Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are subject to a lot of pressure to take care of and stay on top of their kids and maintain a healthy bond and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make all of these tasks seem impossible.
If you think you may be suffering from ADHD it is important to be treated and diagnosed. It can help you deal with these issues and improve the quality of your life overall.
1. You Are Always Late
Being constantly late is among the most common indications that you could have ADHD. People suffering from ADHD can have difficulty managing their time and can be easily distracted by other tasks. This can lead to problems at school or work like forgetting to complete homework or missing important meetings. This can be stressful for both you and those who depend on your presence. To avoid being late, try setting an alarm on your calendar or phone and be sure to prepare your bedroom the night prior to. It is also recommended to give yourself an extra few minutes to travel to your destination.
Additionally, some women with ADHD struggle to make friends due to constantly missing out on social events. They might also have a hard time understanding social cues and recognizing body language. They may also have difficulty concentrating 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. Parents and teachers are more likely to refer males or boys to an ADHD assessment as opposed to girls.
2. You are having difficulty focussing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose track of their activities. If they are engaged in a conversation with others they can often wander off on a tangent or talk about things that don't pertain to the topic at hand. They may also have difficulty being still and become more than impulsive.
These issues can cause problems with family, friends and co-workers. People who suffer from ADHD tend to forget appointments or ignoring deadlines. They may also be unorganized, spend too much time on unimportant tasks or have a hard time relaxing at home. They may also find it hard to concentrate at work or keep up with their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be identified as having ADHD in children. As adults they are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. This is believed to be due to the fact that women are more likely than men to experience recurrences of symptoms and seek treatment when a child is diagnosed with ADHD. The fluctuation in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal changes, may influence the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You Have Poor Memory
Women suffering from ADHD have trouble remembering important dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries. They also lose track of the dates of meetings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, which can make it difficult to keep up in conversations and social settings.
It's also typical for those with ADHD to have poor filters that means they say things without thinking them through. This can lead to lots of "foot-in-mouth" moments, which can be frustrating for loved ones and coworkers.
A woman's difficulty in maintaining and making friends is another indication of adhd. Many girls with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions which can result in difficulties in romantic relationships. This increases their risk of being pressured to engage in inappropriate sexual activity or become victims of intimate partner abuse.
Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to meet social expectations in the areas of parenting family, homemaking, relationships and career. This can add a lot of stress to their lives, making it difficult to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Some women also develop coping mechanisms to mask their symptoms, like drinking or using drugs which may interfere with treatment. It is crucial to be diagnosed as a first step in identifying and addressing these issues. The good news is that you can get help.
4. www.iampsychiatry.uk having trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions can delay or fail to complete tasks, since they are unsure of which tasks to prioritize. They also have trouble remembering and keeping track of the decisions they've made. This kind of ADHD can impact the performance of work, relationships and self-esteem.
The symptoms of ADHD for women are more difficult to diagnose because teachers and parents don't send girls as often as boys for evaluation. Moreover, women are better in masked symptoms. They may develop coping mechanisms that allow them to appear "normal", and meet social expectations. For instance they might use apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can be given an official diagnosis from their primary care physician who might refer them to a specialist of specialization. Depending on the results of the test, the doctor might suggest medication or talk therapy. During therapy, the therapist will teach you better coping strategies and help you swap negative thoughts with positive ones. They can help you and your family to improve communication. This can be challenging when both or one of the partners in a relationship suffer from ADHD. The medication can help to reduce symptoms, and boost productivity at work or at school.
5. You have trouble multitasking
Women with ADHD are often overwhelmed when they need to meet deadlines and complete multiple projects. They may also have difficulty trying to control their emotions and may find it difficult to establish and maintain friendships. This is especially the case if they are unable to recognize social cues.
Multitasking issues are another indicator of adhd in women as is their tendency to be easily distracted and lose or misplace things. This could be a problem 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 kind of ADHD is more likely to be misdiagnosed by women since the symptoms are more subtle than those that are associated with the inattention type.
Women with undiagnosed adult ADHD might also develop strategies to mask their struggles like using alcohol or drugs to take care of themselves, in order to blend in with other people. This can further aggravate symptoms as they struggle with constant feelings of being insecure. This can result in uneasy relationships and a general feeling of self-worth deficiency.
6. You're having difficulty managing your Time
ADHD issues with time management can be a major concern in the workplace. It's difficult to get work completed when you don't have a system for filing paperwork, returning phone calls, or finishing projects in time. Even you're doing a great job your supervisors might be concerned about your professionalism 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 with untreated ADHD may also be more likely to develop anxiety or depression that co-occurs, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. Society expects women to be caregivers, which can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD for many women, particularly when they don't have access to the proper treatment and assistance they require. This can also cause tensions between family, friends and romantic partners. These strained relations can increase tension and confusion which can make it difficult for women to seek out help.
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 place high emphasis on women to be competent at various roles, such as parenting children, maintaining a relationship, and performing well at work. When they attempt to meet these demands their symptoms can become more severe. They could also be at higher chance of developing poor relationships with their peers or having coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Additionally, women are more likely to develop strategies for coping that mask their ADHD symptoms. This could lead to excessive exercise or staying up later than is necessary and relying on telephone reminders or daily schedules to help manage their lives.
Other problematic behaviors include impulsiveness and forgetfulness which can cause problems in both work and personal relationships. For example, forgetting about the birthday celebration of a friend can make them feel depressed and don't value them. In the same way interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or expressing anger at the drop of a hat could lead to miscommunication and conflict. Be aware of your expectations regarding your relationships to avoid negative feelings, misinterpretations and resentment. This can be accomplished by using a calendar to keep track of your friends' important events, a notepad to note down information about new friends and keeping commitments.