High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women with high functioning adhd are dissatisfied and often misunderstood by their relationships. The symptoms can be more severe during times of hormonal changes, like the premenstrual or pregnancy periods.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies, concealing their impairments and symptoms that can delay time to referral.
This group of patients has a unique set issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
Women can feel depressed by the emotional and social challenges of ADHD. Even when they are successful, it is easy to feel like they're failing because of the things they cannot change. This can create an unending cycle where they feel constantly overwhelmed and never satisfied, which can affect their self-esteem and mental health.
Girls with ADHD who are not treated are at a greater chance of developing chronic low self-esteem and teen pregnancy. They also have a higher chance of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. As adults, they're at higher risk of having a single parent for a child with ADHD and financial problems, as well as underemployment. They're also more likely to struggle with eating disorders, and their bad patterns could be passed on to their children.
It's crucial for girls to receive an assessment, as it will provide them with a better understanding of their challenges and enable them to manage their symptoms more efficiently. Many women say that they feel more empowered after receiving their diagnosis, which allows them to stop blaming themselves for the little things they are unable to manage. It can also help them see their difficulties as strengths and help them focus their attention on the things that matter most (Waite 2010,).
As women age and enter menopausal age, their hormone levels could change and ADHD symptoms may worsen. This can make it difficult for them to be identified and treated because they're often misdiagnosed as having anxiety or mood disorder, and the symptoms are dismissed as "hormonal" or "that time of the month."
Having untreated adult ADHD can have devastating impacts on a woman's self-esteem, and her relationships with her family and friends. Symptoms can interfere with everyday routines, leaving them exhausted and irritable. It is possible that she cannot say no to people, leading her to overburden herself and become resentful of those close to her. It could be difficult to manage her home and work life, leading to missing appointments and lost files. She could also be more easily angered when she is not liked which makes her more likely to snap at people she likes.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel deeply hurt when rejected. It could be real or perceived. A disagreement with a partner, or an insult from a coworker at work could trigger you. The brain's natural defense mechanisms are triggered and result in thoughts, feelings and beliefs that can affect your relationships and self esteem. The sensitivity to rejection can also result in anxiety, depression and mood shifts.
Although it's often linked to ADHD The issue of rejection sensitivity is actually a symptom of emotional dysregulation that affects the way your brain handles emotions and the way you react to them. The symptoms can also be found in other mental health disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD).
People suffering from RSD may see events through a filter that makes them appear more dark or dimmer than they really are. This causes them to interpret and interpret events as being related to rejection, even though they are not. RSD can also cause you to have a harder to control your emotions and that's why it's important to have healthy coping strategies to handle this.
You can find out more about the issue of rejection sensitivity by reading the following articles:
Although there isn't a cure for RSD but it is possible to manage your symptoms with the assistance of a mental health professional. You can utilize coping techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy to alter your negative thinking patterns. You can also establish an emotional support network and practice mindfulness to lessen your risk of reacting negatively to rejection. This can help you find ways to overcome your RSD, so you can live a happier and more satisfying life. It is also crucial to avoid relationships that are toxic as they can cause symptoms to become worse. If you are in an abusive relationship, seek out counseling to learn how to safely quit. This can help you lower the risk of experiencing rejection-related feelings, such as depression and anxiety. You can also boost your self-esteem by creating healthy relationships. This will make you feel more confident about your abilities and give an objective view of life.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make maintaining a healthy relationship challenging. This often leads to sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviours. Women who have high functioning adhd may be at greater risk of having sexual issues. These behaviors can also cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment and can negatively impact their relationships and overall well-being.
In one study, people with ADHD were found to be more likely than people without ADHD to have adventurous sexual fascination. Both genders were affected. This was likely due to their higher levels of impulsivity, which could make them more likely to act upon their sexual desires and ideas. The study revealed that females with adhd are more likely to engage paraphilic fantasies and behaviors. This included submissive role-play bondage, sexual relations with strangers. It was also common for them to go out to party and sex clubs.
Females and males with adhd had a higher risk of infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This was due to their lack of control of impulses and alcohol-related disinhibition. This could also be due to their higher rates of anxiety and feeling misunderstood by partners. The survey asked respondents about their experiences with extra-partner relationships and sexual relations without contraception. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
In the final analysis, the study utilized the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to ask participants about their sexual issues. The questionnaire comprises 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging between 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score the more symptomatology it has. The HBI-19 was used in order to compare sexual behaviors between people who suffer from ADHD and those who do not.
These results are important because the psychosexual outcomes of adults with ADHD have been scarcely studied. They have been connected to sexual dysfunctions like STI's, unwanted pregnancies, relationship dissatisfaction, infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behavior.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD have issues in their romantic relationships. Lack of clarity in communication and misunderstandings triggered by symptoms like inattention and forgetfulness may lead to frustration, anger, and conflict within relationships. Maintaining healthy relationships can be assisted by a network of family and friends who understand.
It is crucial to keep in mind that those who suffer from ADHD have a difficult time listening. They can be interrupted easily by their impulsive behavior, or their own thoughts, which may cause them to lose the purpose of the conversation. People with ADHD are more likely to struggle with multitasking, too and can cause them to tune out of conversations or do other things while others talk.
These conflicts can lead to a vicious cycle in which the non-ADHD partner is overwhelmed with anger and stress, and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood and defensive. They can then become more introverted, and the problem escalates from there.
Women with high-functioning ADHD are often exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands of their lives. They may experience feelings of guilt and low self-esteem as a result of their chaotic and impulsive behavior, or feel like they're unable to keep up with their chores and bills. They may also have mood swings, sensitivity to rejection and low sexual desire.
For these reasons, it is vital for those who suffer from ADHD to develop a treatment plan and seek help. It is important that those who are closest to them, especially spouses, understand ADHD and how it affects the person they love. Together, adult female adhd symptoms can set clear expectations and establish boundaries. Then, they can create an action plan to reach their goals. For example the partner who is not ADHD could assume more financial responsibilities, while the person with ADHD may be more focused on organizing and completing housework.
adult female adhd symptoms must be working to improve communication and establish a routine, which includes regular schedules for sleeping, meal times, and time to relax and rest. It's also important to discover ways to make life easier for both of you for example, splitting household chores, or outsourcing certain tasks that are difficult for a person with ADHD like hiring cleaning services or using apps to control costs.