Tips For Explaining Female ADHD Symptoms To Your Mom
Adult Female ADHD Symptoms
Impulsivity and hyperactivity are the characteristics of ADHD in childhood, which can result in academic and behavioral issues. It is a lifelong condition but children often outgrow their symptoms.
In adulthood, the symptoms of inattention persist and cause problems at school or work. These symptoms can be triggered or aggravated by hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, or menopausal.
Attentive Symptoms
Adults may find the symptoms of inattentive ADHD difficult. They can affect relationships as well as productivity at work and school performance. You could be easily distracted, lose things often, or have difficulty following directions. You might miss appointments or business meetings or leave tasks unfinished. You may feel overwhelmed by clutter at home or in the office and have trouble remembering important details about events that occurred in your life. You might find it hard to listen to other people and may have what's known as the thousand-yard stare, where you look at people, but do not hear them.
Adults with inattentive ADHD may also experience memory problems, especially when hormonal changes take place, such as during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. This is particularly challenging for women who believe that their symptoms are aggravated due to these periods.
When you have inattention ADHD, you can often improve your life by being able to recognize and manage your symptoms. It is important to establish realistic goals for yourself and plan ahead. Planners or reminder apps as well as post-it notes to keep track of your appointments or deadlines. Try to break up large projects into smaller tasks and work on them in small chunks at a time. Take regular breaks and move around to refresh.
You could also request your school or employer for accommodations that can assist you in managing your symptoms, for example, allowing you to work from home, offering you extra time on tests or assignments or even providing notetaking assistance during meetings. Many places have policies requiring them to provide accommodations for those who have disabilities, such as ADHD.
Women who suffer from ADHD may feel anger or frustrated if they don't receive a diagnosis. They may blame their troubles on themselves or believe that medical experts or family members have brushed aside them. Some also feel a sense of sadness and regret for the opportunities missed and the relationships that were damaged because they never received treatment for their disorder.
According to research, girls and women with inattentive ADHD have been under-diagnosed as compared to boys and men. This is primarily due the fact that their symptoms tend to be concealed. They may appear like mood disorders or anxiety, which leads clinicians to not recognize the problem. They also have more effective coping mechanisms than men, which can conceal the root cause of ADHD symptoms.
Hyperactive Symptoms
For women and girls both genders, hyperactive ADHD symptoms can manifest as a sense of agitation or difficulty sitting still. They may feel tense or constantly on the go, be very talkative, or find it hard to concentrate at school or work. Girls are also emotional and have difficulty regulating their emotions. They are often challenged to meet the expectations of society regarding a woman's behavior, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and chronic stress.
While the symptoms of female ADHD differ than those of male ADHD however, it is still a lifelong disorder. Only 30% of adults are believed to overcome ADHD. Women are less likely than men to experience this. If you've been diagnosed of adult ADHD and you are suffering from it, it is possible that your symptoms worsen as you age and undergo hormonal changes.
You might be aware that your ADHD symptoms are more intense during puberty, around your menstrual cycle and during perimenopause (the period leading up to menopausal). You might notice that you are making more mistakes, having trouble managing deadlines and assignments or ignoring appointments.
If you are suffering from the inattentive form of ADHD, your symptoms might also intensify during perimenopause and menopausal. This is due to the fact that estrogen levels decrease around ovulation and during the middle of your menstrual cycle, which can lead to an increase in ADHD symptoms. It's possible that these fluctuations explain why many women do not receive an ADHD diagnosis as children and are instead left undiagnosed as adults.
In the initial diagnosis process, doctors will use an array of rating scales, interviews as well as other methods to determine if you have ADHD. It is also crucial to take note of how you react and perceive your symptoms. Girls and women may hide or camouflage their ADHD symptoms to avoid being assessed. This could result in them being misdiagnosed as having anxiety or mood disorders. Boys and men, on the other hand are more likely be diagnosed with ADHD because their behavior is more disruptive. This is the reason that many of the first ADHD studies were conducted with males and boys who were hyperactive.
Instinctive Symptoms
ADHD can make it difficult to control impulse-driven behaviors such as picking up objects off the floor or hitting your fist on the wall. It also makes it more difficult to think before you act, which can lead to trouble at school or work where you are expected to follow instructions or complete tasks without interruptions.
As you age as you age, your issues with control of your impulses, planning and organisational abilities may become invisible and less noticeable than when you were a child. Hyperactivity can turn into an inner agitation. symptoms of add in adults of organization could alternate with periods of procrastination, and feeling overwhelmed.
Research shows that girls and women tend to hide their ADHD symptoms more frequently than men and boys do. This is partly because it is viewed as more socially acceptable for males and females to exhibit ADHD-related behaviors, especially hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. This can be due to gender stereotypes, like the notion that boys are more boisterous and less organized than girls, which could reinforce a girl's tendency to conceal her ADHD symptoms to fit in with other people.
The hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle or pregnancy can exacerbate ADHD symptoms in females. This is because estrogen decreases at the time of ovulation, and falls even further during the menstrual cycle's start, causing symptoms to flare up. This is why it's essential for women and girls with ADHD to be assessed by a medical professional or mental health professional when they experience these symptoms.
If you're struggling with ADHD, it's possible to control your symptoms. Combining medication, therapy and lifestyle adjustments can make an enormous difference. Regular exercise is an excellent method to improve your mood and release neurotransmitters to improve concentration, attention and energy levels. Try taking part in aerobic or cardio exercises at home, or in your local gym.
Sleeping enough is essential. symptoms of adult add can reduce fatigue which is often a sign of ADHD. It is important to eat a balanced diet and avoid foods that can cause ADHD symptoms.
Internalizing Symptoms
Women suffering from ADHD might have difficulties in different areas of their lives. symptoms of add in adults are more likely to suffer from the inattentive symptoms and can develop coping strategies such as internalization. This can lead to low self-esteem and a negative image of the body. It is essential to recognize and treat these issues as adults. Being diagnosed is an opportunity for clarity for many. It gives them an explanation to their struggles and allows them to accept themselves better (Waite 2010).
The intensity of symptoms may vary depending on the hormone levels. The symptoms can improve during ovulation or pregnancy, but may worsen when approaching menopause. Women may experience difficulties to maintain relationships and perform everyday tasks during this period. This could lead to feelings of unsatisfaction.
Relationships can be impacted by impulsive and forgetful behavior. The habit of forgetting birthdays, projects that aren't finished or not paying bills on time can make people feel as if you're not interested, leading to interpersonal conflict. People with ADHD tend to be extremely sensitive to rejection and have difficulty regulating their emotions. This can cause extreme reactions to rejection or failure.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD can become sexually active at a younger age than other people due to impulsivity and the desire to feel included and loved. They are more likely to be victimized by abuse from intimate partners and STIs because they do not insist that their partners utilize protection. They are also more likely to have anxiety or depression co-occurring with it and may have a hard to maintain friendships.
While more research is required to better understand the effects of ADHD on the different genders, it's evident that women are more likely to be undiagnosed and have a different experience with the disorder. It is possible to get diagnosis and receive treatment to improve your relationships and allow you to succeed at work or school. In addition to medication your doctor may suggest therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy that can help you learn to manage your thoughts and feelings while reversing negative thoughts for more positive ones.