ADHD in women

Hi Brains. Just so you know, I'm an ADHD woman. Like a man with ADHD, I have mental health issues, but they affect me differently. Intro music Before we begin, I want to note that several guys commented on my ADHD in girls episode, "Wait.. I have the GIRL presentation?" There is no "girl presentation" of ADHD, but research shows that women—at least cisgendered women—present differently to cismen due to biological and social factors, which can make our ADHD harder to diagnose and treat. Because people are diverse, part of this may apply to both genders.

Neurodiversity can manifest internally in anyone, which is commonly overlooked. If any of this seems familiar, the conclusion is the same. Get yourself checked out and supported. OK. Let's begin research. ADHD affects the same brain regions and neurotransmitter systems and has the same core deficits, but the symptoms can vary due to biological and social differences. ADHD presents and results differently by gender and sex: Women are expected to be adept at organizing, planning, and other executive responsibilities, and society is less forgiving when they fail. Social pressures make us try harder to “fit in” and “be good”. Females with ADHD are more likely than males to develop anxiety, self-esteem issues, and other internalizing problems, while males develop externalizing problems like rule breaking and aggression. Girls and women with ADHD also have hyperactivity and impulsivity. We do.

Some symptoms are less visible. They may include racing thoughts, speaking before thinking, talking rapidly, unsafe sexual behavior, and interpersonal issues. If you menstruate, your ADHD symptoms may fluctuate or worsen throughout certain phases of your cycle and during major hormonal changes like adolescence, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. Our ADHD presentation and treatment may change. Cool. Okay. My doctor is aware of that, right? Probably not. Most ADHD research has been done in males, and the DSM criteria don't fit females as well as males.

Therefore, many women with ADHD are misdiagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder and given the improper or less effective medication. Internalizing symptoms makes us less likely to be referred for diagnosis, less likely to receive a diagnosis, and less likely to receive stimulant treatment even if we are diagnosed. despite the fact that stimulant medicine is the first-line ADHD treatment and works equally effectively for men and women. Hormones are unlikely to be considered even if we are diagnosed and treated with stimulants. Since I was a "good kid," no one believed I had ADHD. Because I was “smart.” However, I went to great measures to conceal my struggles. Whenever I couldn't, I loathed myself. Every time I arrived home without my jacket, lost a beautiful birthday earring, wasn't invited to parties, or couldn't remember the teacher's question. Despite my best attempts, I was labeled spacy, messy, clumsy, odd, forgetful, flaky, lazy, and irresponsible. I didn't tell anyone. I was embarrassed. I attempted to conceal it. When I went through teenage hormonal changes and started angrily quitting talks, my coping techniques stopped working. My family recognized an issue when my executive function changed and I started doing poorly in school. -- First doctor my mom went me to said I couldn't have ADHD. Because I did well in elementary school. Thank goodness my mom said, "thanks for your opinion, I’d like to see a specialist." ADHD was my diagnosis. Thanks to her willingness to test stimulant medication, it worked. A lot. Even after that, I didn't take my ADHD seriously since I felt no one did. I didn't seek for adjustments, coaching, or treatment, and I even stopped taking my meds because someone I trusted said I didn't need them. Even after I dropped out of community college, had several car accidents, divorced, got fired from several jobs, ruined my credit, developed generalized anxiety disorder, and had my first panic attack, I was embarrassed to start this channel because I thought my struggles weren't that bad. Because I compared them to my brother and cousin. Others might see the symptoms. Even after being diagnosed, I didn't obtain sufficient ADHD treatment because I didn't think it was okay to need extra help, until my aggravation with my issues got so terrible I began a YouTube channel about them. Many women tell me they were neglected, misdiagnosed, or treated for other mental health issues for years or decades before their ADHD was detected. What can we do? Inform ourselves and others on how ADHD affects women differently and obtain support. What we know. ADHD in women is usually worse than it appears. External symptoms reflect interior difficulties. Having a mostly inattentive appearance and being educated to hide our challenges will not make us appear “as ADHD” as we are. Anyone who's been pressured to 'be good' often hides their ADHD symptoms, not just women. Also true for autism. We may downplay our struggles. Research shows that women underreport symptoms while men overreport. Comorbid anxiety, depression, or other mental health disorders may be more noticeable than ADHD. This makes us more likely to self-diagnose ADHD and be the first to notice it. If we've been dismissed or misdiagnosed, we may be more afraid to see a doctor. I recommend seeing ADHD specialists or experts. Remember that if you're struggling, there's a cause, whether it's ADHD or something else. Having invisible challenges doesn't mean they're imaginary. Get the help we need is also crucial. While we may be doing well in school or not getting in trouble, women with ADHD face substantial long-term challenges. Like self-medication, which can become addictive. Or eating disorders. STIs and unexpected pregnancies. Women with ADHD often experience chronic pain. Suicide attempts and self-harm. The longer we go without help, the longer we have to find out how to manage, which isn't necessarily healthy. The longer we struggle without understanding why, the more disordered our self- and ability-beliefs become. Our essential beliefs about ourselves often arise before our challenges are visible to others. This happened to me, and I'm still fixing it. My low self-esteem led to abusive relationships. My inability to fit in caused social anxiety; I'm still making pals. My symptoms may not have seemed important at the time, but they have changed my life. Again, hormones affect symptoms. Since everyone who menstruates has hormone variations that influence ADHD and needs extra care during large transitions, it's important to be aware of how our symptoms are changing throughout our cycle and talk to our doctor about choices. Different drug doses at different times of the month may help some people. We'll discuss hormones in another episode because there's a lot to cover and we need more research. More research on all genders is needed. ADHD research on women and gender diverse people is scarce. Research reveals higher neurodiversity rates in the trans community, highlighting the need for further research to better understand and assist all brains, as biological and societal variables impact ADHD. Because no one should live condemning their brain for how it functions. Period. I appreciate my brain advocates and Patreon brains for supporting our work so we can keep generating ADHD awareness content to help more brains :) I'm getting ice cream. Like, subscribe, click everything, and see you next video! Bye brains!