High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who suffer from high functioning adhd can be unhappy and are often misunderstood in their relationships. The symptoms may be more severe during periods of hormonal changes, like premenstrual and menstrual cycles.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies, masking their symptoms and impairments which may delay the time to referral.
This group of patients has particular challenges that must be taken into account when treating them.
1. Lack of self-esteem
The social and emotional challenges associated with ADHD can make women feel down. Even when they are successful, it's easy to feel like failing because of the things they cannot change. This can lead to an unending cycle of feeling overwhelmed and not good enough. This can have a negative impact on their mental health.
Girls who suffer from ADHD who are not treated are at a greater risk of having low self-esteem and teen pregnancy. They also have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and abuse of substances. As adults, they're at greater risk of being single-parents to a child with ADHD and also facing financial difficulties or unemployment. They're also more likely than others to suffer from eating disorders and pass their bad habits on to their children.
It's important for girls to receive an assessment, as it will provide them with a better understanding of their struggles and enable them to manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women report that they feel much more empowered after receiving their diagnosis, allowing them to not be a victim of the small things they cannot manage. It can also help them reframe their issues and help them focus on what's important (Waite 2010).
As women age and enter menopausal, their hormone levels can change, and ADHD symptoms may worsen. This can make it difficult for them to be identified and treated since they are 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 effects on women's self-esteem and her relationships with her family and friends. Symptoms can interfere with daily routines, leaving her exhausted and irritable. It is possible that she isn't able to refuse people, which causes her to feel overwhelmed and resentful towards those who are around her. She might find it difficult to organize her work and home life, leading to missing appointments and lost files. She could be more easily angered when she is not liked which makes her more likely to snap at those she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel deeply hurt when rejected. adult add in women could be real or perceived. A disagreement with your partner or an unkind comment from a colleague at work can trigger your symptoms. The brain's natural defense mechanisms are overstimulated and result in thoughts, feelings and beliefs that can harm your relationships and self esteem. You may also experience depression, anxiety, and mood changes due to rejection sensitivity.
Although it's often attributed to ADHD Rejection sensitiveness is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation that affects how your brain manages emotions and how you respond to them. Other mental health issues such as borderline personality disorder may also be a cause for these symptoms.
People suffering from RSD may see events through an eye that makes them appear more dark or dimmer than they actually are. This can cause them to interpret things as being related to rejection, even though they're not. RSD can make you incapable of controlling your emotions. This is why it is crucial to develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with RSD.
Check out the following articles to find out more about the sensitivity to rejection.
While there is no cure for RSD it is possible to treat symptoms with the help of a mental healthcare professional. You can employ strategies for coping, such as cognitive behavior therapy, which helps you change your negative thinking patterns. You can also establish an alliance of support and practice mindfulness to lessen your risk of reacting negatively to rejection. This will help you discover ways to overcome your RSD, so you can live a happier and more satisfying life. Avoid toxic relationships since they can worsen your symptoms. If you're in an abusive relationship, seek counsel to find out the best way to leave. This will reduce the risk of feeling depressed and anxious such as depression and anxiety. By focusing on healthy relationships and relationships, you can boost your self-esteem. This will allow you to feel more confident in your abilities and give you an objective view of the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make maintaining a healthy relationship challenging. This often leads to sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviours. Research suggests that women suffering from high functioning adhd are at a higher risk of having sexual problems than their non-ADHD counterparts. These behaviors can also result in feelings of shame and guilt and can have a negative effect on their relationships as well as their overall health.
In one study, adults with ADHD were found to be more likely than those with ADHD to exhibit a sexual interest. Both males and women were affected. This is likely due to their more impulsive levels, which can make them more likely to act on their sexual desires and ideas. The study found that women with adhd are more likely to engage in paraphilic fantasies and behavior. This included submissive roles play bondage, sexual contact with strangers. It was also more common for them to attend sex clubs and parties.
Both males and females with adhd had a higher rate of infidelity than those without the disorder. This is due to their weak control of their impulses and alcohol withdrawal. This was likely also because of their higher levels of insecurity and feeling misunderstood by partners. The survey also asked respondents to describe their experiences with sexual relationships and sexual encounters without the use of contraception. Table 6 provides the results from this section.
The study also used the Hypersexuality-Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) which asked participants about their problematic sexual behaviors. The questionnaire is comprised of 19 items that are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored using 5 points, ranging between 1 (never to 5 (very often)). The higher the score, the more symptoms are present. The HBI-19 was developed in order to evaluate sexual behaviors between adults with ADHD and those without.
These results are important, because the psychosexual results for adults with ADHD were rarely studied. They have been linked to sexual dysfunctions, like STI's, unwanted pregnancies, relationship dissatisfaction, infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people with high functioning ADHD have issues with their romantic relationships. Lack of clear communication and misunderstandings triggered by symptoms such as forgetfulness and inattention can cause anger, frustration and conflict within the relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be assisted by a supportive network of friends and family members who understand.
It is important to remember, too, that people with ADHD have a difficult time listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behavior which could result in them missing out on the central point of a discussion. People with ADHD are more likely to be struggling in multitasking, which can cause them to become disengaged of conversations or do other things while someone else talks.
These conflicts can result in an unending cycle where the partner who is not ADHD is overwhelmed with stress and resentment and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood. They may then become more withdrawn and the situation can get worse from there.
Women with high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of daily life. They may feel shame and low self-esteem because of their unpredictable and unorganized behavior, or feel that they can't keep up with their bills and chores. They may also have mood swings, rejection sensitivity and low sexual desire.
It is important that those with ADHD seek treatment and seek assistance. It is important that those who are closest to them, especially spouses, are aware of ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to establish the right expectations and boundaries and then devise an action plan to can achieve those goals. The non-ADHD spouse could take on more financial responsibilities while the person with ADHD will be focused on organising and finishing the chores at home.
In addition, both parties must work together to communicate more efficiently and clearly and establish a routine that includes regular sleep schedules, meal times, and time for relaxation and rest. It's also important to discover ways to make life simpler for both parties, such as splitting household chores, or outsourcing certain tasks that are difficult for a person with ADHD like hiring a cleaning service or utilizing apps to manage expenses.