Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot of pressure to look after their families, maintain healthy relationships, and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make these tasks seem impossible.
If you think you may have ADHD, it's important to get it diagnosed and treated. adhd in young women can help you deal with these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You Are Always Late
Being always late is among the most prevalent signs that you might have ADHD. This is because people with ADHD often have trouble managing their time and are easily distracted by other things. This can lead to issues at school or work like not attending important meetings or forgetting about homework assignments. This can cause stress for both you and those who depend on your presence. Set a reminder on your phone or on your calendar to avoid being late. Also, be prepared the night before. Also, you should give yourself some extra time to reach your destination.
In addition to that, some women with ADHD have difficulty making friends due to their constant absence out on social events. They might also find it difficult to read social cues or understand body language. They might also have difficulty in focusing on conversations 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. Teachers and parents are also more likely to refer boys or men to an ADHD assessment as opposed to girls.
2. You have difficulty focusing
It is common for people with ADHD to become lost in what they are doing. In a conversation, they could often veer off topic or discuss other things. They may also have difficulty sitting still and be more reckless.
These problems can strain relationships with friends, family members and co-workers. People with ADHD are prone to forgetting appointments or not meeting deadlines. They might also be unorganized or spend too much time doing things that aren't important. They may also have problems working effectively or have difficulty manage their finances.
In children boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. However, as adults the prevalence of ADHD evens out. It is thought that this is because women are more likely to experience a greater incidence of symptoms and are more likely to seek treatment after one of their children is diagnosed with the condition. Changes in hormone levels, especially during menopausal changes, can affect ADHD symptoms.
3. You have a weak memory
Women with ADHD have trouble remembering important dates, like birthdays and anniversary dates. They also lose track of the dates of meetings. They may also have trouble remembering names, which makes it difficult to keep up in social settings and conversations.
People suffering from ADHD typically have poor filtering. They say things without thinking about them. This can lead to many "foot in mouth" moments that can be frustrating for coworkers and family members.
A woman's difficulty maintaining and making friends is another sign of adhd. Many women with ADHD have trouble managing their emotions, which can lead to difficulties in romantic relationships. This increases the chances of being pressured to engage in inappropriate sexual activity or become victims of abuse by their intimate partners.
Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to live up to society's expectations in areas such as parenting family, homemaking, relationships and career. This can cause a lot of stress to their lives, which makes it difficult to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms, such as drinking or using drugs to disguise their symptoms. This can interfere with treatment. Being diagnosed is the first step in identifying and managing these challenges. You can find help.
4. You're having difficulty making decisions
Women who are struggling to make decisions might find themselves putting off or finding it difficult to complete tasks because they have difficulty choosing which tasks should be prioritised. They also have a difficult time remembering their decisions and executing them. This kind of ADHD affects performance at work, relationships and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD for women are more difficult to identify because teachers and parents don't refer girls as often as boys for evaluation. Furthermore, women are better at masking their symptoms. They might develop coping strategies that help them appear "normal" and conform to social expectations, such as using apps to manage their day-to-day activities.
Women can get an official diagnosis from their primary care physician, who might refer them to a specialist. Depending on the results of the test, the doctor may suggest medication or talk therapy. In therapy, your therapist will help you develop more effective coping strategies and help you to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. They can help you and your family improve communication. This can be challenging when one or both partners in a relationship suffer from ADHD. Medications can help control the symptoms and increase productivity at school or at work.
5. You have trouble multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often find themselves feeling overwhelmed when they try to complete deadlines or perform multiple tasks at the same time. They may also struggle to manage their emotions and have a difficult time trying to make and keep friends. This is especially true when they fail to detect social cues.
Trouble with multitasking is another sign of adhd in women as is their tendency to get distracted easily and misplace or lose things. This can be a problem for women working in environments 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 kind of ADHD because their symptoms aren't as obvious as the more typical inattentive type.
Women who have not been diagnosed with ADHD adulthood might also develop coping strategies to mask their struggles. For example, they may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to blend into the mainstream. This can further aggravate symptoms as they struggle with chronic feelings of being insecure. This can lead to strained relationships and a general sense of low self esteem.
6. You are having trouble managing your Time
In the workplace, ADHD time management problems can be a major issue. When you don't follow the proper procedure to finish tasks, answer phone calls or keep records, it can be difficult to get things done. Even if your work is excellent your supervisors might be concerned about your professionalism when you consistently 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 may also be more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression with co-occurring disorders, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. The society expects women to be caregivers which can worsen the symptoms of ADHD for many women, especially if they don't have access to the appropriate treatment and support they require. This can lead to broken relationships between family members, friends and romantic partners. These strained relations can increase frustration and misunderstandings, making it harder for women to seek assistance.
7. You Have Trouble Making Friends
Having trouble making friends can be especially frustrating for women suffering from ADHD. For one thing, societal expectations demand women to be able to perform many responsibilities, including caring for children, maintaining relationships, and performing well at work. As they try to fulfill these expectations, their symptoms may exacerbate. They may also be at higher risk of developing poor relationships with their peers or having coexisting anxiety and mood disorders. Additionally women are more likely to develop coping strategies that cover up their ADHD symptoms. This could cause women to exercise excessively, stay up later than they should and rely on their phone reminders or schedules to manage their lives.
Inattention and forgetfulness are undesirable behaviors that can create problems at work as well as in personal relationships. For instance, not remembering a friend's party can make them feel jilted. They might also think you don't care about them. Disrupting conversations or getting angry at the slightest hint can lead to conflict and misunderstandings. Manage your expectations about your friendships to avoid damaging feelings, misinterpretations and resentment. You can do this by keeping a calendar of the important dates with your friends, using a notepad to write down any information you discover about new acquaintances and keeping your promises.