Undiagnosed ADHD in Women
Women with undiagnosed ADHD frequently have low self-esteem. They struggle to live up to social expectations and internalize their frustration.
They may also be suffering from emotional stress, such as rejection sensitivity. This makes them more likely to engage in risky behaviors.
ADHD symptoms can also change during hormonal changes like menstruation or pregnancy. This makes it difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms
Women may have difficulty identifying their ADHD symptoms because they can be disguised. This could lead to an inaccurate diagnosis, and a misguided treatment may cause more problems than they resolve. Many women have difficulties in getting diagnosed particularly when they are adults. This could be due to the fact that diagnostic criteria are based on research conducted in males. Certain experts are trying to improve the criteria.
Symptoms of undiagnosed ADHD in women can be similar to those for men. For example, many people with ADHD have trouble concentrating or listening. They may forget important things or lose items. They could spend hours organising their home or office space, but they aren't able to keep up. They are easily distracted by noises or other activities. People suffering from ADHD may have difficulty relaxing and are often anxious about themselves or other people.
If women and girls experience symptoms of undiagnosed ADHD it can impact the entirety of their lives. They may have difficulty at school or work as well as having issues with their romantic relationships and friendships. They might be struggling with self-esteem or anxiety, and may use unhealthy coping strategies like alcohol or drugs.
Undiagnosed ADHD can increase frustration and miscommunications in relationships with family, friends and coworkers. They may be criticized by coaches and teachers or feel they are treated unfairly at work. ADHD can cause problems in focusing and meet deadlines.
Over the years many people who were not diagnosed with ADHD have developed strategies to cope. They might work until the early morning hours to stay on top of their workload or conceal from their loved ones their struggles. When they realize that their problems are a result of ADHD, it is like a lightbulb moment. They can then utilize their strengths to overcome challenges (such as creativity and high levels of energy).
Undiagnosed ADHD may cause negative effects on an individual's work, relationships, and life. It can lead to financial instability, social isolation and even depression. Some people with undiagnosed ADHD develop a dependency to stimulants, like cocaine and amphetamines. adult add in women can lead to serious health issues, such as heart disease and stroke.
Diagnosis
Many women suffering from ADHD are not diagnosed because the symptoms are more difficult to detect in women than they are in males. This could be because women are less inclined to tell health care professionals what they're going through and more likely to use strategies to hide their ADHD symptoms. These coping strategies could include changing behavior for example, like putting in extra hours at work or at school to make up for their lack on the subject or using productivity tools to help them stay in control and on to schedule with their tasks. These strategies for coping can be effective in short periods of period of time, but they can be exhausting and not sustainable.
In addition, due to gender stereotypes regarding what women should look like, many people do not realize that the woman they know could be suffering from ADHD. Some symptoms may be more severe due to hormonal changes, such as menstrual or pregnancy. This can cause women to be viewed as a moody or emotional, which further exacerbates their frustration.
Some of the most common undiagnosed signs of ADHD for women include forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating as well as impulsivity, the tendency to move between tasks and have difficulty keeping relationships. Women who are not diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to have co-existing disorders, like anxiety and depression. These symptoms could be confused with symptoms of ADHD and could result in an incorrect diagnosis and treatment.
It can be difficult to determine the cause of anxiety and ADHD because they share a variety of symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety include feeling of anxiety, irritability, trouble concentration and a constant feeling that something is wrong. The impulsivity and inattention that are characteristic of ADHD are not present in the anxiety disorders.
For women with undiagnosed ADHD getting an official diagnosis could be a game changer. Women in several studies have reported that their symptoms have decreased after they received an assessment. Finding an external explanation for their problems helped them stop blaming themselves and begin considering their own issues as something they could control.
It takes time to identify ADHD, but it is worth the wait. Treatment of ADHD through psychotherapy and medication can improve relationships, aid women excel in school and work, and provide them with a better understanding of themselves.
Treatment
Girls and women often have different symptoms of ADHD than men, which can make it more difficult to get an assessment and treatment. It is also possible that they are better at hiding their symptoms, making it harder to seek assistance or help. This can include: having trouble remembering appointments, failing to finish tasks at school or at work, and having trouble in relationships. They may be more likely to be pushed into unintentional sexual behaviour or become victims of abuse by intimate partners because they are unable to identify and respond to their own emotions.
Early diagnosis and effective treatment can make a huge difference for these women. A study from 2020 found that an undiagnosed or late diagnosis can have long-lasting negative effects on the social-emotional health of a woman as well as her ability to form and keep healthy relationships. It can also impact her confidence in her life and self-esteem. A majority of women who participated in these studies reported feeling a sense of relief and self-confidence boosting after receiving the diagnosis and treatment they needed for their ADHD.
This is especially crucial, because research shows that women who have not been diagnosed with ADHD have lower self-esteem levels and are less likely to seek treatment than male peers. They are more likely to blame their impulsivity, attention and organizational issues on personal or social factors rather than their ADHD.
Aside from medication, there are a variety of treatment options available for adults with ADHD. The most commonly used are cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy. CBT helps you identify and change negative thoughts, whereas DBT is a method of teaching mindfulness and self acceptance. Neurocognitive psychotherapy, which blends aspects of these therapies with training in strategies to improve focus and concentration, is another alternative. This treatment is available in individual or group sessions and is targeted towards adults suffering from ADHD. Note: This article uses the term "women" to refer to women who are assigned female at birth, regardless of their gender identity. Also, it refers to people assigned male at birth as "men" to include people of all gender identities.
Support
Many people suffering from ADHD feel a sense of shame or confusion about their symptoms. Women are often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed as a result of the ways ADHD manifests in women. This is due to pressures from society, hormonal changes, and other factors. This can lead both to ineffective or inappropriate treatment, and an increased likelihood of mood disorders like anxiety and depression.
Women are more adept at concealing their symptoms than men who tend to be hyperactive or impulsive more often. They may learn to work late into the evening, and use productivity apps to mask their lack of attention. The problem is, these coping mechanisms take their negative effects on self-esteem and eventually impact the quality of life.
The diagnostic process for women suffering from ADHD can be difficult and confusing. The traditional ADHD criteria were developed in men, so they may not always capture the full spectrum of symptoms that women suffer from. In the end, many women with not been diagnosed with ADHD are mistakenly diagnosed with other illnesses, such as depression and anxiety.
Clara was not an exception. Clara was intelligent and hardworking, as well as dedicated to her job. Yet she was unable to meet deadlines and felt overwhelmed by the demands of her job. She believed that her failures were her own fault and felt like she wasn't good enough. Her shattered confidence was a direct result of undiagnosed ADHD.
When she was diagnosed with adult ADHD it was a shock. Clara understood that her challenges were not a result of personal failures. She was able to stop seeing them as a sign of lazyness and consider her ADHD as an opportunity to be used to create an effective personal and professional life.
As awareness of the various differences in the ways ADHD manifests in women grows, the need to promote inclusion within treatments and research will become increasingly important. This is especially true in the area of sexually-specific treatments, since new research is geared toward understanding how gender affects the disorder and developing medications that are suitable for women. We hope that this leads to improved treatment and diagnosis for women with undiagnosed ADHD.