High Functioning ADHD in Women
Women who suffer from high functioning adhd may experience frustration and misunderstandings in their relationships. The symptoms may be more severe in periods of hormonal changes, such as the premenstrual and menstrual cycles.
Many girls and women are forced to resort to compensatory strategies, masking their symptoms and impairments that can delay time to referral.
This group of patients faces a unique set of issues that need to be taken into account when treating them.
1. Self-esteem issues
Women can be depressed due to the emotional and social issues of ADHD. Even if they're successful, it's easy to feel like a failure because of things they aren't able to change. This can result in an unending cycle where they feel overwhelmed and never quite good enough and can affect their self-esteem and mental health.
Girls who don't have treatment for ADHD are more at risk of having low self-esteem for a long time, teen pregnancy, anxiety, depression, and addiction to drugs. As adults, they are at greater risk of being single-parents to a child with ADHD and facing financial hardship or underemployment. They're also more likely than others to suffer from eating disorders and pass their bad habits onto their children.
It's important for girls to get a diagnosis, because it will provide them with a better understanding of their challenges and help them manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women report feeling confident after receiving the diagnosis. They can now stop getting angry about things they cannot control. It can also help them reframe their challenges as strengths and refocus their attention on the things that matter most (Waite 2010,).
As women age and enter menopausal the hormone levels of their bodies change and ADHD symptoms may get worse. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat women with ADHD due to the fact that their symptoms can be misdiagnosed and dismissed as "hormonal", "that time of month" or "an anxiety disorder".
Being diagnosed with untreated adult ADHD can have devastating effects on a woman's self-esteem, and her relationships with family and friends. The symptoms can affect daily routines, making her feeling exhausted and angry. She might feel like she can't refuse people, leading her to become overburdened and resentful of those around her. She might have difficulty organizing her work and home life, resulting in missed appointments and lost documents. She could also be more easily triggered when she is rejected, making her more likely to snap at people she loves.
2. Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity makes you feel extremely hurt when you are rejected. This could be real or perceived. A disagreement with your partner, or an insult from a colleague at work could trigger you. Your brain's defense mechanisms naturally become overwhelmed and the thoughts emotions, feelings, and beliefs that result can harm your self-esteem and relationships. You may also experience depression, anxiety, and mood changes due to rejection sensitivity.
Rejection sensitivity, which is often associated with ADHD is actually an indication of emotional dysregulation. This affects the way your brain processes emotions and how you respond to them. The symptoms can also be observed in other mental health disorders like borderline personality disorder (BPD).
RSD patients can see events through a filter, which makes them appear brighter or darker than they really are. This causes them to interpret things as if they are related to rejection, even if they are not. RSD can make you unable to control your emotions. This is why it is crucial to develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with RSD.
Check out the following articles to find out more about rejection sensitivity.
While there is no cure for RSD, it's possible to manage your symptoms with the assistance of an expert in mental health. You can use coping techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to alter your negative thinking patterns. You can also establish an alliance of support and practice mindfulness to lower your risk of reacting negatively to rejection. This will help you discover ways to overcome your RSD, so you can live a happier and more fulfilled life. Avoid relationships that are toxic, since they can worsen your symptoms. If you are in a abusive relationship, seek out counseling to find out how you can get out. This will help lower the risk of experiencing feelings of rejection, like anxiety and depression. You can also improve your self-esteem by creating healthy relationships. This will allow you to feel more confident about your abilities and give you an objective view of the world around you.
3. Sexuality
ADHD symptoms can make it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. This can cause sexual dysfunctions or risky behaviors. Women with high functioning adhd are at a higher risk for sexual problems. These behaviors can cause feelings of guilt and shame, which can have a negative impact on the quality of their relationships and overall well-being.
In one study, people with ADHD were found to be more likely than those without ADHD to have adventurous sexual curiosity. This was true for both males and females. This is likely due to their higher levels of impulsivity, which makes them more likely to act on sexual desires and ideas. In particular, the study showed that women with adhd were more likely to engage in paraphilic masturbation fantasies and behaviours. This included submissive roles, bondage and sexing with strangers. They also attended sex parties and clubs more often.
Both men and women with adhd were more likely to be infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This is due to their poor impulse control and alcohol-related disinhibition, as well as their desire for sensation. This could also be a result of their higher rates of anxiety and feeling misunderstood by partners. The survey also asked participants to report their experiences with sexual relationships and sexual encounters without the use of contraception. Table 6 summarizes the results of this section.
The study also used the Hypersexuality Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19) to inquire of participants about their problematic sexual behavior. Recommended Browsing consists of 19 items, which are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored using 5 points, ranging between 1 (never to 5) (very often)). The higher the score, the more symptomatology is present. The HBI-19 was developed in order to compare sexual behaviors between adults with ADHD and those who do not.
These results are important, because the psychosexual outcomes for adults with ADHD were rarely studied. They have been connected to sexual dysfunctions such as STI's and unplanned pregnancies, relationship problems, adolescent and adult onset infidelity and risky sexual behaviors.
4. Relationships
Many people with high functioning ADHD struggle with their romantic relationships. Lack of clarity in communication, and misunderstandings due to issues like forgetfulness and inattention can lead to frustration, resentment, and even conflict in the relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be made easier by a supportive network of family and friends who understand.
It is also important to keep in mind that people with ADHD frequently have trouble listening. They are easily distracted by their own thoughts or impulsive behaviors which can result in them missing out on the primary point of a discussion. People with ADHD may also have issues multitasking, which can cause them to mute conversations or do something else while another person is talking.
These conflicts can result in an unending cycle where the person who isn't ADHD is overwhelmed by stress and resentment and the ADHD person feels untrusted. They may then withdraw, and the problem escalates from there.
Women with high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of daily life. They may experience feelings of guilt and low self-esteem as a result of their unpredictable and unorganized behavior, or feel like 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.
This is why it is crucial for people who suffer from ADHD to establish an effective treatment plan and seek help. It is important that those who are closest to them, especially spouses, are aware of ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to set the right expectations and boundaries, then come up with a plan for how they will meet those objectives. For instance the partner who is not ADHD could assume more financial responsibility, while the person with ADHD may be more focused on organizing and completing housework.
Additionally, both partners should be able to communicate effectively and clearly and establish a regular routine that includes regular sleep patterns, meal times, and time for rest and relaxation. It is important to find ways to simplify things for both spouses, such as dividing household tasks or outsourcing some of those which are challenging for people with ADHD.