Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot pressure to care for their families and maintain healthy relationships and be productive at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem unattainable.
If you suspect that you have ADHD it is important to be diagnosed and treated. It can help you manage these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You're always late
Being always late is among the most common indications that you could have ADHD. People suffering from ADHD may have trouble managing their time and can be easily distracted by other tasks. This can cause issues at work or school for example, like not remembering homework or avoiding important meetings. It can cause a lot stress for you and the people who depend on you. Set a reminder in your phone or on your calendar to avoid being late. Also, get ready the night prior. Also, try to allow an extra few minutes for yourself to reach where you're headed.
Some women who suffer from ADHD also have trouble making friends as they're constantly missing social events. They might also have trouble reading social cues and recognizing body language. They may also have difficulty staying focused and lose themselves 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 boy or man to an ADHD assessment than to do the same for girls.
2. You're having difficulty focusing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose track of their tasks. If they are engaged in a conversation with others they can often go off on a tangent or talk about topics that do not pertain to the topic in question. They may also have difficulty sitting still and be more reckless.
These issues can affect relationships between family members as well as coworkers, friends, and family members. People who suffer from ADHD tend to forget appointments or not meeting deadlines. They can also be disorganized, spend too much time doing unimportant things or have trouble sitting at home. They may also have trouble staying focused at work or have difficulty manage their financial obligations.
In the early years, boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. However, as adults the prevalence of ADHD evens out. This is believed to be due in part to the fact that women are more likely than men to experience recurrences of symptoms and to seek treatment when a child has been diagnosed with ADHD. Changes in hormone levels particularly during menopausal change, can affect ADHD symptoms.
3. You have a poor Memory
Women with ADHD have trouble remembering important dates, such as birthdays and anniversary dates. They also forget gatherings. They may also have trouble remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep a pace in conversations and social situations.
It's also common for people with ADHD to have poor judgment that means they say things without thinking about them. This can lead to a lot "foot in mouth" moments that can be frustrating for family members and colleagues.
The difficulty of a woman to maintain and making friends is another sign of adhd. Many girls with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions which can result in difficult relationships with their partners. This puts them at a greater chance of being pushed into sexually inappropriate activities or being victims of violence from intimate partners.
Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to keep up with the social expectations of parenting, homemaking and relationships. This can add a lot of stress to their lives, which makes it harder to identify and manage ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms like drinking or using drugs to disguise their symptoms. This can impede treatment. It is crucial to be diagnosed as a first step in identifying and addressing these issues. The good news is that you can seek assistance.
4. You're having trouble making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions might find themselves putting off or unable to complete tasks because they have difficulty choosing which tasks should be prioritized. They also have trouble remembering their decisions and following through on their decisions. This type of ADHD can affect the performance of their work, relationships, and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD in women are harder to recognize because parents and teachers don't refer girls as often as boys for evaluation. Moreover, women are better in masked symptoms. They can develop coping mechanisms that allow them to appear "normal", and meet social expectations. For example they might use apps to manage their everyday activities.
Women can receive an official diagnosis from their primary physician, who can refer them to a physician of specialization. Based on the results of the test the doctor might suggest medication or talk therapy. In therapy, your therapist will teach you better coping skills and encourage you to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. They can also help you and your family members improve communication, which can be difficult when one or more of the people in a relationship have ADHD. Medications can help control the symptoms and increase the efficiency at school or at work.
5. You struggle with multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD can feel overwhelmed when they need to meet deadlines and work on multiple projects. They may also have trouble managing their emotions and find it difficult to find or keep friends, especially when they are unable to pick the social cues and may be susceptible to impulsive behaviors.
Having trouble with multitasking is another sign of adhd in women, as is their tendency to be easily distracted and lose or misplace things. This can be a problem for women working 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 are 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 ADHD adult may also develop coping mechanisms that cover up their difficulties. For instance they may use self-medicating methods like alcohol or other drugs to fit into the mainstream. This can further worsen their symptoms when they struggle with chronic feelings of inadequate, which can lead to strained relationships and an overall feeling of low self-esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your Time
ADHD time management issues can be a major concern in the workplace. It's difficult to get work done when you don't have a system for filing documents, returning phone calls, or completing projects in time. Even you're doing a great job the bosses may 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 than other people to suffer from co-occurring anxiety or depression, and may have difficulty maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers and this can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD, especially if they do not have access to the appropriate treatment or support. This can also result in difficult relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. These relationships that are strained can increase the frustration and cause misunderstandings which makes it harder for women to reach out for assistance.
7. You Have Trouble Making Friends
Women with ADHD can find it frustrating having a difficult time making friends. For one thing, societal expectations demand women to be able to perform many responsibilities, including parenting children, maintaining a relationship, and performing well at work. As signs of add in adult women try to meet these expectations, their symptoms may exacerbate. They could also be at a higher chance of developing poor peer relationships or coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that conceal ADHD symptoms. This can lead to over-exercising, staying up later than needed and relying on phone reminders or daily schedules to help them manage their lives.
Other undesirable behaviors include impulsiveness and forgetfulness which can create issues in both work and personal relationships. For example, forgetting the date of a party with a friend can make them feel jilted. They might also think you don't really care about them. In the same way, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or expressing anger at any moment can cause confusion and conflicts. Managing your expectations of your relationships can avoid negative emotions, misinterpretations and anger. You can do this by keeping a calendar that tracks your friend's important dates or using a notepad jot down information you learn about new friends and delivering on promises.