Symptoms of ADHD in Adults Females
Adult females suffering from ADHD are often misdiagnosed or missed. A proper diagnosis can enhance your life both professionally and personally.
The signs include forgetfulness and inability to stay organised and impulsiveness, poor emotional regulation, and difficulty understanding social signals. Treatment could include medication or therapy.
Insufficient Focus
ADHD is characterized by difficulty maintaining focus. People with ADHD struggle to concentrate on a job beyond a few moments, no matter how interesting the task is. When they do become interested in something, they could become obsessed to the point that they neglect other tasks or obligations. This can lead to procrastination and missed appointments as well as a lack of completion of work projects.
People with ADHD can also have difficulty understanding instructions and recalling particulars. This could make it difficult to accomplish tasks at school or work and lead to misunderstandings and anger in relationships. It can also play an important role in problems with time management, such as not paying bills on time or missing appointments.
Women who suffer from ADHD may develop coping mechanisms to mask their symptoms, which could cause them to be perceived as disorganized or spacey by other people. This can cause them to feel shame and guilt. This can impact their self-esteem.
To help manage this symptom try using a planner or post-it notes to track appointments and deadlines. Use a noise cancelling headset to block distractions, and listen to music for improved concentration (make sure that the lyrics don't interfere with your concentration). Avoid caffeine before bedtime as it can disturb sleep patterns. Practice good sleep hygiene by creating a regular bedtime routine and turning off screens an hour before going to bed. You can also make use of an oversized quilt, a warm bath or soothing music to calm your mind before you sleep.
Inattention
Women who are inattentive ADHD subtype typically have trouble working through tasks, not being able to remember important dates and deadlines or even completing their daily chores. They might also be unable to focus on specifics in conversations or get distracted by other activities around them. They are often guilty of making mistakes at work or at school and fail to double-check their work before submitting. They also have difficulty making plans and establishing priorities.
Inattention and forgetfulness can increase frustration and misunderstandings with romantic partners, friends, family members, co-workers or teachers, making it harder for those with these issues to seek treatment for their symptoms. For instance, if you are often late for meetings or are having trouble keeping the track of your time it could lead others to assume that you aren't interested in your partner or don't care about the relationship. Your forgetfulness or inability of focus can also lead you to misunderstandings with the people who live with you.
Certain women with ADHD experience high-functioning symptoms, which don't have any significant impact on their lives. For instance, they could forget about appointments, miss deadlines, or delay tasks. However, they still have other issues, such as restlessness and ineffective organization skills.
Adult symptoms of ADHD can become more severe during perimenopausal, the period that leads to menopausal. Regular exercise and adequate sleep can help to manage these symptoms.
Attention-deficit ADHD is among the most common kinds of ADHD. A thorough evaluation by a medical professional is required to diagnose ADHD. This could include a physical, cognitive or behavioral test as well as an interview with your family physician. *Note: Sex refers to biology which is the chromosomal makeup, hormones and anatomy that determine whether someone is a man, woman, non-binary or another gender; and gender identity - an internal perception of being a woman, man or another gender, including the associated social and cultural beliefs about roles, behaviours and expressions.
Impulsivity
Women with ADHD have difficulty controlling their impulses and are capable of delaying action or refraining from acting based upon thought. They may have difficulty self-restraining in conversations, or interrupt others without thinking and have a difficult time understanding the boundaries of social interaction. They also have a difficult time waiting for their turn and are likely to be impatient throughout the day. These symptoms can cause issues at home, at school, at work and with social relationships.
Keeping up with multiple tasks such as phone calls, emails, and meetings can be particularly challenging for adults with ADHD. They may also have difficulty remembering names and their writing may be messy. They may also experience a lack of organizational skills and a tendency to delay projects, which can impact their job performance and create stress. In some cases the impulsive behavior can lead to unhealthy coping strategies, such as alcohol or using drugs.
Since many women with ADHD do not realize they suffer from the condition and therefore, they are often not diagnosed. Their symptoms are difficult to detect since they can be obscured by the hormonal changes of puberty, pregnancy and menopause.
At Salience Health, we help those suffering from ADHD manage their symptoms by using a combination of medication and therapy. The use of medication can be particularly beneficial in treating the issue of impulse control. Contact us today to set up a consultation to learn more about the treatment options for adults with ADHD.
Hyperactivity
Women with ADHD may have trouble staying still and quiet for extended durations of time. Their restlessness and fidgeting often hinders their ability to concentrate during school or work. ADHD symptoms in adults females have difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities while in silence. It could appear that they aren't interested in the things that others are interested in, and they are easily distracted. They might also have a difficult time recalling details of the conversations or events that they attended.
They can also have trouble staying on track with plans and commitments. As they age women with ADHD develop strategies to mask their symptoms, achieve their goals and maintain relationships. This can cause feelings of being overwhelmed and out of control. It is especially difficult for women who have the hyperactive/impulsive type of ADHD, which can cause mood swings. These mood swings may be misinterpreted as a sign of depression by male coworkers and spouses.
The symptoms of ADHD are different for both genders, but a thorough evaluation by a qualified health care provider is crucial. A Salience Health provider can use tools such as Creyos Cognitive Testing and Brainview Advanced testing to determine an assessment and suggest treatments.
Adult women suffering from ADHD are typically treated with a a combination of therapy and medication. Therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and training in interpersonal skills can help change negative thinking patterns and behaviors. Drugs, such as stimulant and non-stimulant drugs are effective in managing the symptoms of ADHD in adult women. A health professional can prescribe the right medication for you, based on symptoms and age, your stage in life, primary responsibilities and any other conditions or illnesses you have.
Social Skills
Many people suffering from ADHD struggle to connect with others and feel isolated despite having many friends, coworkers acquaintances, family members, and acquaintances. They have a difficult time making new acquaintances or maintaining relationships due to their lack of memory and problems with focus as well as the tendency to be impulsive. This can result in prolonged periods without a meaningful conversation and being late for appointments and being absent from social events.
These social difficulties can cause difficulties at work, at school, and in relationships. The inability to follow through on promises or commitments creates a feeling of being disregarded and unloved by loved ones, coworkers and peers. This can cause depression anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and a feeling of failure or loss of control. In some cases, inappropriate social behaviors can cause a break-up in the relationship or marriage due to the fact that the spouse or partner doesn't have ADHD.
Women suffering from ADHD might hide their symptoms through changing their behavior in order to conform to societal norms and expectations. This can make it difficult for them to get diagnosed because they may not be as forthcoming about their struggles. They may have developed a repertoire of coping strategies to mask their symptoms.
For instance, they could utilize a calendar application to keep track of their schedules or set up reminders for their phones to pay their bills or attend important events. They may be able to deal with their inability to multitask by doing more than one thing at once however, they may struggle with executive and memory deficits that limit their ability to plan and manage their time.
In addition, they can be unable to read between the lines and understanding subtext when listening to others, which can also contribute to social problems. An accurate diagnosis is the most important step to find solutions and enhancing relationships with others. There are many solutions and resources, including medication and therapies.