Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot of pressure to look after their families, maintain healthy relationships, and be productive at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem like a nightmare.
It is essential to be diagnosed and treated if you suffer from ADHD. It can assist you in dealing with these symptoms and enhance your overall life quality.
1. You are always late
Being constantly late is one of the most prevalent signs that you could be suffering from ADHD. This is because those with ADHD frequently have a difficult time managing their time, and they are easily distracted by other tasks. This can lead to issues at school or work like being late to important meetings or forgetting about homework assignments. It can cause a lot stress for you and the people who depend on you. To avoid being late, consider setting an alarm on your phone or calendar and be sure to prepare your bedroom the night before. Also, you should take an extra few minutes to get to your destination.
Women with ADHD are also having trouble making friends, as they constantly miss social events. They may also have a hard time taking social cues into consideration and recognizing body language. They might 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. Teachers and parents are more likely to refer boys or men for an ADHD assessment as opposed to girls.
2. You are having difficulty focussing
People with ADHD are easily distracted and lose track of their work. When they are in a conversation with someone else, they may frequently go off on a tangent or talk about topics that do not pertain to the topic that is being discussed. They may also have difficulty staying still and may be more than impulsive.
These issues can affect relationships with family, friends and co-workers. For example, it is common for those with ADHD to forget appointments or miss deadlines. They could also be unorganized or spend too much time on unimportant tasks. They may also have problems focusing at work or find it difficult to manage their financial obligations.
In children the boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. As adults, the rates are identical. 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. Changing hormone levels, especially during menopausal changes, may influence the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You have poor memory
Women with ADHD are often unable to remember important events, such as birthdays, anniversaries and meetings. They may also have trouble recalling names, which can make it difficult to keep up in social situations 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 lead to many "foot-in-mouth" moments which can be very frustrating for coworkers and loved ones.
A woman's difficulty in maintaining and forming friendships is another indication of adhd. Many girls suffering from ADHD have trouble managing their emotions, which can lead to difficult relationships with their partners. This can increase their risk of being pressured to engage in unwanted sexual activities or becoming victims of abuse from 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 stress to their lives, making it harder to identify and manage ADHD symptoms. Women may develop coping strategies, such as drinking or using drugs to hide their symptoms. This can hinder treatment. women and adhd is crucial to be diagnosed as a first step to identify and managing these challenges. You can find help.
4. You are having trouble making decisions
Women who are struggling to make decisions can delay or fail to complete tasks, since they aren't sure of which tasks to prioritize. They also have trouble remembering their decisions and following through on them. This kind of ADHD affects work performance, relationships, and self-esteem.
Symptoms of ADHD in women can be difficult to recognize as they are for children because teachers and parents don't refer girls for evaluation as often as they do boys. In addition, women are more adept in hiding their symptoms. They may develop strategies for coping that enable them to appear "normal" and meet societal expectations, for instance by relying on apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can receive an official diagnosis from their primary care doctor who may refer them to a specialist. Depending on the results of the test, the doctor might recommend medication or talk-therapy. In therapy, your therapist can help you learn 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 difficult when one or more of the people in a relationship have ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and boost the efficiency at school or at work.
5. You struggle with multitasking
Women suffering from ADHD often find themselves feeling overwhelmed when they attempt to keep deadlines in line or complete several tasks at once. They may also have difficulty managing their emotions and find it difficult to find or keep friends, particularly when they are unable to pick the social cues and may be susceptible to impulsive behaviors.
Trouble with multitasking is another sign of adhd in women, as is their tendency to become distracted easily and to lose or misplace items. This can be a problem for women working 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. Women may be more likely to go undiagnosed with this kind of ADHD because their symptoms are not as evident as those of the common inattentive type.
Women with undiagnosed ADHD adulthood may also develop coping mechanisms to disguise their difficulties. For instance, they may self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs to fit into the mainstream. This can further worsen their symptoms as they struggle with chronic feelings of being inadequate, resulting in strained relationships and an overall sense of low self-esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your time
ADHD issues with time management can be a big issue in the workplace. It's difficult to get work done when you do not have a system in place for filing documents, returning phone calls, or completing tasks within the timeframes you set. Even if you do 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 who don't receive treatment for ADHD are also more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression with co-occurring disorders, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caretakers which can increase the symptoms of ADHD in many women, particularly when they don't receive the appropriate treatment and support they require. This can lead to difficult relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. These strained relations can increase tension and confusion which makes it more difficult for women to seek out help.
7. You have trouble making friends
Having trouble making friends can be a real challenge for women suffering from ADHD. For one thing, societal expectations demand women to be competent at multiple roles, including caring for children, maintaining a relationship, and performing well at work. As they try to meet these demands their symptoms can get worse. They could also be more at chance of developing poor social relationships with peers or co-existing mood disorders and anxiety. Additionally, women are more likely to develop strategies that cover up their ADHD symptoms. This could lead to excessive exercise or staying up later than necessary, and relying on phone reminders or daily schedules to help them manage their lives.
Other undesirable behaviors include impulsiveness and forgetfulness, which can cause problems at work as well as in personal relationships. For instance, not remembering an event with a friend can cause them to feel depressed. They might also think you don't really care about them. Likewise interrupting conversations with irrelevant thoughts or getting angry at the drop of a hat can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Be aware of your expectations regarding your friendships to avoid damaging feelings, misinterpretations and anger. You can do this by using a calendar to keep track of your friends' important dates, a notepad to keep track of details about new acquaintances and following through with commitments.
