5 Ways ADHD Looks Different in Women And Go Undiagnosed

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Why then do women with ADHD claim that they have their brains running circles in their heads but appear so calm on the outside? 

In men, the symptoms of ADHD may manifest themselves as restlessness or impulsivity i.e. interrupting others or squirming. However, to most of the women, it is a feeling of internal pandemonium. Their minds hop from one idea to another, with difficulty finishing things, but they continue sitting and smiling along. This is inattentive type ADHD, and the Journal of Attention Disorders study shows that females are twice as likely to have this type as the hyperactive type. On a deeper level, even within the brain cells themselves, chemicals like dopamine play an important part.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which helps brain cells talk to each other about focus and reward. With ADHD, there can be less of it present or it doesn’t stick around long enough because the cells process it differently. Small molecules that attach to receptors in the cells bind to dopamine however when defective, the signal disappears quickly. This mechanism can be altered by female hormones like estrogen in women increasing the symptoms during menstruation or menopause. The result of this internal cyclone is the delayed diagnosis whereby the doctors look at the external symptoms and not the internal mental spin cycle.

Why are overplanning or perfectionism some of the coping strategies of women with ADHD?

Women create coping mechanisms to hide their struggles, like making ridiculously elaborate lists or overachieving to look put together. It’s disabling camouflage that presents a high achievement. A study by the American Psychological Association found 42% of women with ADHD who report anxiety as a side effect, typically as a result of this exhausting effort at compensating for it. On a cellular level, norepinephrine, another chemical, enters the picture. It’s the alarm system that keeps cells functioning in order to remain on the job. In ADHD, the pathways through which these chemicals travel between cells are disrupted, maybe because of genes that affect how cells build those pathways. Women might make up for it by working their brains harder, leading to burnout. Underdiagnosis here because women are praised in society for being organized and nobody suspects it’s a cover-up for something.

Why do women’s emotional ups and downs get more extreme with ADHD?

Emotions can hit like waves with the women, from sudden sobbing to quick flashes of anger at minor things. Unlike the ADHD stereotype of being just distractible, control over emotions is a big part. Statistics drawn from ADDitude Magazine surveys show that 70% of the females with ADHD struggle with mood swings compared to 50% of the males. Going further, at the cellular level, the frontal regions of the brain where planning occurs don’t communicate well with emotion centers. Cells employ minute bridges referred to as synapses to relay messages, but in ADHD, these bridges may have defective gates, allowing too much or too little. Estrogen activates these gates and hence when one is pregnant the symptoms are at their highest. Physicians will be wrongly treating it as depression or bipolar disorder and fail to administer the proper treatment.

How come that women with ADHD have difficulties with everyday matters, such as with keeping the house clean or remembering appointments?

Life is like a hill to climb. Forgetting keys, missing deadlines, or having dirty laundry accumulate isn’t lazy now it’s the executive function of the brain malfunctioning. The CDC states that adult women with ADHD are 2.5 times more likely to have problems with household disorganization. Cellularly, it’s a matter of how prefrontal cortex brain cells communicate. These cells operate on a balance between excitatory and inhibitory messages, picture cells having an excited discussion or calming each other. With ADHD, the calming messages are flat, and therefore everything is too much. Multitasking on the part of women contributes to this and because symptoms do not wail “hyper,” no one is aware in professionals.

Does ADHD in women have any relationship to other health problems, like sleep problems or nutrition?

ADHD women also have difficulty with add-ons like insomnia or unusual eating. According to a review in The Lancet Psychiatry, 60% of women with ADHD have sleep disorders, while 40% in the general population have sleep disorders. On a cellular level, the brain’s clock, regulated by cells in the hypothalamus, gets out of sync as a result of dopamine rhythms being amiss. Those cells that are meant to decelerate at night keep humming, thus precipitating poor sleep. That’s why diagnosis escapes because symptoms also mimic hormonal issues or stress, and women might report those instead.

Apart from the above explanations, knowing ADHD in women entails looking at the big picture. It is not a behavior; rather it is the manner in which the body arranges itself in the early age. It has a genetic factor, and there are some genetic variations in a particular way in which cells form or break down those vital chemicals. The environment enters in as well, like stress affecting how cells develop.

Healthcare bias! Key reason for under diagnosis? 

Techniques for detecting ADHD were based on symptoms, so females’ less overt forms fall through the cracks. And, moreover, stigma about mental illness causes most to shut their mouths. To put all this together, being aware of these differences may save lives. If you’re a woman who has this feeling, having an adult ADHD; an aware physician may be for you.

Following is a brief compilation of what to search for, blended from real-life experiences and research:

    • Daydreaming during a conversation, easily lost.
    • Being bogged down by simple decisions, like what to cook.
    • Starting projects with zest but never completing them.
    • The need for strict routines to function, but hating them.
    • Guilt-tripping heavily over failed promises.
    • Experiencing creative bursts followed by catastrophic slumps.
    • Having time perception problems, always running behind schedule.
    • Restlessness within, even when being physically still.
    • Sensitively overreacting to criticism, taking it personally.
    • Requiring stimulation, such as constant snacking or scrolling.

Conclusion

Finally, ADHD in women is a puzzle with missing pieces that won’t fill in the usual picture. By knowing the things, we can help more women get the assistance they need, casting hidden struggles in the light of visible strengths.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder shortly called as ADHD, a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects the brain how to focus, process information, and controls impulses. ADHD People would face struggle with attention, organization, restlessness and so they might have impulsive behavior. However, these challenges may look different from person to person. Actually it is not a sign of laziness or lack of intelligence, in fact, most people with ADHD are highly creative, energetic, and capable thinkers. When it comes to ADHD, understanding  is key in supporting people and its unique challenges to uncover the strengths that often come alongside.

In women it is a different story. Think of a stressed-out mother juggling work, home, and an impossible list of things to do and her mind is the mess of mixed thoughts she cannot sort out. This is a condition where the brain cannot focus or relax and is estimated to be found in 4% of adults in the world. Why? Because symptoms in women merge into day-to-day life stresses, so it’s difficult to identify. Let’s take a look at five ways that occur, with some more in-depth analysis of what’s occurring in the body.


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