5 Killer Quora Answers On Adult Female ADHD Symptoms
ADHD Symptoms in Adult Females
While ADHD affects both genders equally in adulthood, it often is not recognized in females. This is likely due to gender stereotyping and the capability of females to conceal their symptoms.
Many healthcare professionals lack the expertise or experience needed to recognize ADHD among women. In the end, many females are misdiagnosed before receiving the treatment they require.
1. Disorganization
Girls and women with ADHD often struggle with disorganization, which can be a challenge to manage. Your desk, for example could be a jumble of papers, 17 chapsticks, and tickets from the Kings of Leon show you attended in 2008. While you buy products that claim to keep you organized your office and home are likely to remain messy and chaotic.
Inability to stay on top of your tasks can result in missing deadlines and appointments. You might also struggle with "time blindness," where you don't know or remember the time it takes to finish the task. This can leave you unhappy and feeling that you're not doing an adequate job in your professional or personal life, especially if it feels like others don't appreciate your efforts.
There is a possibility that you have trouble managing your emotions. This can lead you to react excessively when faced with stressful situations. You may also say things without meaning to hurt people's feelings. You may also be having trouble stopping yourself from speaking before you think things through, since impulsivity can be common among people suffering from ADHD.
If you have ADHD it's possible that some of your symptoms stem from gender stereotypes or cultural ideas about how women, men, and boys should behave. This can make it difficult to identify and treat ADHD.
You could also benefit from behavioral treatment to address the root causes of your disorder. Although it might take a while to discover the appropriate coping strategies Implementing these strategies will make you feel more in control of your life and improve relationships with your family, friends, and coworkers.
2. Impulsivity
People with ADHD experience intense emotions. However their brains aren't able to filter them or evaluate them. This means that they could be overwhelmed by one setback or have difficulty being able to discern the mood of their peers. This makes them more prone to be distracted by minor inconveniences like the availability of a book or a shaky friend.
Many women with attention deficit disorder suffering from ADHD compensate for their attention problems by hiding symptoms and implementing strategies to cope. They may be perfectionists or extremely attentive at work or in school, but have difficulty keeping on top of important dates, bills and appointments. They may also have trouble with verbal self-restraint and speak too much, interrupt others frequently, or info dump during conversations.
The hyperactive/impulsive subtype of ADHD tends to be more common in boys and men, but it's not unusual for women to have these symptoms too. These symptoms include the sudden urge to begin or stop activities. They can also be characterized by being unable wait for your turn in a conversation and being unable to discern social cues.
While gender stereotypes can influence on the development of adhd in men and women in women, it's not always easy to identify these issues. The rating scales that are used to identify ADHD symptoms are still biased towards male behavior. Some healthcare professionals may miss the mark on the woman's ADHD symptoms.
Many women with ADHD also note that their symptoms tend to become more severe during periods of hormonal changes, for example menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or perimenopause (the menopausal transition). This can lead to emotional symptoms like frustration, irritability or depression. They may also have an ongoing feeling of dissatisfaction in their relationships or lives. This can contribute to substance abuse, low self-esteem and unhealthy coping strategies. It's important that women understand that these symptoms do not indicate their worth or importance as a human being. If you follow a proper treatment program, you can reduce or even eliminate these symptoms.
3. Attention!
Although everyone has trouble paying attention and focusing at times, with adhd in adult women test the symptoms can occur so frequently that they interfere with your life. You could make a few mistakes at work or at school, miss appointments or spend a large amount of time delaying. You have a hard time waiting to be the first in a conversation and often interrupt other people.
Adults who are not attentive may also have a tendency to jump into projects without having a complete plan and research them. This leads to incomplete results or poor ones. You may also get distracted easily and tend to leave projects unfinished- from the vegetable garden that got planted, but never watered, to the new organizational system that was put together and left to rot on your nightstand.
People with inattention ADHD are also plagued by a chronic sense of disorganization in their home and workplaces. It is possible that you have trouble finding important documents, bills or keys and may lose things on a regular basis. You could also lose your track of time and become late for work, school or for meetings.
Women with hyperactive/impulsive ADHD are less likely to experience these inattentive symptoms, but they can still have problems with organization, time management and self-control. Women with these symptoms might make or do actions without thinking about the consequences, like talking over other people or making strange sounds when they are alone. They are unable to sit still and might be prone to fumbling around or pacing in their seats. They may have difficulty maintaining a job and might have frequent disagreements with coworkers and managers.
In some cases mood swings and emotional distress caused by ADHD can cause frustration and misunderstandings in relationships. This is particularly true in romantic relationships as well as at work. People who suffer from ADHD also are more likely to having co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
Women and girls with ADHD are likely to face many challenges when seeking treatment. This includes gender bias, a tendency to hide symptoms or minimize their severity, and gender bias. High-profile women such as Em Rusciano and Mia Freedman who have openly discussed their struggles with ADHD have helped raise awareness. But, many young women and girls do not know they have it.
4. Anxiety
An anxiety disorder is defined by a constant, excessive anxiety. While everyone is anxious or nervous from time to time Anxiety disorders are defined by constant high levels of anxiety. You might feel a constant feeling of unease or fear, a rapid heartbeat, trouble keeping calm and having trouble thinking clearly. You may also feel a sense of danger in situations you know aren't risky. The most frequent types of anxiety are general anxiety disorder, agoraphobia and phobias, separation anxiety and panic disorders.
Anxiety is more common in women with ADHD than in men and tends to get worse during certain times of women's lives, such as around the time of her menstrual cycle or pregnancy, or perimenopausal. This can make it more difficult to manage daily activities and social interactions and cause feelings of low self-esteem and a general feeling of discontent with your life.
You're highly sensitive to rejection and have a hard time accepting criticism. You can easily misinterpret feedback or even anticipated rejection, and you might get angry over minor things that others wouldn't see as an issue with.
Mood swings are another of the adult female adhd symptoms, and you might be able to notice that your moods are unstable or difficult to control. You could also be susceptible to self-injury that isn't suicidal which includes hitting, burning or scratching yourself.
If you're experiencing any of the above symptoms, it's important to receive a diagnosis. It will help you comprehend the issues you're facing, and give you strategies to improve your quality of life. You can take an online ADHD test, or go to your doctor for a thorough evaluation. In certain instances, your doctor might prescribe medication to alleviate your symptoms. In certain instances your doctor may suggest the combination of lifestyle changes and cognitive behavior therapy. In any case, it's important to change your lifestyle as quickly as you can. This will help you gain control of your life and feel more confident and competent.