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 girls and women resorting to compensatory strategies to mask their symptoms and impairments can delay the time for referral.
This group of patients has particular issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
The emotional and social challenges that accompany ADHD can leave women feeling down. Even when they're successful, it is easy to feel like a failure because of things they aren't able to change. This can result in an endless feeling of being overwhelmed and inadequate. This can have a negative effect on their mental well-being.
Girls with untreated ADHD are more at risk of developing chronic low self-esteem as well as teen pregnancy, anxiety, depression, and abuse of substances. As adults, they are at a higher risk of becoming single-parents to a child with ADHD and facing financial hardship or underemployment. They're also more likely than other people to suffer from eating disorders and to pass on their bad habits to their children.
It is essential that girls receive a diagnosis since it will help them better comprehend their struggles and help them manage their symptoms. Many women report that they feel much more confident after receiving their diagnosis, allowing them to stop blaming themselves for the small things they cannot control. It can also help to reframe their issues and help them focus on what is important (Waite 2010).
As women age and move towards menopause the hormone levels of their bodies 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 consequences on self-esteem of women, and her relationships with family and friends. The symptoms can affect a woman's daily routine that can leave her feeling angry and exhausted. She might feel like she can't refuse people, causing her to be overwhelmed and angry with those around her. It can be difficult organizing her work and home life, which leads to missed appointments and lost documents. She may also be more easily triggered when she is rejected and is more likely to snap at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity makes you feel extremely when you're being rejected, either real or perceived. You might be triggered by an argument with your partner or a negative feedback 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. You may also experience depression, anxiety, and mood changes due to rejection sensitivity.
Although it's often attributed to ADHD, rejection sensitivity is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation that affects the way your brain handles emotions and how you respond to them. The symptoms can also be observed in other mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder (BPD).
People with RSD may see events through filters that make them appear more dark or dimmer than they really are. This could cause them to interpret things as rejection related, even though they're not. RSD can make you in a state of being unable to control your emotions. This is why it is important to develop healthy coping strategies to manage RSD.
Learn more about the sensitivity to rejection by reading the following articles:
While there is no cure for RSD but it is possible to manage your symptoms with the help of a mental health professional. You can employ coping strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps you change your negative thinking patterns. You can also engage in mindfulness and create a network of support to reduce your chance of experiencing negative reactions to rejection. This will help you overcome your RSD to live a more fulfilled and happier life. It is also crucial to avoid relationships that are toxic as they can make your symptoms worse. If you are in a abusive relationship, you should seek counseling to learn how you can safely quit. This will help lower the risk of experiencing rejection-related feelings, such as depression and anxiety. You can also improve your self-esteem by focusing on building healthy relationships. This will help you feel more confident in your abilities and provide you with an objective view of the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make the maintenance of a healthy relationship a challenge. This can result in sexual dysfunctions or risky sexual behavior. Women who have high functioning adhd are at a higher risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can cause feelings of shame and guilt which may negatively impact their relationships and well-being.
In one study, people with ADHD were found to be more likely than those without ADHD to have adventurous sexual curiosity. Both genders were affected. This is probably due to the increased levels of impulsivity which can make them more likely be influenced by sexual ideas and desires. Specifically, the study found that women with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and actions. This included bondage, submissive roles, and sex with strangers. It was also more typical for them to go to sex clubs and parties.
Both females and males suffering from adhd had a greater rate of infidelity than those without the disorder. This was due their poor control of their impulses and alcohol withdrawal. It could also be due to their higher rates of insecurity and feeling misunderstood by their partners. The survey asked participants about their experiences with extra-partner affairs and sexual relationships without contraception. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
high functioning adhd in women utilized the Hypersexuality-Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) which asked participants to describe their problematic sexual behaviors. The questionnaire comprises 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored using five-point scale, starting between 1 (never to 5 (very often)). The higher the score, the more symptomatology is present. The HBI-19 was utilized to compare sexual behaviors between people who suffer from ADHD and those without.
These results are important because the psychosexual outcomes for adults with ADHD have not been studied extensively. They have been linked to sexual dysfunctions, such as STIs and unwanted pregnancy, relationship dissatisfaction and adult-onset infidelity, as well as risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD struggle with their romantic relationships. Lack of clear communication and misunderstandings triggered by signs such as inattention and forgetfulness may lead to frustration, anger, and conflict within the relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be made easier by a network of friends and family members who understand.
It is also important to note that people suffering from ADHD frequently have trouble listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behaviors which could result in them missing out on the main point of a discussion. People with ADHD may also have trouble multitasking, which can lead them to tune out conversations or perform other tasks while other people are talking.
These battles can create an unending cycle where the person who isn't ADHD is overwhelmed by anxiety and anger, and the ADHD person feels untrusted. They can then become more withdrawn, and the problem escalates from there.
Women with high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of their daily life. They might experience feelings of guilt and low self-esteem as a result of their impulsive and disorganized behavior, or feel as if they're unable to keep up with their chores and bills. They may also experience mood swings, sensitivity to rejection and a lack of sexual desire.
For these reasons, it is vital for those suffering from ADHD to establish an effective treatment plan and seek out help. It is important that those who are closest to them, particularly spouses, learn more about ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can collaborate to establish clear expectations and boundaries and then formulate an action plan to will achieve their objectives. The non-ADHD partner could take on more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD would focus on organizing and completing the chores at home.
Both partners must strive to improve their communication and create an established routine that includes regular sleeping patterns, meal times and time for relaxation and rest. It is essential to discover ways to make things easier for both spouses, such as splitting household chores or outsourcing certain tasks that are difficult for a person with ADHD.