High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who have high functioning adhd are prone to frustration and misunderstandings in their relationships. The symptoms may be more severe during periods of hormonal changes, like premenstrual and menstrual cycles.
Many women and girls resort to compensatory strategies in order to cover their impairments and symptoms can delay referral.
This patient group has distinct problems that must be considered when treating them.
1. Insecurities about self-esteem
Women can be depressed by the social and emotional challenges of ADHD. Even when they're successful it's easy to feel like a failure due to things they cannot control. This can result in an unending cycle of feeling overwhelmed and not good enough. This can have a negative impact on their mental well-being.
Girls who don't have treatment for ADHD are at higher risk of developing chronic low self-esteem as well as anxiety, teen pregnancy, depression, and abuse of substances. As adults, they're at higher risk of having a single parent for a child with ADHD and financial problems, as well as underemployment. They're also more likely than others to be afflicted by eating disorders and pass on their bad habits to their children.
It is crucial for girls to get an assessment, as it will give them an understanding of their challenges and help them manage their symptoms more efficiently. Many women report feeling confident after receiving the diagnosis. They can stop berating themselves over things they aren't able to control. It helps them to see their difficulties as strengths and help them focus their attention on the things that matter most (Waite 2010).
As women age and approach menopausal age, their hormone levels could change and ADHD symptoms can become more severe. This can make it difficult for them to be identified 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."
Untreated adult ADHD can have devastating consequences on women's self-esteem as well as relationships with her family and friends. The symptoms can disrupt the woman's daily routine, leaving her irritable and exhausted. It is possible that she cannot say no to anyone and end up overburdened herself and become resentful of people close to her. It can be difficult organizing her home and work life, which leads to missing appointments and documents getting lost. She could be more prone to being angered when she is not liked, making her more likely to lash out at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity is a condition that causes you to feel intensely when you are rejected, either real or perceived. A disagreement with a partner, or an insult from a colleague at work can trigger you. Your brain's defense mechanisms naturally become over-stimulated, and the thoughts emotions, feelings, and beliefs that result could harm your self-esteem and relationships. Rejection sensitivity can also cause anxiety, depression and mood shifts.
Rejection sensitivity, while often associated with ADHD is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation. This impacts how your brain handles emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be seen in other mental health disorders like borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients may perceive events through a filter, which makes them appear darker or brighter than they really are. This can cause them to interpret things as being related to rejection even though they're not. RSD can cause you to be in a state of being unable to control your emotions. This is why it is important to develop healthy coping strategies to deal with RSD.
You can find out more about the sensitivity to rejection by reading the articles below:
While there is no cure for RSD it is possible to treat symptoms with the assistance of a mental health professional. You can utilize coping techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy to alter your negative thinking patterns. You can also establish a support network and practice mindfulness to reduce your risk of reacting negatively to rejection. blog can help you find ways to overcome your RSD and allow you to lead a more pleasant and fulfilled life. It is also important to stay clear of toxic relationships since they can cause your symptoms to worsen. If you are in a abusive relationship, seek out counseling to learn how to safely quit. This can reduce your risk of feeling depressed and anxious like depression and anxiety. You can also boost your self-esteem by focusing on creating healthy relationships. This will allow you to feel more confident about your abilities and give you an unbiased view of the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make maintaining a healthy relationship difficult. This can lead to sexual dysfunctions and risky behaviours. Research suggests that women with high functioning adhd are at greater risk of experiencing these sexual issues than their non-ADHD counterparts. These behaviors can also result in feelings of shame and guilt which can have a negative impact on the quality of their relationships as well as their overall health.
One study surveyed adults suffering from ADHD and discovered that they were more likely to have a passion for sexual exploration than those without the disorder. This was true for both males and females. This is likely due to the greater impulsivity levels that can make them more likely be influenced by sexual ideas and desires. Particularly, the study revealed that females with adhd were more likely to indulge in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive roles play and bondage as well as sexual contact with strangers. It was also more common for them to go to sex clubs and parties.
Both women and men who suffer from adhd were more likely be infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This is due to their weak control of impulses and alcohol-related disinhibition. This is likely due to their higher levels of insecurity and being misunderstood, or misjudged by their partners. The survey also asked participants to share their experiences with extra-partner sexual relations and sexual interactions without contraception. Table 6 provides the results for this section.
In the final analysis, the study utilized the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to ask participants about their sexual problems. The questionnaire comprises 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored on a 5-point scale ranging that ranges from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score, the more symptomatology is present. The HBI-19 was used to assess the sexual behaviors of adults with and without ADHD.
These results are important since the psychosexual outcomes of adults with ADHD were rarely studied. They have been associated with sexual dysfunctions, like STI's, unwanted pregnancies, 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 struggle with their romantic relationships. Insufficient communication and misunderstandings caused by symptoms like forgetfulness and inattention can result in anger, frustration and conflict in a relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be helped by a network of family and friends who understand.
It is important to remember that people with ADHD have trouble listening. They can be interrupted easily by their impulsive behavior, or their own thoughts, which could cause them to miss the point of the conversation. People with ADHD might also have difficulty multitasking, which can cause them to shut out conversations or perform other tasks while other people are talking.
These battles can create a vicious cycle in which the person who is not ADHD is overwhelmed by anxiety and anger, and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood. They then tend to withdraw and the issue can escalate from there.
Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of daily life. They may feel guilt and low self-esteem as a result of their unpredictable and unorganized behavior, or feel that they can't keep up with their chores and bills. They may also experience mood swings, sensitivity to rejection and low sex desire.
This is why it is vital for those with ADHD to establish a treatment plan and seek assistance. It is also essential for those close to them particularly spouses to be aware of the condition and how it affects their loved ones. They can collaborate to establish clear boundaries and expectations and then devise an action plan to will meet those goals. For instance the partner who is not ADHD could be more involved in the financial responsibilities, whereas the person with ADHD may be more focused on the task of organizing and finishing housework.
Both partners should be working to improve their communication and create an established routine that includes regular sleeping patterns, meal times and time for relaxation and rest. It is also essential to discover ways to make life easier for both parties, such as dividing household chores, or outsourcing some tasks that are difficult for the person with ADHD, such as hiring an expert cleaning service or using apps to control costs.