ADHD In Women and Girls

ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common mental disorders, with over 10 million cases annually. It is a chronic condition with impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and attention difficulty. It typically starts in childhood and can affect their daily life as an adult as well. It can affect self-esteem, relationships, and difficulty at school and work. Treatments include therapy and medication.

Women with ADHD are often undiagnosed because it was thought to affect men primarily. Women’s symptoms tend to be less prominent or socially disruptive. This article discusses how the symptoms may differ and why they’re ignored and impacts daily life.

How Symptoms Differ In Women

The main reason why ADHD goes undiagnosed in women and girls is that their symptoms differ from their male counterparts. There are three different presentations of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, or a combination.

Men tend to be hyperactive or impulsive, causing them to be disruptive, fidgety, hyperactive, whimsical, impatient, have mood swings, and be restless. On the other hand, women go quiet and become withdrawn – the typical symptoms of inattentive ADHD. Their symptoms include disorganization, impulsivity, shyness, trouble listening and remembering, and difficulty paying attention to details. These symptoms are often viewed as traits rather than symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report states that boys have a higher chance (12.9%) of being diagnosed than girls (5.6%). However, research also says that this is not because boys are more likely to get ADHD but more because girls stay undiagnosed.

Studies also indicate that while men and women with ADHD are more alike, there are a few differences. Women and girls tend to have less externalized symptoms like aggression than men but have higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Why ADHD Symptoms In Women Are Often Dismissed

Women go quiet and become withdrawn – the typical symptoms of inattentive ADHD. Their symptoms include disorganization, impulsivity, shyness, trouble listening and remembering, and difficulty paying attention to details. These symptoms are often viewed as traits rather than symptoms.

For example, a girl could be described as zoning out, forgetful, or talkative. When she reaches out for help later, she ends up with a depression or anxiety diagnosis. The bright side of all this is that there is an increasing amount of awareness, therefore encouraging women to get the help they need.

Feeling inadequate, psychologically distressed, low self-esteem, and chronic stress are common side effects. Women with ADHD often feel like their lives are spinning out of control and that daily tasks are increasingly complicated.

Female gender roles can add stress to an already stressed individual. It isn’t easy to take care of others when taking care of oneself is a task unto itself. The societal pressure can increase a woman’s feeling that she’s inadequate.

Common Signs Of ADHD In Women

There are different signs of ADHD in various areas of life. These may be worse or more visible in specific contexts like work or school. They also try to mirror neurotypicals to appear “normal.”

Relationships

Women with ADHD often feel guilty and wish they were better friends, mothers, partners, and do things that neurotypicals do. Others might feel like they don’t care because they cannot do the things expected of women following traditional gender roles.

Social Life

Women with ADHD have been described as tomboyish due to their desire to be constantly busy and excessive energy. This behavior impacts navigating relationships as an adult due to the complex social norms and etiquettes.

They might also be talkative and dislike socializing because it makes them overwhelmed and shy. Their mind may drift elsewhere unless it’s a topic of interest.

Work

For women with ADHD, an office environment can feel very monotonous due to the noise and crowd. They might want to go early or stay later to work efficiently. Their desk and system may be filled with clutter despite making sufficient effort to clear it.

School

In school, women with ADHD get overlooked by their peers and teachers. They tend to have inattentive ADHD and don’t cause visible behavioral issues like hyperactive or impulsive ADHD.

There is also a tendency to hyperfocus on subjects that interest them, leading teachers and parents to overlook their ADHD. As adults, they may feel frustrated that their high school peers surpass them despite being equally qualified and intelligent.

Daily Life

ADHD can make each day feel like you’re responding to requests and limiting conflicts than moving towards your goal. You may feel crushing sadness that you’re not fulfilling your potential. Other struggles include:

• Paper Mess: It can often feel like you’re drowning in paperwork at home, at work. There might even be paper in your car and purse. It can feel like there’s a bunch of unpaid bills, and you’re constantly behind.
• Overspending: Overspending is often a sign of impulsivity and can be seen as a way to compensate for other problems. If you are an overspender, you likely feel guilty when you get home and even more so when the bill arrives.
• Disorganization: Your house and surroundings might be messy. You may even spend a lot of time trying to organize but never get around to it because it’s intimidating or you just forgot. You may also feel embarrassed to have guests over because of the mess.
• Indecision: Crowded places like malls and grocery stores can be overwhelming as you may find it hard to decide what to buy. You often forget to purchase critical ingredients for meals even if you spend longer in the store.

Relaxing can be complicated as things that others deem inconsequential can push them over the edge and make them emotional. Many women are relieved to hear that their physical, emotional, and mental struggles are due to ADHD.

Co-Occurring Conditions

ADHD can have other conditions present alongside it, and these are called comorbid or coexisting conditions. Here are a few conditions related to ADHD:

• Substance abuse
• Anxiety disorders: social anxiety disorder (SAD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Sleep and eating disorders: Insomnia, Anorexia, or Bulimia.
• Mood disorders: Bipolar disorder or depression

It’s good to know these conditions as they can look similar to ADHD and make the diagnosis more difficult. However, going to an experienced doctor will help overcome this obstacle.