Women with ADHD face the same feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted as men with ADHD commonly feel. Psychological distress, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and chronic stress are common. Often, women with ADHD feel that their lives are out of control or in chaos, and daily tasks may seem impossibly huge.
Older adults with ADHD struggle with attention, memory, and planning. They may struggle with finishing projects or remembering information consistently, and they may become distracted during conversations and experience difficulty maintaining relationships.
People with ADHD of the inattentive type have trouble paying attention to details, are easily distracted, often have trouble organizing or finishing tasks and often forget routine chores (such as paying bills on time or returning phone calls).
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
Failing to pay attention to details or constantly making careless mistakes. Often having trouble organizing tasks and activities. Often avoiding tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time. Often losing things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g. wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, cell phones).
These include a thorough diagnostic interview, information from independent sources such as the spouse or other family members, DSM-5 symptom checklists, standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD and other types of psychometric testing as deemed necessary by the clinician.
Lack of consistency. Toxic communication — such as contempt, criticism, and sarcasm. Controlling behavior and distrust. Abusive — this is also inclusive of emotionally abusive behaviors, such as gaslighting, love bombing, breadcrumbing etc.
Misdiagnosed ADHD Symptom: Depression
Clinical depression is common in adults with ADHD — experts estimate that depression exists in approximately 47 percent of adults with ADHD and 14 percent of children with ADHD — but depressive symptoms don't always indicate a full-blown comorbid condition.
Atypical Presentation of ADHD Symptoms
Impaired sense of time (loses track of time, often late, hates waiting, avoids doing homework, etc.) Sleep disturbances (has trouble with sleep initiation, sleep deprived, can't wake up easily, etc.)
They include problems with focus, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. People with ADHD may have difficulty paying attention, sitting still, or controlling their impulses. Although BPD and ADHD are separate diagnoses, they share some overlapping symptoms, namely impulsiveness and difficulty regulating emotions.
Symptoms of ADHD that can cause relationship problems
If you have ADHD, you may zone out during conversations, which can make your partner feel ignored and devalued. You may also miss important details or mindlessly agree to something you don't remember later, which can be frustrating to your loved one. Forgetfulness.
The easiest way to get diagnosed and treated for ADHD if you are an adult is to approach your GP. Most GPs have a good understanding of ADHD. More importantly, as community-based health workers GPs have a wide-ranging understanding of medical and social issues that can affect one's cognitive function.
If you are concerned that you may have ADHD, the first step is to see a doctor. They will most likely refer you to a psychologist. A psychologist can only make a diagnosis after a detailed assessment of your behaviour. There are many behavioural disorders that can cause symptoms of ADHD, especially in young children.
The World Health Organization* has prepared a self-screening questionnaire you can use to determine if you might have adult ADHD. The Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener will help you recognize the signs and symptoms of adult ADHD.
Studies show that women with ADHD tend to have very low self-esteem. They also seem to have more emotional and psychological distress compared to adult men with ADHD. Depending on the severity of their condition, some women manage to hide their symptoms to avoid shame and rejection.
A girl with ADHD may have impulsivity and be hyper-talkative. She may be verbally impulsive, interrupt others, talk excessively, or change topics repeatedly during conversations. She might even blurt out words without thinking about their impact on others. Girls with ADHD can also be overly sensitive.
Girls Tend Towards Introspection Rather Than Hyperactivity
Inattentive ADHD involves a lot of daydreaming, inability to focus, forgetfulness, and having trouble staying organized. Because that doesn't look like 'typical' ADHD — and can be mistaken for simple scatterbrained-ness — it's often not diagnosed as such.