High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who suffer from high functioning adhd may experience discontent and confusion in their relationships. The symptoms may increase during times of hormonal change such as menstrual cycles and pregnancy.
Many girls and women resorting to compensatory strategies to hide their symptoms and impairments can delay referral.
This patient group faces specific problems that must be taken into account when treating them.
1. Lack of self-esteem
The emotional and social challenges associated with ADHD can leave women feeling down. Even if they're successful, it is easy to feel like they're an failure due to things they cannot change. This can result in an unending cycle where they are constantly overwhelmed and never satisfied and can take a toll on their mental health and self-esteem.
Girls who suffer from ADHD who aren't treated are at greater risk of having low self-esteem and teenage pregnancy. They also have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and addiction to drugs. As adults, they're at greater risk of being the sole parent to children with ADHD and financial difficulties, as well as underemployment. They are also more likely than others to suffer from eating disorders and pass on their bad habits to their children.
It's important for girls to get 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 feeling confident after receiving an diagnosis. They can now stop berating themselves over things they cannot control. It can also help to reframe their problems and refocus them on what's important (Waite 2010).
As women age and move towards menopausal, their hormone levels can change, and ADHD symptoms could worsen. This can make it difficult for them to be diagnosed and treated because they're often misdiagnosed as an anxiety or mood disorder and their symptoms are dismissed as "hormonal" or "that time of the month."
Having untreated adult ADHD can have devastating consequences on a woman's self-esteem, and her relationships with friends and family. The symptoms can affect the woman's daily routine, leaving her irritable and exhausted. She may feel she can't say no to people, leading her to overburden herself and become resentful of the people closest to her. It could be difficult to manage the work and home lives of her children and this can lead to missed appointments and lost files. She may be more prone to being triggered when she is rejected, making her more likely to snap at people she likes.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity is a condition that causes you to feel intensely when you're being rejected, whether it is real or perceived. A disagreement with your partner or an insult from a coworker at work can trigger your symptoms. Your brain's defense mechanisms naturally become over-stimulated, and the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that result could harm your self-esteem and relationships. The sensitivity to rejection can also lead to depression, anxiety and mood shifts.
Rejection sensitivity, although often linked to ADHD is actually an indication of emotional dysregulation. This affects how your brain processes emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be found in other mental health conditions like borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients may perceive events through a filter, which makes them appear brighter or darker than they really are. This makes them more likely to interpret and interpret events as if they are related to rejection, even if they are not. RSD can cause you to be in a state of being unable to control your emotions. This is why it is crucial to develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with RSD.
You can find out more about the issue of rejection sensitivity by reading these articles:
Although there isn't a cure for RSD but it is possible to manage your symptoms with the help of an expert in mental health. You can employ coping strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps modify your negative thought patterns. You can also build an emotional support network and practice mindfulness to lessen your risk of reacting negatively to rejection. This will help you discover ways to overcome your RSD and allow you to lead a more pleasant and fulfilling life. Avoid toxic relationships as they can exacerbate your symptoms. If you're in a abusive relationship, seek counseling to learn the best way to leave. This can lower the risk of experiencing rejection-related feelings, such as depression and anxiety. By focusing on relationships that are healthy that you are in, you will increase your self-esteem. This will make you feel more confident in your abilities and give an honest view of life.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can lead to sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviours. Women with high functioning adhd might be more at risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment and can affect their relationships and overall well-being.
In one study, people with ADHD were found to be more likely than people without ADHD to exhibit a sexual fascination. Both genders were affected. This is probably due to the increased levels of impulsivity which can cause them to be more likely to act on sexual thoughts and desires. Specifically, the study found that women with adhd were more likely to engage in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive roles play, bondage and sexual contact with strangers. They also attended sex parties and more clubs.
Females and males with adhd had a higher rate of infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This was due their poor control of their impulses and alcohol withdrawal. This is likely due to their greater levels of anxiety, and feeling misunderstood or misjudged by their loved ones. The survey also asked participants to share their experiences with extra-partner sexual affairs and sexual intercourse without contraception. Table 6 provides 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. click over here now consists of 19 items that are divided into three subscales. Each item is evaluated using a five-point scale, ranging that ranges from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score, the more symptomatology it has. The HBI-19 was used to evaluate the sexual behaviors of adults with and without ADHD.
These results are important due to the fact that the psychosexual effects of people with ADHD are not well-studied. They have been connected to sexual dysfunctions such as STI's and unplanned pregnancies, relationship problems, infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behavior.
4. Relationships
Many people who have high functioning ADHD have trouble in their relationships with loved ones. A lack of communication and misunderstandings due to symptoms like inattention and forgetfulness can result in frustration, resentment, and conflict in the relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be made easier by a network of family and friends who understand.
It is important to remember, too, that people who suffer from ADHD have a difficult time listening. They are easily interrupted by impulsive behavior or their own thoughts, which may cause them to lose the purpose of the conversation. People with ADHD are more likely to have difficulty with multitasking, too and can cause them to become disengaged of conversations or engage in other activities while others talk.
These battles can create a vicious cycle where the person who isn't ADHD becomes overwhelmed with anxiety and anger, and the ADHD partner feels that they are not understood. They then tend to become more withdrawn, and the problem escalates from there.
Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of their daily life. They may feel shame and low self-esteem because of their unpredictable and unorganized behavior, or feel like they're unable to keep up with their household chores and bills. They may also experience mood swings and rejection sensitivity and low sexual drive.
It is crucial that people with ADHD seek treatment and seek assistance. It is essential that the people 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 will achieve their objectives. The non-ADHD partner can take on more financial responsibilities while the person with ADHD will be focused on organising and finishing the housework.
In addition, both partners must work together to communicate more clearly and effectively and establish a routine that includes regular sleep schedules, meal times, and time to relax and rest. It is essential to find ways to simplify things for both spouses, such as dividing household tasks or outsourcing some of those that are difficult for someone with ADHD.