High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women with high functioning adhd experience discontent and confusion in their relationships. Symptoms can heighten at times of hormonal change like the pre-menstrual period and pregnancy.
Many girls and women use compensatory strategies to masking their symptoms and impairments, which can delay time until referral.
This patient group faces specific issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating them.
1. Lack of self-esteem
Women can be depressed due to the social and emotional challenges of ADHD. Even when they are successful, it is easy to feel like failing because of the things they can't change. This can create an endless cycle of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. This can have a negative effect on their mental health.
Girls with ADHD who are not treated are at a higher risk for chronic low self-esteem and teenage pregnancy. They also have a higher chance of depression, anxiety and abuse of substances. As adults, they're at a higher risk of becoming parents on their own to a child suffering from ADHD and experiencing financial crisis or unemployment. They're also more likely than others to suffer from eating disorders and to pass their bad habits on to their children.
It's important for girls to get an assessment, as it will provide them with an understanding of their struggles and help them manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women say that they feel much more confident after receiving their diagnosis, which allows them to stop blaming themselves for the small things they cannot manage. It helps them to see their struggles as strengths and refocus their attention on what matters most (Waite 2010,).
As women age and enter menopausal age, their hormone levels could change and ADHD symptoms could worsen. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat women with ADHD as their symptoms could be misdiagnosed and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Untreated adult ADHD can have devastating effects on women's self-esteem as well as relationships with her family and friends. Symptoms can interfere with daily routines, making her exhausted and irritable. She might feel that she is unable to refuse to be around people, leading her to overburden herself and feel resentful towards those close to her. She may find it difficult organizing her work and home life, resulting in delayed appointments and lost documents. She could be more prone to being triggered when she is rejected, making her more likely to snap at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel a strong sense of when you're rejected, either real or perceived. A disagreement with a partner, or an unkind comment from a colleague at work can trigger you. Your brain's natural defense mechanisms become overwhelmed and the thoughts emotions, feelings, and beliefs that result can harm your self-esteem and relationships. You may also experience anxiety, depression and mood swings as a result of sensitive to rejection.
Although it's often linked to ADHD The issue of rejection sensitiveness is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation that affects how your brain manages emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be found in other mental health disorders like borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients might perceive events through a filter, which makes them appear brighter or darker than they really are. This can cause them to interpret and interpret events as if they are related to rejection, even if they are not. RSD can also cause you to have a harder to control your emotions and that's why it is important to have healthy coping strategies to manage this.
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While there is no cure for RSD however, you can manage your symptoms with the help of a mental health professional. You can utilize coping techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy to alter your negative thinking patterns. You can also create an alliance of support and practice mindfulness to reduce your chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This can help you find ways to overcome your RSD and allow you to live a more positive and fulfilling life. Avoid relationships that are toxic, as they can exacerbate your symptoms. If you're in an abusive relationship, seek counseling to learn how to get out. This can help you lower the risk of experiencing feelings of rejection, like anxiety and depression. By focusing on healthy relationships that you are in, you will increase your self-esteem. This will make you feel more confident about your abilities and provide a realistic perspective on life.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can lead to sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviors. Women with adhd that is high functioning may be at greater risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can also cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment which may negatively impact their relationships and well-being.
One study surveyed adults with ADHD and found that they were more likely to have adventurous sexual interests than those who did not suffer from the disorder. Both genders were affected. This is likely due to the increased levels of impulsivity which can cause them to be more likely to act on sexual thoughts and desires. In particular, the study showed that women with adhd were more likely to engage in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviors. This included submissive role-play, bondage and sex with strangers. They also went to sex events and more clubs.
Females and males with adhd had a greater rate of infidelity than people without the disorder. This was due to their lack of control of impulses and alcohol-related disinhibition. This could be due to their greater levels of anxiety and a feeling of being misunderstood or misjudged by their partners. The survey asked participants about their experiences with extra-partner affairs and sexual relations without contraception. Table 6 outlines the results from this section.
The study also used the Hypersexuality-Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) which asked participants to describe their problematic sexual behavior. The questionnaire is comprised of 19 items that are grouped into three subscales. adhd in adult women symptoms is evaluated on a five-point scale between 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score the more symptomatology there is. The HBI-19 was utilized to compare sexual behaviors between people with ADHD and those without.
These findings are significant because the psychosexual outcomes of people with ADHD have been scarcely studied. They have been linked 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 with high functioning ADHD have difficulties in their relationships with loved ones. Insufficient communication and misunderstandings triggered by signs such as forgetfulness and inattention could lead to frustration, anger, and conflict within the relationship. A strong network of friends and family members who are able to understand each other can be helpful for maintaining healthy relationships.
It is crucial to keep in mind that people who suffer from ADHD have a difficult time listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behaviors that can cause them to miss out on the central reason for a discussion. People with ADHD are more likely to struggle with multitasking, too and can cause them to lose track of conversations or perform other things while someone else is talking.
These conflicts can result in an unending cycle where the partner who is not ADHD is overwhelmed with anger and stress, while the ADHD partner feels that they are not understood. The problem can escalate in the meantime as they become more isolated.
Women with high-functioning ADHD are often overwhelmed and exhausted by their daily demands. They might experience feelings of shame and low self-esteem because of their impulsive and disorganized behavior, or feel as if they're unable to keep up with their household chores and bills. They can also suffer from mood swings and sensitivity to rejection as well as low sex drive.
It is essential that those who suffer from ADHD seek treatment and seek help. It is important that the people closest to them, particularly spouses, learn more about ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can collaborate to set clear expectations and boundaries and then formulate a plan for how they can achieve those objectives. For instance the non-ADHD spouse could take on more of the financial responsibilities, while the person with ADHD might focus on completing chores and organizing the house.
In addition, both partners must work together to communicate more effectively and clearly and establish a regular routine that includes regular sleeping patterns, meal times, and time for rest and relaxation. It is also essential to find ways to make things easier for both of you for example, splitting household chores, or outsourcing some tasks that are difficult for the person with ADHD, such as hiring an expert cleaning service or utilizing apps to manage costs.