Signs of ADHD in Women
Women face lots of pressure to take care of and keep track of kids, maintain a healthy relationship and be successful at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem unattainable.
If you think you may be suffering from ADHD, it's important to be diagnosed and treated. It can help you cope with these issues and improve your overall life quality.
1. You're always late
Being constantly late is among the most prevalent signs that you may have ADHD. This is because people who suffer from ADHD often have trouble managing their time, and they are easily distracted by other tasks. This can cause issues at work or school, such as forgetting homework or ignoring important meetings. This can be stressful for you and the people who depend on your presence. Set a reminder on your phone or on your calendar to avoid being late. Also, make sure you're ready the night prior. Also, make sure to leave some extra time for yourself to reach where you're headed.
Additionally, some women with ADHD are unable to make friends due to their constant absence out on social gatherings. They might also have difficulty learning to read social cues or comprehend body language. They might also have difficulty staying focused on conversations and becoming 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. Also, teachers and parents are more likely to refer a male or female to an ADHD evaluation than they are to do the same with girls.
2. You're having trouble focusing
People with ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their work. In a conversation, they could frequently drift off topic or discuss other topics. They may also have difficulty being still and become more reckless.
These problems can strain relationships with family, friends and colleagues. For instance, it's common for people suffering from ADHD to not remember appointments or to miss deadlines. They can also be disorganized, spend too much time on tasks that are not important or have a hard time sitting at home. They may also find it hard to concentrate at work or keep track of their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed as having ADHD in children. As adults, the rates are similar. This is believed to be because women are more likely than males to experience recurrences of symptoms and seek treatment when a child is diagnosed with ADHD. Changes in hormone levels, especially during menopausal transition, can affect the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You have poor memory
Women suffering from ADHD are often unable to remember important events, like birthdays, anniversaries, or meetings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, making it difficult to keep up in conversations and social situations.
People with ADHD often have poor filters. They talk about things without really thinking about them. This can lead to numerous "foot in mouth" situations that can be frustrating for family members and coworkers.
Another indication of adhd in women is difficulty creating and maintaining friendships. Many girls with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions and this can lead to difficult romantic relationships. This puts them at risk of being pressured to engage in sexual activity that is not their own or becoming victims of violence from intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to meet societal expectations in areas such as parenting and homemaking, relationships and work. This can add a lot of stress to their lives, which makes it difficult to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Some women develop coping mechanisms that include drinking or using drugs to hide their symptoms. This can hinder treatment. Diagnostics are an essential first step in identifying and managing the challenges. You can find help.
4. You have trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions may procrastinate or not be able to finish tasks because they are unsure of what tasks to prioritise. They also have trouble remembering and keeping track of decisions they have made. This kind of ADHD can impact work performance as well as relationships and self-esteem.
Symptoms of ADHD in women are harder to diagnose than they are in children due to the fact that teachers and parents don't make girls the focus of evaluation as often as they do boys. Women are also better at concealing their symptoms. They can develop coping mechanisms that enable them to appear "normal", and meet social expectations. For example they may rely on apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can receive an official diagnosis from their primary care doctor and they may refer them to an expert. Depending on adult female adhd symptoms of the test, the doctor may recommend medication or talk-therapy. In therapy, a therapist can teach you healthier coping skills and assist you in swapping negative thoughts with positive ones. They can also help you and your family improve communication which can be a problem when one or more of the members of a couple suffer from ADHD. Medications can help reduce the symptoms and increase productivity at school or at work.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often feel overwhelmed when they try to meet deadlines or work on several tasks at once. They may also have difficulty managing their emotions and find it difficult to find or keep friends, especially when they have difficulty picking the social cues and can be prone to impulsive behaviors.
Having trouble with multitasking is another sign of adhd in women, as is their tendency to be easily distracted and misplace or lose things. This is an issue for women who work in an environment 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 type of ADHD because their symptoms are not as obvious as the more typical inattentive type.
Women who have not been diagnosed with adult ADHD might develop strategies to cover up their issues like using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate, in order to blend in with other people. This can further worsen their symptoms as they struggle with the constant feeling of inadequacy, leading to strained relationships and an overall feeling of self-worth being shattered.
6. You have trouble managing your time
ADHD problems with time management can be a major issue in the workplace. It's difficult to get work completed when you do not have a system in place for filing documents, returning phone calls, or finishing projects within the timeframes you set. Even if your work is excellent the bosses may be concerned about your professionalism when 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 are also more likely than other people to suffer from co-occurring anxiety or depression, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. Society expects women to be caretakers which can worsen the symptoms of ADHD in many women, particularly when they don't have access to the proper treatment and support they need. This can also cause strained relationships with friends, family and romantic partners. These relationships that are strained can increase the frustration and cause misunderstandings and make it harder for women to seek help.
7. You're having trouble making friends
Women with ADHD may find it difficult having a difficult time making friends. One reason is that societal expectations demand women to be able to perform various roles, such as caring for children, maintaining relationships, and performing well at work. When they attempt to meet these demands, their symptoms may exacerbate. They also may be at a higher risk of having a negative relationship with their peers, or co-existing anxiety disorders and mood disorders. Furthermore women are more likely to develop strategies for coping which mask their ADHD symptoms. This can lead to over-exercising, staying up later than necessary and relying on telephone reminders or daily schedules to help them manage their lives.
Impulsivity and forgetfulness are undesirable behaviors that can create issues at work and in personal relationships. For example, forgetting about a friend's birthday party could make them feel depressed and don't appreciate them. Also, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or expressing anger at a moment's notice can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Being aware of the expectations you place on your friendships can prevent bad emotions, misinterpretations and frustration. You can accomplish this by keeping a calendar to track the important dates of your friends or using a notepad record information you learn about new friends and delivering on promises.