What Is It That Makes High Functioning ADHD In Women So Popular?
High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women with high functioning adhd experience frustration and misunderstandings in their relationships. Symptoms can heighten at times of hormonal change, such as the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
Many girls and women resort to compensatory strategies, masking their symptoms and impairments, which can delay time to referral.
This group of patients has distinct challenges which must be taken into account when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
Women can be depressed due to the social and emotional challenges of ADHD. Even when they're successful, it is easy to feel like they're a failure because of things they cannot change. This can result in an unending cycle where they feel overwhelmed and never quite good enough which can take a toll on their mental health and self-esteem.
Girls who aren't treated for ADHD are at greater risk of chronic low self-esteem, anxiety, teen pregnancy, depression and substance abuse. As adults, they're at a higher risk of becoming single-parents of a child with ADHD and facing financial hardship or unemployment. They are also more likely than others to be afflicted by eating disorders and pass their bad habits on to their children.
It's essential that women get a diagnosis as it will help them better comprehend the challenges they face and manage their symptoms. Many women report that they feel much more at ease after receiving their diagnosis, allowing them to stop beating themselves up over the little things they can't control. It can also help them see their struggles as strengths and help them focus their focus on what is important most (Waite, 2010).
As women age and move towards menopausal, their hormone levels can change and ADHD symptoms may worsen. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat women with ADHD as their symptoms could be incorrectly identified and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of the month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Having untreated adult ADHD can have devastating effects on a woman's self-esteem, and her relationships with her family and friends. Symptoms may interfere with a woman's daily routine which can make her angry and exhausted. She may feel that she can't refuse people, leading her to become overburdened and resentful of people who are around her. She might find it difficult to manage her work and home life and this can lead to missed appointments and lost files. She may also be more easily triggered by rejection, therefore she's more likely to be defensive and lash out at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity makes you feel deeply hurt when rejected. This can be real or perceived. A disagreement with your partner, or a negative comment from a coworker at work can trigger your symptoms. The brain's natural defense mechanisms are overstimulated, resulting in thoughts or feelings, and beliefs that could harm your relationships and self esteem. There are also depression, anxiety, and mood swings as a result of sensitive to rejection.
Rejection sensitivity, while typically associated with ADHD is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation. This affects how your brain handles emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be found in other mental health disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD).
People suffering from RSD may see events through a filter that makes them appear darker or dimmer than they actually are. This causes them to perceive and interpret things as being related to rejection, even though they are not. RSD can also cause you to have a difficult managing your emotions and that's why it's important to have healthy coping strategies to manage this.
Learn more about the issue of rejection sensitivity by reading these articles:
While there is no cure for RSD it is possible to manage the symptoms with the help of a mental healthcare professional. You can utilize strategies to cope, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps you modify your negative thought patterns. You can also create an emotional support network and practice mindfulness to lower the chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This will help you discover ways to overcome your RSD, so you can lead a more pleasant and fulfilled life. Avoid relationships that are toxic, because they can cause more symptoms. If you're in a abusive relationship, get counseling to discover the best way to leave. This can help you reduce your risk of feelings of rejection, such as anxiety and depression. You can also boost your self-esteem by focusing on building healthy relationships. This will allow you to feel more confident in your abilities and provide you with an unbiased view of the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make maintaining a healthy relationship difficult. This can result in sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviors. Women who have high functioning adhd might be more at risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can also cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment which may affect their relationships and well-being.
One study looked at adults suffering from ADHD and discovered that they were more likely to have adventurous sexual interests than those who did not suffer from the disorder. This was true for both males and females. This could be due to their higher levels of impulsivity, which makes them more likely to act on sexual desires and thoughts. Particularly, the study revealed that females with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviors. This included bondage, submissive roles and sexing with strangers. It was also more typical for them to go to sexual clubs and parties.
Females and males with adhd had a higher rate of infidelity than people without the disorder. This was due to their lack of control of impulses and alcohol-related disinhibition. It could also be because of their higher rates of anxiety and feeling misunderstood by their partners. The survey asked participants to describe their experiences with extra-partner affairs and sexual relations that were not contraceptive. Table 6 provides the results of this section.
Lastly, the study used the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to ask participants about their sexual issues. The questionnaire comprises 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is rated using a five-point scale, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score the more symptomatology is present. The HBI-19 was used to compare the sexual behaviors of people with and without ADHD.
These findings are important due to the fact that the psychosexual effects of people with ADHD have been scarcely studied. They have been linked to sexual dysfunctions such as STIs and unwanted pregnancy, relationship dissatisfaction and adult-onset infidelity as well as dangerous sexual behavior.
4. Relationships
Many people with high functioning ADHD have trouble in their relationships with loved ones. Insufficient communication and misunderstandings caused by symptoms such as inattention and forgetfulness may result in anger, frustration, and conflict within a relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be assisted by a supportive network of friends and family members who understand.
It is also important to note that those with ADHD often have difficulty listening. They are often interrupted by their impulsive behavior or own thoughts, which may cause them to lose the purpose of an exchange. People with ADHD are more likely to be struggling with multitasking as well and can cause them to lose track of conversations or perform other things while someone else is talking.
These conflicts can lead to a vicious cycle in which the non-ADHD partner becomes overwrought with anger and stress and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood, and defensive. They then tend to withdraw and the situation can get worse from there.
Women with high-functioning ADHD are often exhausted and overwhelmed by their daily demands. They may experience shame or low self-esteem due to their impulsive and chaotic behavior. www.iampsychiatry.uk is also possible that they feel that they are unable to manage their bills and chores. They might also feel mood swings, sensitivity to rejection and low sexual desire.
For these reasons, it is vital for those with ADHD to find an effective treatment plan and seek help. It is essential that the people closest to them, including spouses, understand ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to establish clear expectations and boundaries and then devise a plan of how they will achieve their goals. For example, the non-ADHD partner might be more involved in the financial responsibilities, whereas the person with ADHD may be more focused on organizing and completing housework.
In addition, both parties should be able to communicate efficiently and clearly and establish a routine that includes regular sleeping schedules, meal times, and time for rest and relaxation. It's important to find ways to make things easier for both spouses, such as dividing household tasks or outsourcing certain tasks that are difficult for a person with ADHD.