High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who suffer from high functioning adhd may experience frustration and miscommunication in their relationships. Symptoms can heighten at times of hormonal change, such as menstrual cycles and pregnancy.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies to hide their impairments and symptoms can delay referral.
This group of patients has particular challenges that must be considered when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
Women can be depressed by the emotional and social challenges of ADHD. Even when they're successful it's easy to feel like a failure for things they aren't able to control. This can result in an endless cycle of feeling like they feel overwhelmed and never good enough, which can be detrimental to their mental health and self-esteem.
Girls with ADHD who are not treated are at greater risk for chronic low self-esteem as well as teen pregnancy. They also have a higher chance of depression, anxiety and substance abuse. As adults, they are at greater risk of being single-parents to a child with ADHD and experiencing financial crisis or underemployment. They are also more likely than others to be afflicted by eating disorders and to pass their bad habits on to their children.
It is essential that women receive a diagnosis since it will allow them to better recognize the challenges they face and manage their symptoms. Many women report feeling empowered after receiving a diagnosis. They can now stop berating themselves over things they cannot manage. It helps them to see their difficulties as strengths and focus their attention on the things that matter most (Waite, 2010).
As women mature and approach menopausal age, their hormone levels change and ADHD symptoms can become more severe. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat women with ADHD because their symptoms may be mistakenly diagnosed and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of the month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Untreated adult ADHD can have devastating effects on women's self-esteem and her relationships with family and friends. The symptoms can affect daily routines, leaving her exhausted and irritable. She might feel like she can't refuse people, causing her to feel overwhelmed and resentful towards those who are around her. She may find it difficult organizing her work and home life, resulting in missing appointments and documents getting lost. She can also be more susceptible to being triggered by rejection, therefore she's more likely to react defensively and even lash out at the people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel extremely hurt when you are rejected. It could be real or perceived. You might be triggered by a disagreement with your partner or a negative comment from a colleague at work. Your brain's natural defense mechanisms become over-stimulated and the thoughts emotions, feelings, and beliefs that result can hurt your relationships and self-esteem. The sensitivity to rejection can also lead to depression, anxiety and mood shifts.
Rejection sensitivity, which is often linked to ADHD is actually an indication of emotional dysregulation. This affects the way your brain handles emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be observed in other mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients may perceive events through a filter, making them appear brighter or darker than they actually are. This causes them to perceive and interpret things as rejection-related, even when they're not. RSD can also cause you to have a hard managing your emotions which is why it's important to have coping strategies that are healthy to handle this.
Learn more about the sensitivity to rejection by reading the articles below:
While there is no cure for RSD however, you can manage your symptoms with the help of a mental health professional. You can employ coping strategies like cognitive behavior therapy to change your negative thinking patterns. You can also build an alliance of support and practice mindfulness to lessen the chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This can aid you in overcoming your RSD so that you can live a more satisfying and happy life. It is also important to avoid toxic relationships as they can make your symptoms worse. If you're in an abusive relationship, seek out counseling to learn how to get out. This can reduce your risk of feeling depressed and anxious like depression and anxiety. By focusing on healthy relationships, you can improve your self-esteem. This will allow you to feel more confident about your abilities, and will give you a more realistic perspective on the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can cause sexual dysfunctions or risky behaviors. Women who have high functioning adhd are at a higher risk of having sexual issues. These behaviors can also lead to feelings of shame and guilt and can have a negative effect on the quality of their relationships and overall well-being.
One study conducted a survey of adults suffering from ADHD and found that they were more likely to be interested in sexual activities than those who did not suffer from the disorder. Both males and women were affected. This could be due to the greater impulsivity levels that could make them more likely to be influenced by sexual ideas and desires. In particular, the study showed that females with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive role play bondage, sexual contact with strangers. They also went to sex events and more clubs.
Females and males with adhd had a higher risk of infidelity than those without the disorder. This was due to inability to control their impulses and alcohol withdrawal, as well as the desire to feel. This is likely due to their greater levels of anxiety, and feeling misunderstood or misjudged by their loved ones. The survey asked respondents about their experiences with extra-partner relationships and sexual relations that were not contraceptive. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
The study also utilized the Hypersexuality-Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) which asked participants to discuss their problematic sexual behaviors. undiagnosed adhd in women consists of 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is evaluated on a five-point scale that ranges from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score the more symptomatology there is. The HBI-19 was used to evaluate the sexual behaviours of adults with and without ADHD.
These findings are important because the psychosexual outcomes of people with ADHD have not been studied extensively. They have been associated with sexual dysfunctions, such as STI's and unplanned pregnancy, relationship dissatisfaction adult and adolescent onset infidelity and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD experience difficulties in their romantic relationships. Lack of clear communication and misunderstandings caused by symptoms like forgetfulness and inattention could lead to frustration, anger and conflict in a relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be assisted by a network of friends and family members who understand.
It is important to remember that those with ADHD have trouble listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behaviors that could result in them missing out on the primary point of a discussion. People with ADHD are more likely to be struggling in multitasking and can cause them to tune out of conversations or engage in other activities while someone else is talking.
These battles can create a vicious cycle in which the person who is not ADHD is overwhelmed by anger and stress, while the ADHD partner feels misunderstood. They then tend to become more introverted, and the problem escalates from there.
Women who have high-functioning ADHD are often exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands of their lives. They may experience feelings of shame and low self-esteem because of their unpredictable and unorganized behavior, or feel that they can't keep up with their chores and bills. They might also be suffering from mood swings and rejection sensitivity, as well as low sex drive.
For these reasons, it is essential for those with ADHD to establish a treatment plan and seek help. It is essential that those who are closest to them, particularly spouses, understand ADHD and how it affects the person they love. Together, they can establish clear expectations and establish boundaries. They can then come up with an action plan to reach their goals. The non-ADHD partner can take on more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD will be focused on organising and finishing the chores at home.
In addition, both parties should be able to communicate efficiently and clearly and establish a routine that incorporates regular sleep patterns, meal times, and time for relaxation and rest. It is also essential to find ways to make things simpler for both parties, such as dividing household chores, or outsourcing certain tasks that are challenging for a person with ADHD for example, hiring a cleaning service or using apps to control expenses.