Signs of ADHD in Women
Women face the pressure to be the caretaker and stay on top of their kids, maintain a healthy relationship, and do well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem impossible.
It is crucial to be diagnosed and treated for ADHD. It can help you cope with these symptoms and improve your overall life quality.
1. You Are Always Late
Being always late is one of the most common indications that you may have ADHD. People with ADHD are often unable to manage their time and are easily distracted by other tasks. This can lead to problems at school or work like being late to important meetings or forgetting about homework assignments. This can be stressful for you and the people who depend on your presence. To help you stop being late, consider setting an alarm on your calendar or phone and ensure that you get ready the night prior to. It is also recommended to give yourself some extra time to reach your destination.
In addition there are women who suffer from ADHD are unable to make friends due to constantly missing out on social gatherings. They may be unable to discern social cues or comprehend body language. They might also have difficulty in focusing on conversations and 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. Teachers and parents are more likely to refer men or boys for an ADHD assessment than they are for girls.
2. You are having difficulty focusing
It is easy for people suffering from ADHD to become distracted or lose track of what they are doing. When they are in a conversation with others, they may frequently wander off in a different direction or talk about things that do not have anything to do with the subject that is being discussed. They may also have difficulty being still and are more likely to be impulsive and take dangerous decisions.
These issues can affect relationships with family, friends and co-workers. For adult adhd in women , it's common for those with ADHD to not remember appointments or to miss deadlines. They could also be unorganized or spend too much time doing things that aren't important. They may also have trouble staying focused at work or find it difficult to keep track of their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed as having ADHD in children. As adults, the numbers are similar. This is believed to be due in part to the fact that women are more likely than men to have recurrences in symptoms and seek treatment when one of their children is diagnosed with ADHD. Changes in hormone levels particularly during menopausal change, can influence ADHD symptoms.
3. You Have Poor Memory
Women who suffer from ADHD are often unable to remember important events, such as birthdays, anniversaries and meetings. They may also have trouble remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep up in social settings and conversations.
It's also typical for those with ADHD to have poor judgment that means they say things without thinking about them. This can result in many "foot in mouth" moments that can be stressful for family members and coworkers.
Another indication of adhd in women is having trouble making and keeping friendships. Many girls with ADHD struggle to manage their emotions, which can lead to difficulties in romantic relationships. This can put them at a greater risk of being pressured into sexually inappropriate activities or being victims of violence from intimate partners.
Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to meet social expectations in the areas of parenting, homemaking, relationships, and career. This can cause a lot of stress to their lives, which makes it harder to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms that include drinking or using drugs to hide their symptoms. This can interfere with treatment. Diagnoses are a crucial first step in identifying and addressing the challenges. The good news is that you can get help.
4. You're having difficulty making decisions
Women who are struggling to make decisions can delay or not be able to finish tasks, as they aren't sure of what tasks to prioritize. They also have trouble remembering and following through with decisions they've made. This type of ADHD can affect the performance of their work, relationships, and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD in women are more difficult to diagnose because teachers and parents do not send girls as often as boys for evaluation. In addition, women are more adept at masking their symptoms. They can develop strategies to cope that allow them to appear "normal" and conform to social expectations, for instance by using apps to manage their daily activities.
Women can receive an official diagnosis from their primary physician, who might refer them to an expert. Based on the results of the test, the doctor may prescribe medication or talk-therapy. During therapy, your therapist will help you develop better ways to cope and help you to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. They can help you and your family to improve communication. This can be difficult when one or both of the people in a relationship suffer from ADHD. The medication can help to reduce symptoms, and boost productivity at work or in school.
5. You struggle with multitasking
Women with ADHD may feel overwhelmed when they must meet deadlines and complete many tasks. They may also find it difficult to control their emotions, and have a difficult time trying to make and keep friends. This is especially the case if they are unable to recognize social cues.
Multitasking issues are another indication of adhd in women, as is their tendency to be easily distracted and misplace or lose things. This is particularly problematic for women working in a workplace where constant interruptions make it difficult 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 as the symptoms are more subtle than those of the inattentive form.
Women who are not diagnosed with adult ADHD may also develop strategies to disguise their struggles, such as using drugs or alcohol to take care of themselves, in order to blend in with other people. This can further aggravate their symptoms as they struggle to cope with the constant feeling of inadequate, which can lead to uneasy relationships and a general sense of low self-esteem.
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 accomplished when you don't have a system for filing paperwork, returning calls, or completing projects within the timeframes you set. Even if you are doing excellent work, supervisors will question your professionalism if you consistently 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 with untreated ADHD are also more likely to develop anxiety or depression with co-occurring disorders and may have a difficult time maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers which can increase the symptoms of ADHD particularly if they do not have access to the appropriate treatment or support. This can also cause strained relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. These strained relationships can heighten frustration and misunderstandings which makes it harder for women to seek help.
7. You're having a hard time making friends
Women who suffer from ADHD can find it frustrating to be unable to make friends. For one thing, societal expectations put a lot of emphasis on women to be able to perform multiple roles, including parenting children, maintaining relationships, and performing well at work. As they attempt to fulfill these expectations, their symptoms may exacerbate. They could also be at higher risk of developing poor peer relationships or coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that conceal ADHD symptoms. This could lead them to over-exercise, stay 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 and in personal relationships. For example, forgetting about a friend's birthday party can make them feel jilted and that you do not value them. Disrupting conversations or becoming angry at the slightest provocation could also cause conflicts and miscommunications. Being aware of the expectations you place on your relationships can avoid negative feelings, misinterpretations, and frustration. You can do this by keeping a calendar that tracks the important dates with your friends and using a notepad to write down any information you discover about new friends and delivering on promises.