ADHD Symptoms For Women

Women suffering from ADHD typically experience symptoms of emotional volatility and sensitive to rejection. They might also experience insomnia or poor quality sleep, which may make symptoms worse.

Women and girls tend to hide their ADHD symptoms better than men by employing strategies to cope with social expectations and norms. This can lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.

1. Trouble focusing

Focusing is the biggest challenge for many women with ADHD. Symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder may make it hard to stay on task at school, in meetings at work, or when reading and listening to others talk. It can be challenging to complete daily tasks like remembering appointments or taking medication.

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 who suffer from the inattentive version of the disorder might be struggling to organize their homes or at their desks and may have difficulty focusing on tasks, according to CHADD. These problems could cause them to skip appointments, arrive in the wrong place at the right time, or fail to keep up on their job responsibilities. These difficulties can make them feel uneasy about themselves, and they might blame themselves for their troubles.

Inattentive ADHD can also result in poor performance at school or at work and can lead to the accumulation of debt. According to CHADD, they can be triggered by stress or other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Teachers and parents could be biased towards males and girls, leading to women and girls to be underdiagnosed. 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 noticeable during menstruation or perimenopause, the run-up to menopausal symptoms which is when estrogen levels decrease and can cause emotional issues like mood swings and irritation.

Adults with ADHD may benefit from stimulant medication to improve their focus but it won't cure the condition. Other strategies, like lifestyle changes, mindfulness training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help with focus and organization. Some workplaces and school have accommodations to help with these issues.

2. Forgetting Things

Inattention can make it difficult to keep track of your daily activities or take care of the responsibilities. It may be difficult to remember important details particularly when they happen in a noisy area. You might also find yourself having trouble remembering appointments or getting late to school or work. Women who suffer from ADHD tend to forget to pay bills or respond to emails, which could result in financial stress and a sense of urgency. You might have trouble working in a busy or noisy office, and you might get lost in conversations. This could make someone else feel ignored or misunderstood.

Many girls and women who have ADHD also struggle to keep friendships. They also run the risk of being forced into unwanted sexual behavior or becoming victims of violence from intimate partners. They are more likely than others to be overwhelmed because they struggle to control their emotions. They may also struggle with self-esteem and could be more likely to view their difficulties as "personal imperfections" instead of acknowledging that their behavior is related to their ADHD symptoms.

Because of gender bias Due to gender bias, girls and women suffering from ADHD are not diagnosed because their symptoms are less obvious than those of males and boys. They are more likely to disguise their symptoms with anxiety or mood problems which could lead to being misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated.

The symptoms of ADHD are influenced by hormone fluctuations, especially during puberty when estrogen drops and progesterone rises. This can cause greater variance in symptoms from day to day which makes it difficult to recognize and manage ADHD correctly.

When diagnosed and treated, you can learn to manage ADHD symptoms. You can also consider lifestyle changes, for example, eating a well-balanced diet and limiting sugar, caffeine and other stimulants that might cause symptoms to become worse. Meditation and mindfulness techniques can relax your mind and reduce the impulsiveness and restlessness. They can also help improve emotional regulation. Talking with an expert in mental health can be beneficial, since they can talk about possible accommodations at school or at work that might aid in managing your ADHD symptoms better.

3. Disruptive Behavior

In most cases, women who suffer from adhd adult women treatment experience more inattentive symptoms than those with hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This could be because women and girls have different brains than males and females. It could also be due to the amount of activity in the brain areas that control impulsive behavior.

It can be challenging for doctors to identify adhd assessment for women in women. Many women develop coping strategies to mask their symptoms. Some of these are healthy, while others are not sustainable and could result in other health issues. Women, for instance, turn to excessive alcohol or drugs to manage. They may also develop depression or other mental health conditions like anxiety. These unhealthy coping strategies may make it harder for someone to notice that they are suffering from a condition and may delay a correct diagnosis.

Disruptive behavior is one of the most common adhd symptoms for women. It can affect their work or school performance, or even their relationships. They often include not staying focused on a task, ignoring important dates or events, and becoming easily distracted by other things in the surroundings or in their thoughts. They might fidget or tap their feet or hands or squirm their seats. They may also shout or talk loudly, and may interrupt.

Women who have the inattentive subtype may have trouble staying focused during lectures or conversations and juggling schoolwork, reading, or writing assignments, following instructions in the classroom or at work, and juggling daily tasks. They may be unorganized and messy and find it difficult to adhere to commitments or tasks. They are more likely to lose or misplace items such as keys, wallets and eyeglasses.

Having the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type signs of adhd in adult women adhd can disrupt work or school, cause social problems, and create relationship challenges. This type of adhd assessment for women can cause problems at work, at home, as well as at school, and it can lead to feelings of agitation or boredom. They are not able to wait for their turn in school, signs of adhd in adult women work, or home. They also interrupt others frequently. They are unable to control their behavior and are likely to be reckless.

4. Anxiety

Women and girls who have ADHD may have a harder time to manage their symptoms. This is due to societal expectations that demand women and mothers be the primary caregivers for their children and household. If a woman is struggling to fulfill her obligations this can cause anxiety and low self-esteem. This in turn can make it harder to seek treatment for her ADHD.

In addition, women with ADHD are often unable to be diagnosed because their symptoms aren't as prominent as those of men and boys. 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 symptoms, including 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. Women can experience ADHD symptoms when hormonal changes occur, such as menstrual cycle and pregnancy. This can result in being viewed as an overly emotional woman which can increase her feelings of frustration.

The information in this article is based on research regarding how ADHD affects people based on their sex. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a matter of biology: chromosomal makeup hormones, hormones and anatomical structures, whereas gender is an internal sense of the person you are as a male, a woman, or if you're non-binary, a person. This distinction is crucial because it allows us to better know how and why ADHD can manifest differently in women and men. For this reason, throughout this article we will refer to both men and those assigned to male at birth (AMAB) as males and boys, and to women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) as girls and women. This terminology is utilized in many research studies. For more information, read Verywell Health's guide to gender and sexuality.