Becoming aware of your expectations for your friends can help avoid bad feelings, misinterpretations, or resentment. You can do this by keeping a calendar to track the important dates with your friends and using a notepad to record information you learn about new friends and delivering on promises.