ADHD in Women and Girls
Girls and women with ADHD are governed by certain social norms compared to men. These expectations can cause women and girls with ADHD to feel shame and blame themselves. Treatment should take into account gender stereotypes, hormone fluctuations and symptom intensity.
Lifestyle changes, medication, and therapy can help improve relationships, school and work performance, and self-esteem.
Signs and symptoms
Women with ADHD may suffer from symptoms like difficulty organizing their lives, forgetting important details, and working in noisy or crowded areas. They may also experience emotional dysregulation and feel overwhelmed. add symptoms in women are often compounded by the expectations that come with being a woman, such as societal demands and family roles.
Women with ADHD might have a difficult time getting diagnosed and treated because of these difficulties. Many people suffering from ADHD are misdiagnosed because they do not meet the criteria. The symptoms must be present since childhood and be present for at least six months to qualify as ADHD. It is also important to recognize that other conditions and illnesses may cause similar symptoms to ADHD that include stress and certain medications.
Women suffering from ADHD tend to mask symptoms as a result, which is one of the primary reasons why they aren't diagnosed. They might resort to coping strategies to hide their symptoms. For example, they might pretend that they're not stressed or exaggerate symptoms that are more apparent for both genders. In addition they are more likely to have a mental health issue that affects their mood and emotions, including depression or anxiety. These can be dismissed as an ADHD sign.
Another reason that women suffering from ADHD are not being diagnosed is due to a bias against the disorder within the medical community. The diagnosis of ADHD is based on scales of rating and interviewing, which tend to favor male behaviour and symptoms. Lastly, many women with ADHD suffer from internalized stigma and low self-esteem, making them less willing to seek evaluation or treatment for their symptoms.
Women who are not attentive can be more difficult to diagnose since they might have difficulty focus on work or daydreaming. With the increased awareness of ADHD among women, and aided by prominent women like Em Rusciano and Mia Freedman increasing numbers of women are seeking help.
Women with ADHD are more likely to develop rejection sensitivity, a strong and often uncontrollable response to rejection, whether real or perceived more than women with ADHD. This can interfere with interpersonal relationships and can lead to an absence of support networks and the inability to seek assistance.
Diagnosis
Women are frequently not diagnosed with ADHD well into adulthood. This could be due to their ability to hide their symptoms and gender bias. Gender bias is a set beliefs and practices in clinical settings that can negatively impact how doctors identify women and girls suffering from ADHD. It can be in form in the form of rating scales that tend to be biased towards male behavior or internalized feelings that cause misdiagnosis. Girls and women who are inattentive ADHD may struggle to concentrate in meetings at work or during college lectures. They may also struggle to stay focused in their personal relationships or at home. They may have cluttered homes and forget their appointments, or not pay their bills on time. They could be easily distracted by social interactions and struggle to control their emotions, particularly when facing rejection or failure.
Symptoms may also change during different stages of life. They may be more severe in the course of a woman’s menstrual period or in the lead-up to menopausal changes, which can increase irritation. Women with ADHD may also experience difficulties in their romantic relationships due to their impulsivity and lack of preparation, or they may struggle to maintain friendships due social rejection sensitivity. They could be at a higher risk of being pressured into sexual activity and of having pregnancies that are not planned due to their difficulty in insisting that their partners use contraception.
Getting an accurate diagnosis is crucial to manage ADHD symptoms. Treatment, such as stimulants such as amphetamine and methylphenidate can ease symptoms. Non-stimulants such as atomoxetine may also be helpful. When choosing a treatment, your doctor will consider any other health issues and medication history you may have. You might also require counseling and lifestyle changes. You can help your doctor by keeping track of your symptoms and inform them about any changes you notice. You can also discuss any issues that you have with your family members and friends members, as they might be able to detect things you may have missed. A diagnosis can be a significant step in building self-esteem and feeling more in control of your life.
Treatment
Women suffering from ADHD who are not treated may have difficulty managing their household and maintaining healthy relationships or doing well at work. The symptoms can also cause feelings of self-esteem loss and guilt, especially since societal expectations often expect women to be caregivers. Due to their impulsivity, and the increased risk of violence in intimate relationships, women and girls who have untreated ADHD are more likely to engage in dangerous sexual behaviors or be victims of abuse from their partners.
The most commonly used medications are treatment for ADHD in adults. Stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines and methylphenidate, help regulate brain activity and manage symptoms. If these medications aren't efficient or appropriate healthcare professionals may prescribe nonstimulant medications, such as atomoxetine and guanfacine. A healthcare professional will assess a woman's needs, symptoms and medical history to determine the best course of action.
Women are diagnosed with ADHD in the same proportion as men. However, they are under-diagnosed due to the fact that they hide their symptoms and conceal them with other conditions like anxiety or depression. In addition, the scales of rating and interview techniques for ADHD are skewed toward male behavior, which means that women's symptoms can be incorrectly identified or misinterpreted.
Receiving a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood can be an important moment of acknowledgment for a lot of women. It can provide a reason external for the difficulties they confront and restore their self-worth. Women's confidence can be improved by knowing that they can reduce symptoms and develop life skills that can benefit them throughout their age.
For many women, the best method to cope with their ADHD is through a combination of behavioral strategies and mental health therapies. Therapy can help women develop strategies to cope and set realistic goals in all areas of their lives. This can be accomplished through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which helps her recognize and alter negative thoughts, and dialectical behavioral treatment (DBT), which increases awareness and the capacity to establish and maintain personal boundaries. Additionally, some women might benefit from finding an ADHD support group to make connections with others who are aware of the condition.
Self-help
Women with ADHD are often misdiagnosed because their symptoms are not like those of boys. They may mask their ADHD traits by developing ways of coping that allow them to appear "normal" and conform to societal norms. These coping strategies can be healthy or unhealthy, but they could prevent women from seeking the diagnosis.
It's crucial as well as self-help techniques to seek the help of a medical professional that specializes in treating ADHD in females. They are able to diagnose and treat this condition, and assist women and girls to better understand the effects.
Females who suffer from ADHD frequently experience anxiety and depression as well as struggle to maintain relationships with their loved ones. These issues can be further complicated by their propensity to become sexually active at an earlier age, which could put them at risk of having unintentional sexual encounters or intimate partner violence. Women who suffer from ADHD are also susceptible to mood swings, which makes it difficult to make their loved ones be able to understand or help them.
The most commonly used treatments for ADHD are psychostimulants and antidepressants. Psychostimulants improve focus and attention by speeding up the messages sent to your brain. Antidepressants alter the way that certain chemicals in the brain, such as neurotransmitters and hormones that regulate mood, are utilized to regulate moods and emotions. They can be adjusted by a physician to ensure that they are effective throughout the course of a woman's life.
Girls and women who suffer from ADHD might benefit from self-help strategies like regular exercise, keeping an agenda for the day, making reminders, or focusing on mindfulness. They can also inquire about accommodations that could aid in easing their symptoms at work or school.
It is crucial for girls and women with ADHD to find a professional and therapist who has experience with the condition, as they can assist with a range of symptoms, such as emotional distress and low self-esteem, difficulties making or maintaining relationships and problems at work or in school. They can also teach coping strategies such as breathing and relaxation techniques to help ease symptoms and improve their lives. Verywell Health recognizes that sex is a matter of biology, which includes hormones and chromosomes. However, it is also true that gender can be determined by behaviour and appearance.