Signs of ADHD in Women
Women are under a lot of pressure to look after their families and maintain healthy relationships and perform well at work. ADHD symptoms can make all of these tasks seem overwhelming.
If you suspect you have ADHD It is crucial to get it diagnosed and treated. It can help you deal with these issues and improve your overall quality of life.
1. You're Always Late
Being always late is a sign that you might have ADHD. This is because those with ADHD frequently have difficulty managing their time and are easily distracted by other things. This can cause problems at school or at work and can result in being late to important meetings or not remembering homework assignments. It can cause a lot stress for you and those who depend on you. Set a reminder in your phone or on your calendar to help avoid being late. Also, get ready the night before. Also, try to leave a few extra minutes for yourself to reach where you're going.
Some women with ADHD also have trouble making friends as they're constantly missing social events. They might also have trouble reading social cues and understanding body language. They might also have trouble concentrating 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 more likely to refer a boy or man for an ADHD evaluation than they are to refer girls.
2. You are having difficulty focussing
People with ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their tasks. When they are in a conversation with someone else, they may frequently go off into a tangent or speak about things that don't have anything to do with the subject that is being discussed. They might also have a difficult time sitting still and be more impulsive.
These issues can affect relationships between family members as well as coworkers, friends, and family members. For example, it is common for people suffering from ADHD to forget appointments or miss deadlines. They may also be unorganized, spend too much time doing unimportant things or have difficulty sitting at home. They may also have problems focusing at work or have trouble manage their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be identified as having ADHD in children. As adults, the rates are equal. This is believed to be because women are more likely than males to experience recurrences of symptoms and to seek treatment when one of their children has been diagnosed with ADHD. The fluctuation in hormone levels, particularly during menopausal transition, can impact the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You Have Poor Memory
Women suffering from ADHD have a hard time remembering important dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries. They also forget the dates of meetings. They may also have trouble remembering names, which could make it difficult to keep pace in conversations and social settings.
People suffering from ADHD tend to have poor judgment. They say things without thinking about them. attention deficit in women can lead to lots of "foot-in-mouth" moments which can be very frustrating for loved ones and coworkers.
Another indication of adhd in women is having trouble creating and maintaining friendships. Many women suffering from ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This could lead to difficult relationships with their partners. This puts them at a greater risk of being pressured into sexually inappropriate activities or becoming victims of violence from their intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to keep up with the social expectations of parenting, homemaking and relationships. This can add a lot of stress to their lives, making it harder to recognize and manage ADHD symptoms. Women develop coping mechanisms that include alcohol or drugs, to mask their symptoms. This can impede treatment. Diagnoses are a crucial first step in identifying and addressing challenges. The good news is that you can find assistance.
4. You're having difficulty making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions might delay or not be able to finish tasks, as they are unsure of what tasks to prioritize. They also have a difficult time remembering their choices and executing their decisions. This kind of ADHD impacts performance at work, relationships and self-esteem.
The signs 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 more adept at hiding their symptoms. They might develop coping strategies that allow them to appear "normal" and conform to social expectations, such as using apps to manage daily activities.
Women can get an official diagnosis from their primary care doctor and they may refer them to a specialist. Based on the results, the doctor could recommend treatment or talk therapy. During therapy, your therapist will help you develop more effective coping strategies and help you to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. They can also assist you and your family improve communication, which can be a challenge when one or more members of a couple suffer from ADHD. The medication can help reduce symptoms, and increase productivity at work or in school.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women who suffer from ADHD often feel overwhelmed when they attempt to complete deadlines or perform multiple tasks at the same time. They may also find it difficult to control their emotions, and find it difficult to keep and make friends. This is particularly true if they are unable to recognize social cues.
Having trouble with multitasking is another indication of adhd in women, as is their tendency to become distracted easily and lose or misplace things. This is especially problematic for women at work, where constant interruptions can make it difficult to remain focused and concentrate.
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. This kind of ADHD is more likely to be misdiagnosed by women as the symptoms are less obvious than those that are associated with the inattentive form.
Women with undiagnosed adult ADHD might develop strategies to mask their struggles like drinking alcohol or using drugs to take care of themselves, in order to be accepted by other people. This can further worsen their symptoms when they struggle with chronic feelings of inadequacy, leading to strained relationships and an overall sense of low self-esteem.
6. You're having difficulty managing your Time
ADHD issues with time management can be a major issue in the workplace. It's hard to get things done when you don't have a system of filing documents, returning phone calls, or completing projects in time. Even if you do 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 aren't treated for ADHD might also be more likely than others to experience co-occurring anxiety and depression, and have difficulty maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers and this can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD particularly when they don't have access to the right treatment or support. This can also lead broken relationships between family members, friends, and romantic partners. The strain on relationships can lead to frustration and miscommunication which can make it difficult for women to seek help.
7. You're having trouble forming friendships
Women who suffer from ADHD are likely to find it difficult having a difficult time making friends. Because of this, social expectations place high emphasis on women to be able to perform many responsibilities, including caring for children, maintaining relationships, and doing well at work. They may experience symptoms that worsen as they try to meet the requirements. They may also be more at risk of developing bad social relationships with peers or co-existing anxiety and mood disorders. Additionally women are more likely to develop coping strategies which mask their ADHD symptoms. This can lead to them over-exercising, staying up later than they should and rely on schedules or reminders on their phones to manage their lives.
Impulsivity and forgetfulness are problematic behaviors that can cause problems at work as well as in personal relationships. For example, forgetting to mention an event at a friend's house can cause them to feel depressed and do not value them. Disrupting conversations or getting angry at the smallest hint could also cause confusion and conflict. Being aware of the expectations you place on your relationships can avoid negative feelings, misinterpretations, or anger. You can accomplish this by keeping a calendar that tracks the important dates of your friends or using a notepad jot down information you learn about new friends and delivering on promises.
