Challenges of ADHD in Women and Girls
Women and girls are often faced with many challenges when untreated ADHD symptoms affect their daily lives. They may feel unsatisfied at work, have difficulty with peer relationships and suffer from depression or anxiety.
They also have a better chance of creating coping mechanisms to hide their ADHD symptoms. This makes it difficult to diagnose and treat them.
Signs and symptoms
While research confirms ADHD affects both men and boys more often than girls and women, the gender gap narrows as people get older. This is the reason it's crucial that people suffering from ADHD issues don't feel abandoned or abandoned as they grow older.
As girls and women grow into adults, they typically still struggle with their ADHD symptoms. They may have trouble managing finances and keeping their homes clean or maintaining healthy relationships. Years of untreated ADHD can also impact their confidence in themselves and mental health, as they blame themselves for their troubles.
In contrast to other psychiatric disorders, ADHD is a condition that lasts for a lifetime. Women and girls tend to cover up their symptoms using strategies to cope that can backfire, but they often do. Additionally, hormonal changes during the menstrual period, pregnancy, and menopause could make it harder to manage ADHD symptoms.
Attention-deficit ADHD can include the inability to remember things or being oblivious and having difficulty paying attention in class, and having difficulty in daily routines such as scheduling meals, meal planning or washing. Hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms can include rushing through tasks, jumping from one task to another or making rash decisions. It's crucial that healthcare providers are aware of the many ways that girls and women suffer from ADHD and think about whether depression or anxiety is contributing to these difficulties.
women and adhd is crucial that those with ADHD are evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider. They can assess their symptoms as well as their medical history and rule out any other medical conditions. For example, some individuals with ADHD are also suffering from mental health issues like depression or anxiety, a low self-esteem, and difficulties with social interactions and relationships. Adults with ADHD are also more likely to experience physical health problems such as anxiety or chronic stress.
Many girls and women with ADHD don't receive a diagnosis because they're not taken seriously by their teachers, families or friends. They may not think that their problems are a serious enough problem to seek assistance or may think their ADHD symptoms are the result of poor parenting or low self-esteem, or any other external factors. In some cases women and girls with ADHD are diagnosed only when their children are treated for ADHD or are not diagnosed until they reach their 40s or 50s and are experiencing significant difficulty with day-to-day living activities.
Diagnosis
Women are often not diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood and can be faced with challenges when it does happen. For one thing, girls may not have the same hyperactive/impulsive symptoms as boys -- and this can make them less likely to be recognised by teachers and parents, who are more accustomed to seeing those signs in male children. Girls may develop coping mechanisms that disguise their symptoms, allowing them to be less noticed. This means that their issues with organisation, concentration and impulsivity could go unnoticed for years.
Women are also more likely to suffer from high-functioning ADHD which makes their symptoms more difficult to detect. They may also suffer from co-occurring disorders that impact their ability to manage their lives, like depression and anxiety. For example, they can struggle to manage their emotions, and this can be exacerbated by hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopausal.
Many of these conditions can cause a loss of self-esteem and issues with relationships. It is often difficult for people with these conditions to discuss their problems and seek assistance. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Additionally, it's normal for people with ADHD to have difficulty making friends and interacting with other people. They might miss social gatherings, or not attend appointments, and have trouble reading body language. They may also be prone to going off on tangents while talking, making it more difficult for others to keep up with them.
It is crucial to receive a proper diagnose and act as swiftly as possible. This could be a "lightbulb" moment for women. It can help them understand their difficulties and make them feel more comfortable with themselves. It also allows them to focus on their strengths and make steps to improve their life management abilities. This could have a positive effect on their personal, professional and family lives. The article is reviewed medically by Huma Sheikh, MD.
Treatment
As girls and women grow into adults and adults, untreated ADHD can have a devastating effect on their professional and personal lives. These symptoms can impact relationships and work performance, leading to frustration and low self-esteem. They can also make it difficult for people to deal with adult demands like managing finances and maintaining a clean home, or maintaining healthy relationships.
Women and girls are less likely to receive a diagnosis of ADHD than boys and men, partly because hyperactive/impulsive symptoms tend to be more commonly associated with males. This can result in gender stereotypes regarding the disorder. Women and girls might then conceal or minimize their symptoms in order to avoid being stigmatized by the society.
There are a variety of effective treatments available for ADHD for girls and women. A licensed healthcare professional can prescribe medication to regulate brain activity and control symptoms. The most popular choice is stimulant medication, but non-stimulants can also be beneficial for certain individuals. In addition, a combination of treatments may be recommended by your doctor to treat related issues such as anxiety or depression.
Lifestyle changes, in addition to medication management, can aid in managing ADHD symptoms. Regular exercise can release neurotransmitters that increase concentration and focus, as well as reduce stress, anxiety and other issues with mood that are which are common in people suffering from ADHD. Group activities, such as group fitness classes or team sports classes, can be particularly beneficial.
Therapy is also an important component of treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people identify and change negative thinking patterns that cause ADHD symptoms. Couples counseling can be beneficial in improving communication and resolving conflicts in relationships.
At Verywell Health, we use the words "girls" and "women" to refer to gender at birth (AFAB) instead of the person's gender-specific identity. This is to facilitate more consistent and clear terminology across our content and to make it easier for readers. However, this article also applies to males assigned at birth (AMAB), and to transgender people and nonbinary people. We recognize that gender and sex are not mutually-exclusive, and welcome all our readers.
Support
Females and those who are assigned female at birth (AFAB) with ADHD are more likely to be undiagnosed or receive a false diagnosis than men. This is because girls and women tend to hide symptoms, making it harder for doctors to diagnose. They might also exhibit symptoms that are less obvious to others. For example, inattentiveness and disorganization rather than hyperactivity or impulsivity.
This is crucial for women who often develop coping strategies to feel normal and to meet social expectations. These coping strategies may include healthy actions like maintaining a daily schedule or setting reminders for phone calls. But they could also be harmful, such as excessive eating or abuse of substances. Women with untreated ADHD may feel anxious over, depressed, or overwhelmed and suffer from relationship issues and chronic stress.
The difficulties that women and girls who suffer from ADHD confront can result in feelings of low self-esteem depression, anxiety or even somatic complaints such as headaches or abdominal pain. These feelings can result in being unable to attend school or work, as well as social activities. They may also become dependent on their parents to help them with daily tasks. This could lead to an unhealthy cycle of dependence and reliance that is hard to break.
Women and girls who suffer from ADHD are more likely to engage in sexual interactions with non-consensual partners in adolescence. This can be due to an impulsive nature, inadequate planning, or a failure to use contraception. They are also more likely to be pressured into unwanted sexual activity, and they can be at a higher risk of domestic violence and exploitation.
As adults, women suffering from ADHD typically benefit from coping strategies and medications to manage their symptoms. They can also seek therapy either on their own or in a partnership. This will help them to identify their struggles and develop more positive internal conversations. This can also help improve their relationships.
Support services may include coaching to teach parenting skills and programs for women with ADHD who are pregnant or parenting. These programs can help women suffering from ADHD to keep their jobs, take care of their household responsibilities, and look after their children.