High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women with adhd that are high functioning are dissatisfied and often misunderstood by their relationships. The symptoms can be more severe in times of hormonal changes, like the premenstrual or pregnancy cycles.
Many girls and women resort to compensatory strategies, hiding their impairments and symptoms, which can delay time until referral.
This group of patients faces a unique set of issues that must be taken into account when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
The emotional and social challenges that come with ADHD can make women feel down. Even when they're doing well, it's easy to feel like a failure due to things they cannot control. This can lead to an endless cycle of feeling like they feel overwhelmed and never good enough which can be detrimental to their self-esteem and mental health.
Girls with untreated ADHD are at greater risk of chronic low self-esteem and anxiety, teen pregnancy depression, and addiction to drugs. As adults, they're at an higher risk of having a single parent for children with ADHD and financial problems, as well as underemployment. They're also more likely to be struggling with eating disorders, and their negative patterns can pass down to their children.
It's important for girls to get a diagnosis, because it will give them an understanding of their struggles and enable them to manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women say that they feel more at ease after receiving their diagnosis, which allows them to stop blaming themselves for the small things they cannot control. It can also help to reframe their struggles and refocus on what is important (Waite 2010).
As women age and enter menopause their hormone levels alter, and ADHD symptoms can become more severe. It isn't easy to diagnose and treat patients with ADHD due to the fact that their symptoms can be incorrectly identified and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Having untreated adult ADHD can have devastating effects on self-esteem of women, and her relationships with family and friends. The symptoms can disrupt a woman's daily routine that can leave her feeling angry and exhausted. It is possible that she can't refuse people, causing her to be overwhelmed and resentful of people around her. She may find it difficult to organize her home and work life and this can lead to missed appointments and lost files. Additionally, she could be more susceptible to being triggered by rejection, therefore she's more likely to be defensive and lash out at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel very hurt when rejected. This could be real or perceived. You might be triggered by an argument with your partner or a negative feedback from a coworker at work. Your brain's defense mechanisms naturally become over-stimulated and the thoughts emotions, feelings, and beliefs that result could harm your relationships and self-esteem. You can also experience depression, anxiety, and mood swings as a result of sensitive to rejection.
Rejection sensitivity, which is often associated with ADHD is actually an indication of emotional dysregulation. This affects the way your brain handles emotions and how you respond to them. Other mental health conditions such as borderline personality disorder may also show these symptoms.
RSD patients might perceive events through a filter, making them appear darker or brighter than they really are. This can cause them to interpret and interpret events as being related to rejection, even though they are not. RSD can make you incapable of controlling your emotions. This is why it is crucial to develop healthy coping strategies to deal with RSD.
Check out the following articles to learn more about the sensitivity to rejection.
Although there isn't a cure for RSD it is possible to manage the symptoms with the assistance of a mental health professional. You can employ coping strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help you modify your negative thought patterns. You can also create a support network and practice mindfulness to reduce the chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This can aid you in overcoming your RSD to live a more fulfilled and happy life. It is also crucial to avoid toxic relationships as they can cause your symptoms to worsen. If you're in a abusive relationship, seek out counsel to find out how to get out. This can reduce your risk of feelings of rejection, such as anxiety and depression. You can also increase your self-esteem by creating healthy relationships. This will help you feel more confident about your abilities and provide you with a more realistic perspective on the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can lead to sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behavior. Women who have high functioning adhd are at a higher risk of developing sexual problems. These behaviors can cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment and can affect their relationships and wellbeing.
In one study, those with ADHD were found to be more likely than people without ADHD to be sexually adventurous. curiosity. Both genders were affected. This is likely due to the greater impulsivity levels that can make them more likely act on their sexual ideas and desires. The study revealed that females who suffer from adhd are more likely to indulge in paraphilic fantasies and behaviors. signs of add in adult women included submissive roles, bondage and sexing with strangers. They also went to sex parties and clubs more often.
Both women and men who suffer from adhd were more likely to be infidelity than those who didn't have the disorder. This was due their poor impulse control and alcohol disinhibition. This was likely also a result of their higher rates of anxiety and feeling misunderstood by their partners. treatment for adhd in women asked participants to report their experiences with extra-partner sexual relations and sexual interactions without the use of contraception. Table 6 presents the results of this section.
In the final analysis, the study utilized the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to inquire from participants about their sexual issues. The questionnaire consists of 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored on 5 points, ranging from 1 (never to 5 (very frequently)). The higher the score, the more symptomatology there is. The HBI-19 was utilized to assess sexual behavior between adults with ADHD and those without.
These results are important because the psychosexual outcomes for adults with ADHD were rarely studied. They have been linked to sexual dysfunctions, like STI's, unwanted pregnancy, relationship dissatisfaction infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD have difficulties in their romantic relationships. Insufficient communication and misunderstandings caused by symptoms like forgetfulness and inattention can lead to frustration, anger, and conflict within a relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be helped by a network of friends and family members who understand.
It is also important to keep in mind that those with ADHD frequently have trouble listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behavior which could cause them to lose focus on the central purpose of a conversation. People with ADHD might also have difficulty multitasking, which can cause them to tune out conversations or perform other tasks while another person is talking.
These struggles can result in a vicious cycle in which the non-ADHD person becomes overwhelmed with anger and stress, and the ADHD partner is misunderstood and defensive. They can then withdraw, and the problem escalates from there.
Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of their everyday life. They may experience shame or low self-esteem because of their impulsive, chaotic behavior. Or they might find themselves struggling to manage their obligations and bills. They may also experience mood swings and rejection sensitivity, as well as low sexual drive.
Because of this, it is vital for those who suffer from ADHD to establish a treatment plan and seek out help. It is important that those who are closest to them, including spouses, understand ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to establish the right expectations and boundaries and then devise a plan of how they will meet those objectives. The non-ADHD partner can assume more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD will be focused on organising and finishing the chores at home.
Both partners should also strive to improve their communication and create an established routine that includes regular eating patterns, sleeping times and time for relaxation and rest. It is important to find ways to simplify things for both spouses, such as dividing household tasks or outsourcing certain tasks that are difficult for someone with ADHD.