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High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who suffer from high functioning adhd may experience discontent and confusion in their relationships. The symptoms may be more severe during periods of hormonal changes, like the premenstrual or pregnancy cycles.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies in order to cover their impairments and symptoms can delay referral.
This group of patients faces a unique set issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating them.
1. Insecurity about oneself
Women can be depressed due to the emotional and social issues of ADHD. Even when they're doing well, it's easy to feel like a failure because of things they cannot control. This can lead to an endless feeling of being overwhelmed and not good enough. This can have a negative effect on their mental well-being.
Girls with ADHD who aren't treated are at greater chance of developing chronic low self-esteem and teenage pregnancy. They also have a higher risk of depression, anxiety and addiction to drugs. As adults, they're at a higher risk of becoming parents on their own to a child suffering from ADHD and facing financial hardship or unemployment. They are also more likely than others to be afflicted by eating disorders and pass their bad habits on to their children.
It's essential that girls get a diagnosis as it will help them comprehend their struggles and help them manage their symptoms. Many women report that they feel much more at ease after receiving their diagnosis, allowing them to not be a victim of the small things they cannot control. It can also help to reframe their struggles and refocus on what is important (Waite 2010).
As women mature and approach menopausal age the hormone levels of their bodies change, and ADHD symptoms can become more severe. add test for women makes it more difficult for them to be diagnosed and treated since they are often misdiagnosed as having anxiety or mood disorder and the symptoms are dismissed as "hormonal" or "that time of the month."
Untreated adult ADHD can have devastating consequences on women's self-esteem as well as relationships with her family and friends. Symptoms may interfere with the woman's daily routine which can make her angry and exhausted. She may feel she can't say no to anyone, leading her to overburden herself and feel resentful towards people close to her. It can be difficult organizing her work and home life, which can lead to missing appointments and documents getting lost. She could be more easily affected by rejection and is more likely to snap at those she likes.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
The sensitivity to rejection causes you to feel deeply hurt when rejected. This can be real or perceived. You could be triggered by a disagreement with your partner or a negative review from a colleague at work. Your brain's natural defense mechanisms are overwhelmed and the thoughts and feelings that result can harm your self-esteem and relationships. Sensitivity to rejection can lead to depression, anxiety and mood shifts.
Rejection sensitivity, while often associated with ADHD is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation. This affects how your brain handles emotions and how you respond to them. The symptoms can also be seen in other mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder (BPD).
People with RSD may see events through a filter that makes them appear darker or less than they really are. This can cause people to interpret things as being related to rejection even though they're not. RSD can make you in a state of being unable to control your emotions. This is why it is crucial to develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with RSD.
Check out the following articles to find out more about rejection sensitivity.
Although there isn't a cure for RSD but it is possible to manage your symptoms with the assistance of an expert in mental health. You can use coping techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to change your negative thinking patterns. You can also build an emotional support network and practice mindfulness to lower the chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This can aid you in overcoming your RSD so that you can live a more fulfilled and happier life. It is also important to avoid toxic relationships as they can cause your symptoms to worsen. If you are in an abusive relationship, seek counseling to find out how you can quit. This can reduce your risk of experiencing feelings of rejection, such anxiety and depression. You can also increase your self-esteem by focusing on building healthy relationships. This will make you feel more confident about your capabilities and provide an objective view of life.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make maintaining a healthy relationship challenging. This can cause sexual dysfunctions or risky behavior. Women with high functioning adhd may be at greater risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can also cause feelings of shame and guilt and can affect their relationships and overall well-being.
In one study, those with ADHD were found to be more likely than those with ADHD to exhibit a sexual fascination. This was the case for males and females. This is likely due to their higher levels of impulsivity, which makes them more likely to act on their sexual desires and ideas. Particularly, the study revealed that women with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive roles, bondage and sexing with strangers. It was also common for them to go out to party and sex clubs.
Both males and females with adhd had a higher risk of infidelity than those without the disorder. This was due their poor control of impulses and alcohol-related disinhibition. It could also be because of their higher rates of insecurity and feeling misunderstood by their partners. The survey asked participants to describe their experiences with extra-partner affairs and sexual relations without contraception. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
Lastly, the study used the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to inquire from participants about their sexual problems. This questionnaire consists of 19 items that are grouped into three subscales. Each item is rated on a five-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score, the more symptomatology is evident. The HBI-19 was developed in order to assess sexual behavior between people who suffer from ADHD and those without.
These findings are significant because the psychosexual experiences of people with ADHD are not well-studied. They have been linked to sexual dysfunctions, such as STI's and unwanted pregnancy, relationship dissatisfaction infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD struggle with their romantic relationships. Insufficient communication and misunderstandings triggered by symptoms such as forgetfulness and inattention could result in anger, frustration and conflict within the relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be made easier by a supportive network of family and friends who understand.
It is crucial to keep in mind, too, that people with ADHD have trouble listening. They can be interrupted easily by their impulsive behavior, or their own thoughts, which can cause them to lose the purpose of an exchange. People with ADHD are more likely to be struggling with multitasking, too which could cause them to tune out of conversations or perform other activities while someone else is talking.
These battles can create an unending cycle where the person who is not ADHD is overwhelmed with anger and stress, while the ADHD partner feels that they are not understood. The issue can get worse from there, as they become more distant.
Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of their everyday life. They may feel low self-esteem or shame because of their impulsive, unorganized behavior. They may feel like they cannot keep up with their obligations and bills. They can also suffer from mood swings and rejection sensitivity, as well as low sex drive.
It is important that those who suffer from ADHD find a treatment and seek assistance. It is also essential for family members particularly spouses, to learn more about the disorder and how it affects the person they love. They can collaborate to establish the right expectations and boundaries and then formulate a plan for how they will meet those objectives. The non-ADHD spouse could assume more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD will be focused on organising and finishing the chores at home.
Additionally, both partners should be able to communicate efficiently and clearly and establish a regular routine that includes regular sleeping patterns, meal times and time for rest and relaxation. It's important to discover ways to make things easier for both of you, like splitting household chores or outsourcing certain tasks which are challenging for people with ADHD.