Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot pressure to care for their families, maintain healthy relationships, and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem unattainable.
If you think you may have ADHD it is important to get it diagnosed and treated. It can help you deal with these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You're always late
Being always late is among the most frequent signs that you might have ADHD. This is because those with ADHD frequently have a difficult time managing their time, and can be easily distracted by other tasks. This can cause problems at work or at school like forgetting to complete homework or missing important meetings. This can be stressful for you and the people who depend on your presence. To stop being late, try setting an alarm on your phone or calendar and ensure that you prepare for the night before. It is also recommended to take some extra time to get to your destination.
Some women who suffer from ADHD also have difficulty making friends, since they constantly miss social occasions. They may also have a hard time reading social cues and understanding 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 a male or female to an ADHD assessment than to refer girls.
2. You're having trouble focusing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose track of their tasks. In conversations, they may frequently wander off-topic or discuss other topics. They might also have difficulty staying in one place, and are more likely to be impulsive and make risky decisions.
These issues can affect relationships between family members, friends, and co-workers. For instance, it's common for people with ADHD to be late for appointments or forget deadlines. They can also be disorganized and spend too much time on unimportant tasks or have difficulty sitting at home. They may also find it hard to focus at work or keep track of their finances.
In the early years the boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. However, as adults, the numbers even out. This is believed to be due in part to the fact that women are more likely than males to experience recurrences of symptoms and to seek treatment when a child is diagnosed with ADHD. Changes in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal change, can affect ADHD symptoms.
3. You have a poor Memory
Women suffering from ADHD struggle with remembering important dates, like birthdays and anniversary dates. They also forget gatherings. They may also have trouble remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep pace in social situations and conversations.
It's also typical for those with ADHD to have poor filters which means they speak their thoughts without thinking them through. This can result in many "foot in mouth" situations that can be stressful for family members and coworkers.
Another sign of adhd in women is difficulty making and maintaining friendships. Many girls with ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This can lead them into challenging relationships with their romantic partners. This can increase their risk of being pressured to engage in inappropriate sexual activities or becoming victims of abuse by their intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to meet social expectations in the areas of parenting family, homemaking, relationships and work. This can cause a lot of stress to their lives, making it harder to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Some women also develop coping mechanisms to hide their symptoms, such as drinking or using drugs which may interfere with treatment. Diagnoses are a crucial first step to identify and manage challenges. There is help available.
4. You have trouble making decisions
Women who are struggling to make decisions may procrastinate or be unable complete tasks, as they aren't sure which tasks to prioritize. They also have difficulty remembering and keeping track of the decisions they've made. This kind of ADHD can impact work performance as well as relationships and self-esteem.
The symptoms of ADHD in women are harder to recognize because parents and teachers don't send girls as often as boys for evaluation. Women are also better at hiding their symptoms. They may develop coping mechanisms that enable them to appear "normal", and meet the expectations of society. For instance, they might rely on apps to manage their everyday activities.
Women may receive an official diagnosis by their primary care physician who can refer them to a physician of specialization. Depending on the results, the doctor might recommend therapy or medication. During therapy, the therapist will teach you healthier coping skills and help you switch negative thoughts with positive ones. They can assist you and your family improve communication. This can be a challenge when one or both partners in a relationship have ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and increase the efficiency at school or at work.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often find themselves feeling overwhelmed when they attempt to complete deadlines or perform multiple tasks at once. They may also find it difficult to control their emotions and find it difficult to make and keep friends. This is especially the case when they fail to recognize social cues.
Women who struggle to multitask are also more likely to develop at risk of developing adhd. They also may lose or misplace items and are easily distracted. This is especially challenging for women at work as constant interruptions make it hard to stay focused 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. Women may be more likely to go undiagnosed with this type of ADHD because their symptoms are not as evident as those of the more frequent inattention type.
Women who are not diagnosed with adult ADHD may develop strategies to disguise their struggles like using drugs or alcohol to help themselves, or to fit in with other people. This can further exacerbate their symptoms as they struggle with chronic feelings of inadequacy, leading to uneasy relationships and a general feeling of low self-esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your time
ADHD time management issues can be a big issue in the workplace. When you don't follow a system to complete tasks, answer phone calls or keep records, it can be difficult to get things done. 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 who don't receive treatment for ADHD may also be more likely to develop co-occurring depression or anxiety and may have trouble maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers, which can increase the symptoms of ADHD particularly in the absence of access to the right treatment or support. This can also lead to difficult relationships with friends, family and romantic partners. These strained relationships can heighten frustration and misunderstandings and make it harder for women to seek help.
7. You're having trouble making friends
Women who suffer from ADHD are likely to find it difficult to be unable to make friends. One reason is that women are expected to be able of performing multiple roles. This includes raising children, maintaining a relationship and thriving at the workplace. As they try to meet these expectations their symptoms can get worse. They may also have an increased risk of developing a poor relationship with their peers or having co-existing mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that mask ADHD symptoms. This can lead women to exercise excessively, stay up later than they should and rely on their calendars or phone reminders to manage their lives.
Other issues include impulsiveness and forgetfulness, which can cause problems at work as well as in personal relationships. For adhd in women uk , forgetting about an event at a friend's house could make them feel depressed and don't value them. In the same way, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or becoming angry at a moment's notice can cause confusion and conflicts. Being aware of the expectations you place on your friends can help avoid bad emotions, misinterpretations and anger. You can do this by keeping a calendar to track the important dates with your friends or using a notepad record information you learn about new friends, and following through on promises.