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 like a nightmare.
It's important to get diagnosed and treated for ADHD. It will help you manage these symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
1. You Are Always Late
Always being late is a common indication that you may be suffering from ADHD. People suffering from ADHD may have trouble managing their time and can be easily distracted by other activities. This can lead to issues at work or school and can result in missing important meetings or not remembering homework assignments. It can also cause a lot of stress for you and those who depend on you. To help you stop being late, consider setting a reminder on your phone or calendar, and make sure to prepare for the night prior to. Also, try to leave a few extra minutes for yourself to get there the place you're headed.
Women with ADHD also have trouble making friends as they are constantly missing social events. They might also have a hard time reading social cues and recognizing body language. They may also have trouble in focusing on conversations and get lost in 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 for an ADHD evaluation than they are to do the same with a girl.
2. You're having difficulty focusing
People suffering from ADHD are easily distracted and lose focus of their work. In a conversation, they could often veer off topic or discuss other things. They can also have trouble sitting still and are more likely to be impulsive and take dangerous decisions.
These issues can affect relationships with friends, family members and colleagues. For instance, it's common for people suffering from ADHD to forget appointments or miss deadlines. They might also be unorganized or spend too much time doing non-essential tasks. They might also find it hard to concentrate at work or manage their finances.
Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed as having ADHD in children. As adults, the prevalence is identical. It is thought that this is due to the fact that women are more likely to experience a greater recurrence of symptoms, and are more likely to seek treatment when one of their children is diagnosed with the condition. Changes in hormone levels, especially during menopausal transition, can affect the severity of ADHD symptoms.
3. You may have a poor memory
Women suffering from ADHD often have difficulty remembering important occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and gatherings. They may also have difficulty remembering names, which could make it difficult to keep track of in conversations and social settings.
People with ADHD typically have poor filtering. They talk about things without really considering them. This can lead to a lot "foot in mouth" moments which can be a source of frustration for family members and colleagues.
Another sign of adhd in women is having trouble creating and maintaining friendships. Many women with ADHD struggle to manage their emotions. This could lead to difficult romantic relationships. This can increase their chances of being pressured to engage in unwanted sexual activity or become victims of abuse by their intimate partners.
Many women with ADHD struggle to keep up with the social expectations of parenting, homemaking and relationships. This can create more stress in their lives, making it more difficult to recognize and treat ADHD symptoms. Some women have developed coping strategies to mask their symptoms, like using alcohol or other drugs which may interfere with treatment. Diagnostics are an essential first step to identify and manage challenges. There is help available.
4. You're having difficulty making decisions
Women who struggle to make decisions can delay or not be able to finish tasks because they aren't sure what tasks to prioritise. They also have difficulty remembering their decisions and executing them. This type of ADHD can affect work performance as well as relationships and self-esteem.
The signs of ADHD in women are more difficult to identify as they are for children, as parents and teachers do not refer girls to evaluation as often as they do for boys. In addition, women are more adept in hiding their symptoms. They can develop strategies to cope that allow them to appear "normal" and to meet social expectations, for instance by using apps to manage daily activities.
Women can be given an official diagnosis from their primary physician, who may refer them to a doctor of specialization. Based on the results, the doctor could suggest medication or talk therapy. During therapy, your therapist will teach you better ways to cope and help you to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. They can also assist you and your family members improve communication, which can be difficult when one or more people in a relationship have ADHD. The use of medication can help manage the symptoms and improve efficiency at work or school.
5. You Have Trouble Multitasking
Women with ADHD are often overwhelmed when they need to complete deadlines and perform multiple tasks. They may also have difficulty trying to control their emotions, and have a difficult time trying to establish and maintain friendships. This is particularly true when they are unable to detect social cues.
adhd in women checklist who have difficulty multitasking are more likely to suffer from adhd. They can also find or lose items and are easily distracted. This could be a problem for women who work 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. This kind of ADHD is more likely to be misdiagnosed by women since the symptoms are less apparent than those associated with the inattention-deficit type.
Women who are not diagnosed with adult ADHD might also develop coping strategies that cover up their issues, such as using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate, in order to blend in with other people. This can further exacerbate symptoms as they struggle with constant feelings of being insecure. This can lead to uneasy relationships and a general feeling of low self-esteem.
6. You Have Trouble Managing Your Time
ADHD time management issues can be a big issue in the workplace. When you don't follow an organized system to finish your projects, return phone calls or file paperwork, it's difficult to get things done. Even if you're doing great work, your supervisors may question your competence if you regularly do not 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 with untreated ADHD may also be more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression that co-occurs and may have a difficult time maintaining relationships. Women are expected to be caregivers, and this can worsen the symptoms of ADHD particularly if they do not have access to the right treatment or support. This can also lead to tensions between family, friends and romantic partners. These relationships can cause frustration and misunderstandings, making it harder for women to seek assistance.
7. You're having trouble making friends
Women with ADHD may find it difficult to be unable to make friends. One reason is that women are expected to be capable of balancing many roles. This includes having children, maintaining a healthy relationship and thriving at the workplace. As they try to fulfill these expectations their symptoms can become more severe. They may also be more at risk of developing bad relationships with their peers or having coexisting mood disorders and anxiety. Women are more likely than men to develop coping strategies that mask ADHD symptoms. This can result in 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 forgetfulness and impulsiveness, which can create problems in both work and personal relationships. For example, forgetting to mention a friend's birthday party can make them feel depressed and don't appreciate them. In the same way, interrupting conversations with unrelated thoughts or getting angry at the drop of a hat can lead to misunderstandings and conflict. Manage your expectations about your friendships to avoid bad feelings, misinterpretations, and anger. You can do this by using a calendar to keep track of your friends' important events, a notepad to record details about new friends, and keeping promises.