What we know about how ADHD presents for women has changed over the past few years. Health professionals now have a much greater understanding of how ADHD presents differently in women, meaning that traits are now more widely recognised as potential ADHD rather than another mental or physical health condition. This in turn has led women to recognise ADHD characteristics in themselves and be more confident about seeking help and support.
Typical characteristics of ADHD in females
Women and girls with ADHD often struggle to sustain attention and have difficulties with planning, organisation and time management. Increased levels of energy, restlessness and impulsivity are also common, and they can be extremely sensitive and self-critical.
Many women with ADHD have the ability to manage high-level responsibilities yet find keeping on top of day-to-day tasks extremely challenging. They often recall being called ‘bossy’ or ‘chatty’ with school reports citing them as ‘having so much potential, if they could just apply themselves’. Many women who have shared these difficulties with health professionals have been told they are experiencing anxiety or depression. However, when we look at these difficulties in the context of ADHD, a different picture starts to appear.
ADHD traits in girls and women can include:
- Having a brilliant idea and starting a project with enthusiasm when it’s new but struggling to sustain that through to completion
- Often being late due to underestimating how long it takes them to get ready to leave the house
- Internalised hyperactivity including racing thoughts, feelings of restlessness and needing to move on to the next thing
- Impulsive spending leading to financial challenges
- Feelings of shame due to not being able to keep up with expectations around organising daily activities
- Often forgetting to eat, drink or use the bathroom when in a hyper focused state
- To compensate and avoid being seen as “scatterbrained”, they often become people-pleasers, perfectionists or overachievers.
Masking
Masking in ADHD refers to the conscious or unconscious effort to hide or suppress symptoms in order to fit in with others. Often people will try to blend in by copying others, overcompensating, bottling up emotions and displaying perfectionism.
Often women and girls develop coping strategies to mask their traits from a very young age. Girls are expected to be quiet, compliant and organised and often learn to internalise their differences to avoid criticism or rejection. Women often present as being able to cope, and can come across as confident and capable, but the extraordinary amount of effort this takes can lead to burnout, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.
The high cost of masking
While ADHD masking can help women navigate school, work, and relationships however the prolonged effort to do this has a significant impact on emotional wellbeing. Prolonged masking often leads to fatigue, extremely low self-esteem and ultimately burnout. Many women report supressing their ADHD traits has led to experiencing chronic stress, permanent feelings of anxiety, imposter syndrome and daily fatigue.
A key change in recognition and support
The good news is that awareness is growing. Clinicians now understand how ADHD presents in women and girls meaning that symptoms can be recognised much earlier on avoiding misdiagnosis and opening the door to the right support. The increase in the number of people receiving a diagnosis of ADHD has led to peer support networks developing, access to workplace adjustments, talking therapies tailored to suit ADHD individuals and shared learning across social media and online communities.
At Nurovia, we are firmly focused on seeing ADHD in women and girls from a strengths-based perspective, helping women to understand and celebrate their unique strengths, be kind to themselves and live life more authentically on their own terms.
More information
Are you a female or a parent of a girl looking for support with an ADHD assessment or medication services? Talk to a specialist