ADD Symptoms in Women
Women with ADD often are misunderstood and dismissed as emotionally unstable. For some, minor nuisances such as waiting in lines or waiting in line can lead them into rage or disorientation.
Gender stereotypes can also mask symptoms, making them difficult to identify and diagnose. At Amen Clinics, we use brain imaging to determine if a woman has undiagnosed ADHD.
Hyperactivity
Women with ADHD often find themselves overwhelmed by their daily tasks. They may feel like a constant chaos and are unable to receive the support they need from family and friends. They also have a harder time handling criticism and stress and are more susceptible to depression and anxiety. Women who suffer from ADHD are also more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as promiscuous or casual sexual relations. These situations can lead to sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and low self-esteem and feelings of shame.
Psychologists are working to expand the research on ADHD in women who are adults. Julia Rucklidge, a PhD student at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is leading one such effort. She and her coworkers focus on females with comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. These co-occurring conditions can mask or increase ADHD symptoms, which can affect a woman's ability to perform at work, school, and home.
Rucklidge explains that a lot of the same biases that affect men and boys make it difficult to identify ADHD in girls and women. Rating scales are biased towards male behavior, and a female might not have the most efficient strategies to cope in the workplace or at college. Women who have impulsive ADHD symptoms are often viewed as irrational or aggressive and are more likely to hide their symptoms to fit in better.
Additionally to that, a lot of the same behavioral symptoms are present in all three types of ADHD. Women can experience inattentive ADHD, hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, or mixed symptoms. They could be unruly, fidgety or in a hurry, disruptive, forgetful, disorganized or impatient. They may also be agitated and talkative, unable and unwilling to wait for their turn, and prone mood swings.
Inattentiveness
Inattentive ADHD can be equally detrimental for adults and children. It can be difficult to try and keep track of your time well and manage all the daily tasks. For example children may not be able to meet important deadlines at school or workers may forget about important meetings. Inattention ADHD can also cause problems in relationships, as people become annoyed by a friend or colleague who frequently gets lost in thought.
The non-hyperactive presentation of ADHD is less visible than the typical symptoms, and which makes it easy for people to overlook or dismiss these problems. Children who have inattentive ADHD are often portrayed as uncooperative or lazy children due to the fact that they do not follow the instructions of their teachers or parents or daydream in classes. Adults with inattentive ADHD are also often ignored because their symptoms might not be as apparent as their peers who exhibit impulsivity or hyperactivity.
Attention deficit ADHD symptoms can include difficulty staying focused, being easily distracted, having poor listening skills, and losing items often. Attention deficit ADHD symptoms may also be exacerbated by stress, anxiety as well as diet and nutrition mineral deficiencies, medication side effects (particularly certain stimulant medications) poor sleep, depression, or other medical conditions.
Attention-deficit ADHD affects more women and girls than any other ADD presentation, yet it is often misdiagnosed and not treated. This is due to a variety of factors, including the particular symptoms that are present, higher rates of anxiety and affective disorder in females and rating scales that favor male behavior. In addition, hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles can greatly affect how irritable ADHD symptoms appear.
Impulsiveness
People who struggle to control their impulses feel a sense of tension or excitement before they decide to act on their urges. They also have trouble resisting impulses, even if they are aware that their behaviour is harmful or untrue. In the end, they usually feel regret or guilt.
I Am Psychiatry for children to behave impulsively but they become aware of it as they grow and begin to understand the consequences of their actions. It's also a characteristic of certain diseases that include ADHD and antisocial personality disorder, and pyromania (the compulsion to set fires).
The tendency to be impulsive could be a sign of a mental illness, like bipolar disorder, stroke, brain tumor, or diabetes. Certain substances, such as alcohol can cause inhibitions to be broken and cause you to act impulsively.
Lack of impulse control can affect your relationships, career, and everyday life. If you have ADHD, for example, impulsive behavior can interfere with your daily routine and impair your ability to manage your finances or work. The signs include interrupting people when they're talking, uttering answers to questions, and finding it difficult to wait your turn when standing in line. Adults, impulsive behavior can include shopping on a impulse, spending too much money or watching excessive amounts of television.
It's important to understand the difference between compulsive and impulsive behavior. Compulsive behavior is ritualistic and repetitive, while impulsive behaviour is spontaneous. For instance, placing a hand in a fire to check if it's on is an impulsive action, while checking the stove on a regular basis to ensure that it is off is a routine behavior. Researchers don't know why males are more than women. They speculate that environmental factors, genetics and hormonal changes in the adolescent and adulthood years could be a factor in the differences.
Agitation
Agitation is a feeling of restlessness and irritability that can be caused by stress or a medical condition. It can cause a person to feel anxious, agitated, or nervous, and it can trigger aggressive or suicidal behaviours. People who are anxious may have difficulty sleeping and may have issues in their relationships and at work.
If someone feels anxious often, they should talk to their doctor. The doctor may suggest to consider therapy or medication. If they experience chest pain or difficulty breathing, this could be a sign of a heartattack.
Sometimes, agitation can be a sign of depression. Depression can trigger feelings of despair, sadness, and feeling of helplessness. People with depression may also have agitation, which is often combined with restlessness and anxiety. This is known as agitated depression, and experts are still learning about the ways in which this type of depression differs from other types of depression.
In other instances, agitation may be an indication of a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These disorders can make an individual unable to discern between the real and fake. People with these conditions may sway or wring hands or feel as if they can't remain still.
Certain medications, such as antipsychotics, can trigger an increase in agitation. If you are experiencing agitation on a regular basis, talk to your doctor. In some instances doctors may prescribe the patient a different medicine that doesn't have this side effect. In addition to these medicines they can reduce their agitation through avoiding stressful situations, eating healthy food, and getting enough sleep.
Depression
Women who suffer from depression are afflicted with a serious mental health problem that can lead to feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness. It can also lead to difficulties with sleeping, eating and thinking clearly. It is important for women to seek treatment for depression at the earliest sign of the illness. This can stop the symptoms from becoming worse and may even lead to the possibility of a relapse.
Research indicates that women are more likely to experience depression than men. It is thought that this is due to the multitude of roles that women have in their lives, like being a wife and mother that can cause stress or lead to burnout. Women are also more likely to experience hormonal changes that could lead to depression, for example when they are pregnant or after menopausal.
It is possible that some women have a higher risk of depression due to a prior experience with the disorder or a family history of it. This can also apply to women who have low self-esteem or who have had issues with sexuality or body image issues.
Some of the specific signs that are present in women who suffer from depression include fatigue, lack of motivation sleeplessness, insomnia and thoughts of dying or suicide. In addition women suffering from depression may also experience feelings of guilt or shame. This is due to the fact that women are more likely to blame themselves for their mood issues which is exacerbated by the fact that they have more responsibility to care for their children and other family members. Antidepressant medication can ease these symptoms. However, it's essential to seek advice from a professional from a doctor.