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Challenges of ADHD in Women and Girls

Women and girls are often faced with a wide range of challenges when untreated ADHD symptoms impact their daily lives. They may feel unable at work, have difficulty with peer relationships and suffer from anxiety or depression.

They also tend to be better in developing coping mechanisms to conceal their ADHD symptoms, making it difficult to be diagnosed and treated.

Symptoms

While research confirms ADHD affects men and boys at a higher rate than women and girls but the gap between genders narrows as people get older. It's important that adults who suffer from ADHD symptoms don't feel isolated or ignored.

As girls and women grow into adults, they often continue to have trouble with their ADHD symptoms. They may have trouble managing finances and keeping their home clean, or maintaining healthy relationships. Years of untreated ADHD can also affect their self-esteem and mental health since they blame themselves for their troubles.

Unlike some other psychiatric disorders, ADHD is a lifelong condition. Women and girls tend to hide their symptoms by using strategies to cope, but they often result in a negative effect. Furthermore, hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual period as well as pregnancy and menopausal symptoms can make it more difficult to manage ADHD symptoms.

Inattentive-type ADHD symptoms usually include being forgetful or absentminded and losing the track of time, having trouble paying attention in class or work and trouble with daily routines such as meal planning, laundry or scheduling. 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 also consider whether comorbid anxiety or depression is contributing to these difficulties.

It is crucial that those with ADHD are examined by a certified healthcare provider. They can assess their symptoms, medical history and rule out other conditions. For instance, some individuals with ADHD have additional mental health problems such as anxiety or depression, low self-esteem and trouble with social interactions and relationships.  adhd in adult women symptoms  with ADHD are also more likely to suffer from physical health problems such as anxiety or chronic stress.

Many women and girls who suffer from ADHD aren't diagnosed because their parents, teachers or friends don't take them seriously. They may not believe that their issues are serious enough to seek help, or they may believe that their ADHD symptoms are a result of poor parenting or low self-esteem, or any other external factors. Certain women and girls are diagnosed with ADHD only when their children receive treatment for ADHD. Others aren't diagnosed until they are in their 40s or 50s and are experiencing difficulties with their daily activities.

Diagnosis

Women often do not get diagnosed with ADHD until later in life and may 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 to disguise their symptoms and make them less noticed. This means that their problems with organization, concentration and impulsivity can be ignored for a long time.

Women are also more likely to be diagnosed with high-functioning ADHD and this makes their symptoms more difficult to detect. Furthermore, they could suffer from co-occurring disorders that affect their ability to manage their life like anxiety and depression. For instance, they may struggle to manage their emotions, and this can be worsened by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopausal.

A variety of these issues can cause a loss of self-esteem and problems with relationships. This means it is often difficult for them to speak up about their struggles and seek assistance. This can result in delays in diagnosis and treatment.

It's also typical for those with ADHD not to be able to establish friendships or interact with other people. They might not attend social events, fail to turn on time for appointments, and fail to detect body language or recognize other people's nonverbal signals. They might even be prone to going off on tangents when they're talking, making it more difficult for others to keep up with them.

For these reasons, it's crucial to receive a thorough diagnosis and get it as soon as you can. For women, this may be a "lightbulb moment" that can give them an external explanation for their difficulties and help them accept their own uniqueness. It also allows them focus on their strengths and make steps to improve their life management skills. This could positively impact their work, family and personal lives. The article is medically reviewed by Huma Sheikh, MD.

Treatment

Untreated ADHD can affect the professional and personal lives of girls and women as they grow into adulthood. The symptoms can affect relationships and work performance and result in anxiety and a lack of confidence. They can make it difficult to manage 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 create gender-based stereotypes regarding the disorder, which could lead to girls and women suppressing or hiding their own symptoms in order to avoid being branded as a victim by society.

There are effective treatments for ADHD for both genders. A licensed healthcare professional can prescribe medications that regulate brain activity and reduce symptoms. The most popular choice is stimulant medication, but nonstimulants are also effective for some people. Your healthcare professional may also recommend a combination treatment to treat related conditions like depression or anxiety disorders.

In addition to medication lifestyle changes can also aid in the management of ADHD symptoms. Regular exercise can release neurotransmitters that increase concentration and focus, and reduce anxiety, stress and other mood issues which are common in people suffering from ADHD. Group activities, such as team sports or group fitness classes, can be especially beneficial.

Therapy is also part of the treatment. Cognitive therapy for behavior can help patients identify and change negative thinking patterns that contribute to their ADHD symptoms. Couples counseling can also be beneficial in improving communication and resolve conflicts in relationships.

We employ the terms "girls", "women" and "womens" to refer to the gender assigned at birth, rather than to a person's gender identity. To ensure that our content is more uniform and clear, and to avoid confusion among our readers we use this term. However, this article also applies to those who are assigned male at birth (AMAB) as well as to transgender and nonbinary individuals. We recognize that gender and sex are not mutually exclusive, and welcome all readers to our site.

Support

Women and those with female at birth (AFAB) with ADHD are more likely to go undiagnosed or get a misdiagnosis than men. That's because girls and women tend to hide their symptoms, so they're more difficult for doctors to identify. They may also have symptoms that are less evident to others. For instance, inattention and disorganization instead of hyperactivity or impulsivity.

This masking is essential for women who often develop coping strategies to be normal and meet social expectations. These coping mechanisms may include healthy actions like making phone reminders or keeping a daily calendar. But they could also be harmful, such as excessive eating or abuse of substances. Women with untreated ADHD may experience anxiety, depressed, overwhelmed, and have issues with relationships and chronic stress.

Girls and women with ADHD may experience low self-esteem, or other symptoms such as depression, anxiety or abdominal pain. These feelings can result in avoiding school or work, as well as social activities. They may also become more dependent on their parents to help them with their daily chores. This can lead to an unhealthy cycle of dependence and reliance on others that's hard to break.

Girls and women with ADHD are more likely to engage in sexual interactions with nonconsensual partners during adolescence. This is due to the impulsiveness, lack of organization, or inability to utilize contraception. They are more likely to be pulled into unwanted sexual activities, and are at a greater risk of being victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Women with ADHD who are adults may benefit from medication to manage symptoms and techniques for coping. They can also seek therapy, individually or in a group. This can help them learn to understand their challenges and build more positive internal conversations. This can also aid in improving their relationships.

Support services could also include coaching for parenting skills and specialized programs for women with ADHD who are pregnant or parenting. These programs can make it easier for women with ADHD to maintain jobs and household responsibilities, and care for children.