Adult Female ADD Symptoms
Women suffering from ADD can suffer from various symptoms. Some are hyperactive while others are hypoactive. Women with ADD struggle to stay on top of their daily chores like maintaining an orderly home or attending to the needs of children or participating in family activities.
Difficulty remembering names is another common symptom. This symptom can worsen before, during, or after menopause.
1. Inability to Focus
Lack of focus can be a sign of several mental health problems. You should seek help if you are incapable of completing an assignment or make poor choices, or forget important information whether at work or at home. These symptoms could be caused by side effects of medications or stress, as well as other factors. They could also be signs of underlying conditions such as ADHD.
Women who suffer from ADD tend to lose their focus quickly. They might be distracted or struggle to complete tasks like grocery shopping or washing clothes. They might also be susceptible to making mistakes that aren't their fault and regularly misplacing items, which can result in a messy home, cluttered office, or misplaced work equipment. They may also be impulsive and make bad choices that could lead to negative consequences like using drugs, engaging in risky sex or fighting.
They could also be hypoactive or hyperactive. Hyperactive women can run at a high speed until she crashes from exhaustion and a woman who is hypoactive cannot muster the energy needed to make it through the day. Both women can struggle to keep relationships intact, keep up with obligations to their families, or meet professional obligations.
Women suffering from ADD are usually identified as having an affliction that is high-functioning. This isn't an official medical diagnosis, but describes the way they manage their symptoms. They may have concentration problems but they don't impact their daily lives as significantly. The symptoms can change however if you begin to notice that they're getting worse over time, it's a good idea to consult your doctor. They can help you identify the root of your symptoms, and recommend treatment options.
2. Mood Swings
Often, women with ADD are more susceptible to mood swings. They can get angry at the slightest annoyance, feel frustrated and then storm away in anger. They are also more impulsive, and tend to jump into the air first rather than take things slowly and steadily. This can lead to financial problems or even relationship disasters. These emotional symptoms can be misdiagnosed. However, often they are co-existing with ADD. The mood swings can also become more severe when pregnant or menstrual cycles occur or during perimenopausal. ADD can make it hard to maintain a job, which may also contribute to depression.
3. Distractions
Women who suffer from ADD are easily distracted by things that happen around them, and also by their own thoughts. They might be lost in a dream or find it difficult to focus on tasks such as grocery shopping due to the multitude of options. It's not easy to make too focus on a single concept for them, and they become frustrated when their attention is diverted.
Mood swings are also common among women with ADD as they experience the emotional roller coaster of the disorder. They can become angry with small aggravations and often blame themselves for their shortcomings. The impulsive nature of their behavior can cause difficulties in relationships, at school and at work. These extreme mood changes sometimes cause a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder. This is particularly true since many women with ADD have depression co-occurring with it that needs to be treated as well.
4. Irritability
Irritability is a typical indication of a mental illness. It could also be due to physical issues like food intolerance or hormonal imbalances.
An individual who is angry can feel tense, uptight and easily annoyed. It can lead to frustration or anger, which may result in them snapping at people who haven't committed any wrongdoing. It can also affect a person's mood and make them more susceptible to depression or anxiety symptoms.
signs and symptoms of adhd in adults is a mood that is agitated that is characterized by a partial physiological disturbance. It involves a heightened sensory sensitivity, a noncognitively mediated lower threshold for responding with aggression or anger to less threatening stimuli, and a greater tendency to be irritable (Digiuseppe Tafrate, 2007). Irritability is caused by hunger or fatigue or sleeplessness, or pain. It can be a symptom of hormonal changes, such as those that occur during premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
In one study, researchers polled 287 students to assess their level of anger. They found that those with extreme irritability had a greater burden of psychiatric symptoms than those without. They also reported more difficulty in their daily lives than those without the irritable episodes.
Try relaxation techniques to lessen your irritability. You can find a peaceful space to practice breathing exercises, listen to music, or take a bath away from the commotion and noise of a crowded environment. Practicing self-care by focusing on your emotional and physical needs can help calm down your brain and body, which in turn will reduce your stress levels.
5. Depression
Depression is a constant low mood that can affect a person's daily functioning. While it's normal to feel sad following an event of loss or another stressful event, depression is more than just feeling sad. Depression is a serious psychiatric condition that can trigger feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and helplessness. Depression can affect people of all age groups, races and genders. Women are more likely than men to experience depression.
Depression may manifest as a persistently low mood, a shift in appetite and weight (either either way), changes in sleeping patterns and fatigue or feeling tired. Other symptoms include a negative self-image, feeling empty or hopeless suicidal thoughts and attempts, slowed movements and speech, a general difficulty in thinking clearly and have difficulty making decisions. Depression can also cause the loss of interest in activities or hobbies and the feeling of being trapped and unable to move forward.
Depression is more common in women than men and the peak is during pregnancy and puberty, as well as the first year after childbirth. Depression can also occur during menopausal perimenopausal and perimenopaus. There are a variety of mental health disorders can be co-existing with depression, including anxiety disorders and addiction to substances. Check out this NIMH fact sheet for more details on depression and treatment options, as well as sources to seek help.