Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot of pressure to take care of their families, maintain healthy relationships, and be productive at work. ADHD symptoms can make all of these tasks seem impossible.
If you think you may have ADHD It is crucial to be treated and diagnosed. It can help you manage these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You are always late
Being always late is a common sign that you could be suffering from ADHD. People with ADHD are often unable to manage their time and can be easily distracted by other tasks. This can lead to problems at school or work like not attending important meetings or forgetting to complete homework assignments. This can create stress for both you and those who depend on your presence. Set a reminder on your phone or on your calendar to help you avoid being late. Also, be prepared the night prior. Also, try to allow a few extra minutes for yourself to get to where you're headed.
Women who suffer from ADHD are also having trouble making friends as they are constantly missing social gatherings. They might also have difficulty understanding social cues and picking up on body language. They might also have difficulty staying focused on conversations and becoming lost in 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 to an ADHD assessment than they are for girls.
2. You have trouble focusing
It is not difficult for people suffering from ADHD to get lost in what they are doing. In a conversation, they could frequently wander off topic or talk about other topics. They might also have difficulty being still and are more likely to be impulsive and make dangerous decisions.
These problems can strain relationships with friends, family members and co-workers. People with ADHD tend to forget appointments or not meeting deadlines. They may also be disorganized, spend too much time on unimportant tasks or have a hard time relaxing at home. They may be unable to concentrate at work or manage their finances.
In children the boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. As adults, the rates are similar. It is thought that this is because women are more likely to experience a higher recurrence of symptoms, and are more likely to seek treatment when one of their children is diagnosed with the disorder. The fluctuation in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal changes, may impact the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You Have Poor Memory
Women with ADHD frequently have trouble remembering important events, like birthdays, anniversaries, or gatherings. They may also have trouble recalling names, which can make it difficult to keep up in social situations and conversations.
People suffering from ADHD often have poor filters. They say things without really considering them. This can lead to a lot of "foot-in-mouth" moments, which can be frustrating for loved ones and coworkers.
Another indication of adhd in women is trouble making and maintaining friendships. Many women with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions, which can lead to difficult relationships with their partners. This increases the risk of being pressured to engage in sexual activity or become 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 of stress to their lives, making it harder to identify and manage ADHD symptoms. Women may develop coping strategies like drinking or using drugs to mask their symptoms. This can interfere with treatment. Diagnostics are an essential first step in identifying and managing issues. The good news is that you can get help.
4. You're having trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions might delay or fail to complete tasks because they aren't sure what tasks to prioritise. They also have a difficult time remembering their choices and following through on their decisions. This kind of ADHD can affect work performance, relationships and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD for women are more difficult to recognize because parents and teachers do not refer girls as often as boys for evaluation. Furthermore, women are better at masking their symptoms. They may develop coping mechanisms that enable them to appear "normal" and conform to the expectations of society. For example they might use apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women may receive an official diagnosis from their primary care physician who may refer them to a physician of specialization. Based on the results of the test the doctor could prescribe medication or talk-therapy. In therapy, the therapist will teach you healthier coping skills and help you swap negative thoughts with positive ones. They can also assist you and your family improve communication which can be a problem when one or more of the people in a relationship have ADHD. Medications can help control the symptoms and improve productivity at school or at work.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women suffering from ADHD often feel overwhelmed when they attempt to keep deadlines in line or complete several tasks at once. They may also experience difficulty managing their emotions and find it difficult to make or keep friends, particularly when they are unable to pick up on social cues and may be susceptible to impulsive behavior.
Multitasking issues are another sign of adhd in women, as is their tendency to get distracted easily and to lose or misplace items. This can be an issue for women who work in a workplace 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 apparent than those that are associated with the inattentive form.
Women who are not diagnosed with ADHD adulthood may also develop coping mechanisms to disguise their difficulties. For example, they may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to blend in. This can further aggravate their symptoms as they struggle with the constant feeling of inadequate, which can lead to uneasy relationships and a general feeling of low self-esteem.
6. You Have Trouble Managing Your Time
In the workplace, ADHD time management problems can pose a serious problem. It's difficult to get work done when you do not have a system in place for filing documents, returning phone calls, or completing projects in time. Even if you do excellent work, your boss will doubt your competence if 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 who aren't treated for ADHD might also be more likely than other individuals to experience co-occurring anxiety or depression, and may have difficulty maintaining relationships. Society expects women to be caretakers which can worsen the symptoms of ADHD for many women, especially when they don't have access to the right treatment and assistance they require. This can also lead to difficult relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. The strain on relationships can lead to frustration and misunderstandings, making it harder for women to seek assistance.
7. You're having trouble forming friendships
Finding it difficult to make friends can be particularly frustrating for women suffering from ADHD. Because of this, social expectations demand women to be able to perform multiple roles, including raising children, sustaining relationships, and performing well at work. As adhd in women signs attempt to meet these expectations, their symptoms may exacerbate. They could also be at an increased risk of developing poor relationships with their peers, or co-existing mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop coping mechanisms that conceal ADHD symptoms. This could lead to excessive exercise or staying up later than necessary and relying on phone reminders or daily schedules to help manage their lives.
Impulsivity and forgetfulness are undesirable behaviors that can create problems at work and in personal relationships. For instance, not remembering an event with a friend can cause them to feel depressed. They may also think you don't care about them. Disrupting conversations or getting angry at the slightest provocation could also cause confusion and conflict. Manage your expectations about your friendships to avoid bad feelings, misinterpretations and anger. This can be accomplished by using a calendar to keep track of your friend's important dates, a notepad to record information about new friends and following through with promises.