Attention deficit hyperactive disorder is often thought of as a childhood disorder, however, for millions of adults suffering from ADHD, the symptoms are very real and interfere in many aspects of daily functioning. Childhood ADHD is more commonly found in boys than girls, but among adults with ADHD, the rates for women and men are almost equal. Women with ADHD experience symptoms differently than do men with the disorder, often leading to a woman's ADHD remaining undiagnosed.
Inattention
Inattention without hyperactivity is more predominate in women than men, writes author Nicole Crawford in the article "ADHD: A Woman's Issue." Crawford notes that women are typically diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, the non-hyperactive version of the disorder. Symptoms of inattention among women include being easily overwhelmed and having difficulty with time management and chronic disorganization. Inattention can lead to feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day tasks such as organizing activities, keeping the house clean and managing finances.
Depression
Women with ADHD commonly suffer from depression as well, as a result of either an additional illness or from the feelings of helplessness and frustration resulting from ADHD. Neuropsychologist Mitchell Clionsky, Ph.D., assesses and treats women with ADHD and reports that many patients are referred to him after seeking treatment for depression symptoms and subsequently being diagnosed with ADHD. Depression symptoms resulting from ADHD include low self-esteem, chronic sleep deprivation, longstanding feelings of stress and alcohol abuse.
Learned Helplessness
ADHD can lead to unmet goals, unfinished projects, and a lifelong feeling of failure and underachievement. Julia Rucklidge, Ph.D., studied 102 women with ADHD and her findings were published in both the Journal of Attention Disorders and the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Rucklidge's research found that women with ADHD often have a "learned helpless style" of blaming themselves when bad things happen, as well as believing that they do not have control over the outcome of situations in life. This pattern of learned helplessness in women leads to less of an effort to make changes and finish challenges, which further reinforces their beliefs that they are unable to accomplish things in life.
