High Functioning ADHD in Women<br /><br />Women with high functioning adhd experience discontent and confusion in their relationships. The symptoms may be more severe during periods of hormonal changes, like premenstrual and pregnancy periods.<br /><br />Many women and girls use compensatory strategies to hiding their impairments and symptoms that can delay time until referral.<br /><br />This patient group faces a unique set problems that must be taken into account when treating them.<br /><br />1. Insecurities about self-esteem<br /><br />The emotional and social issues that come with ADHD can cause women to feel low. Even when they're successful, it's easy to feel like a failure because of things they can't control. This can create an endless cycle of feeling like they feel overwhelmed and never satisfied which can affect their mental health and self-esteem.<br /><br />Girls with untreated ADHD are more at risk of chronic low self-esteem, teen pregnancy, anxiety, depression, and addiction to drugs. As adults, they're more likely to be single-parents to a child with ADHD and experiencing financial crisis or underemployment. They're also more likely than other people to suffer from eating disorders and to pass their bad habits on to their children.<br /><br />It is crucial for girls to get an accurate diagnosis because it will give them an understanding of their issues and enable them to manage their symptoms more effectively. Many women say that they feel much more confident after receiving their diagnosis, which allows them to stop blaming themselves for the small things they cannot control. It can also help them reframe their issues and help them focus on the things that matter (Waite 2010).<br /><br />As women age and enter menopausal age, their hormone levels change, and ADHD symptoms can get worse. It is often difficult to identify 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".<br /><br />Being diagnosed with untreated adult ADHD can have devastating impacts on women's self-esteem and her relationships with friends and family. The symptoms can affect the woman's daily routine which can make her angry and exhausted. She might feel like she isn't able to refuse people, which causes her to become overburdened and resentful towards those around her. She might find it difficult to organize her home and work life, leading to missed appointments and lost files. She can also be more susceptible to being triggered by rejection, which means she is more likely to react defensively and snap at those she loves.<br /><br />2. Rejection Sensitivity<br /><br />Rejection sensitivity causes you to feel deeply hurt when rejected. This could be real or perceived. You could be triggered by a disagreement with your partner or a negative review from a coworker at work. The brain's natural defence mechanisms are overstimulated, resulting in thoughts and feelings that could harm your relationships and self esteem. You can also experience depression, anxiety and mood swings as a result of sensitive to rejection.<br /><br />Although it's often attributed to ADHD, rejection sensitivity is actually a sign of emotional dysregulation, which affects the way your brain manages emotions and how you react to them. The symptoms can also be found in other mental health conditions like borderline personality disorder (BPD).<br /><br />People suffering from RSD may see events through an eye that makes them appear darker or less than they actually are. This can cause 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 time regulating your emotions which is why it's important to develop healthy strategies for coping to manage this.<br /><br />You can learn more about the sensitivity to rejection by reading the articles below:<br /><br />Although there isn't a cure for RSD however, you can manage your symptoms with the help of an expert in mental health. You can use coping techniques like cognitive behavior therapy to alter your negative thinking patterns. You can also build an emotional support network and practice mindfulness to reduce the chance of reacting negatively to rejection. This can help you find ways to overcome your RSD and allow you to live a more positive and fulfilled life. Avoid relationships that are toxic, since they can worsen your symptoms. If you're in a abusive relationship, get counseling to discover the best method to leave. This can lower the risk of experiencing feelings of rejection, such as depression and anxiety. By focusing on relationships that are healthy and relationships, you can boost your self-esteem. This will help you feel more confident about your abilities and provide you with an unbiased view of the world around you.<br /><br /><br /><br />3. Sexuality<br /><br />ADHD symptoms can make the maintenance of a healthy relationship a challenge. This can result in sexual dysfunctions and risky sexual behaviors. Women who have high functioning adhd might be more at risk of having sexual issues. These behaviors can also result in feelings of shame and guilt, which can have a negative effect on the quality of their relationships as well as their overall health.<br /><br />In one study, those with ADHD were found to be more likely than people without ADHD to have adventurous sexual fascination. This was true for both males and females. This could be due to the increased levels of impulsivity which could make them more likely to be influenced by sexual ideas and desires. Particularly, the study revealed that females with adhd were more likely to engage in paraphilic sex fantasies and behaviors. This included submissive roles play and bondage as well as sex with strangers. It was also more typical for them to go to sex clubs and parties.<br /><br />Both women and men with adhd were more likely be infidelity than those who did not have the disorder. This was due to poor impulse control, alcohol disinhibition and sensation-seeking. This could also be due to their higher rates of insecurity and being misunderstood or mistreated by their partners. The survey asked participants to describe their experiences with extra-partner affairs and sexual relationships without contraception. Table 6 outlines the results from this section.<br /><br />The study also used the Hypersexuality-Symptom Inventory-19 (HBI-19), which asked participants to describe their problematic sexual behaviors. This questionnaire consists of 19 items that are divided into three subscales. Each item is scored on a five-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The higher the score, more symptomatology is evident. The HBI-19 was used to evaluate the sexual behaviors of adults with and without ADHD.<br /><br />These findings are significant, because the psychosexual results for adults with ADHD were rarely studied. <a href="https://www.iampsychiatry.uk/adult-adhd-in-women/">adhd women uk</a> have been associated with sexual dysfunctions, such as STI's and unwanted pregnancies, relationship problems, infidelity that begins at the onset of adulthood and adolescence and risky sexual behavior.<br /><br />4. Relationships<br /><br />Many people with high functioning ADHD have issues with their romantic relationships. Lack of clear communication and misunderstandings caused by symptoms like inattention and forgetfulness may cause anger, frustration and conflict in a relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships can be helped by a supportive network of friends and family members who understand.<br /><br />It is important to remember, too, that people with ADHD have trouble listening. They can be interrupted easily by their impulsive behavior or own thoughts, which may cause them to lose the purpose of the conversation. People with ADHD may also have trouble multitasking, which can cause them to mute conversations or to do something else while another person is talking.<br /><br />These battles can create a cycle where the non-ADHD partner is overwhelmed with anger and stress and the ADHD partner feels misunderstood, and defensive. The issue could escalate in the meantime as they become more isolated.<br /><br />Women who have high functioning ADHD often feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of daily life. They may feel low self-esteem or shame because of their impulsive, disorganized behavior. It is also possible that they find themselves struggling to manage their bills and chores. They might also be suffering from mood swings and sensitivity to rejection and low sexual drive.<br /><br />It is crucial that people who suffer from ADHD find a treatment and seek assistance. It is important that those closest to them, particularly spouses, understand ADHD and how it affects the person they love. They can work together to establish the right expectations and boundaries and then devise a plan for how they will meet those goals. The non-ADHD spouse could assume more financial responsibility while the person with ADHD is focused on organizing and completing chores at home.<br /><br />Both partners should work to improve their communication and create a routine that includes regular sleeping patterns, meal times, and time for relaxation and rest. It is important to discover ways to make things easier for both partners, such dividing household tasks or outsourcing some of those that are difficult for a person with ADHD.<br /><br />