According to Sari Solden, in her book Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, "Almost all women find that life today is complex, upsetting or frustrating; but they are still able to meet most of life’s demands reasonably well…. For women with untreated Attention Deficit Disorder, however, the demands of daily life can be crippling. It cripples their self-esteem, their families, their lives, their work and their relationships."

Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is an inability to use skills of attention effectively. While AD/HD is the correct term for people diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder with or without hyperactivity, there is a popular and confusing usage of ADHD to indicate AD/HD with hyperactivity and ADD to indicate AD/HD without hyperactivity. For accuracy and clarity, this article will use AD/HD throughout. AD/HD affects between three and five percent of the population. However, adult AD/HD, especially as it appears in women, has only recently been recognized.

The primary symptoms of AD/HD include some combination of inattentiveness or distractibility, impulsivity, and in some people physical restlessness or hyperactive behavior. There are many other symptoms, however, some are more often seen in women and are often opposite of the more commonly recognized symptoms, therefore, making detection unlikely and diagnosis difficult. Both under diagnosis and over diagnosis are rampant. Each person’s experience with AD/HD is unique.

Women with AD/HD can be at either end of the spectrum, either hyperactive or underactive, or somewhere in the middle. Hyperactive women may go at full speed until they crash from the overload. Family life can also suffer with a hyperactive mother. She may be unable to sit and play games or read to her children, unless she finds the activities stimulating. If a hyperactive mom does manage to sit down for an activity, she may fidget or feel anxious.

Still, there are many women with AD/HD at the other extreme. They’re under-active, unable to muster the energy to do much of anything. Underactive AD/HD women are often unable to keep up with life’s many demands such as maintaining their homes, participating in family activities, staying in touch with friends, even holding down a job. This AD/HD symptom is often perceived as laziness by others. This false perception creates even more problems for the underactive woman and affects her self-esteem.

Women with AD/HD struggle with the inability to regulate attention. However, this doesn’t mean they can never maintain attention. The ability to focus for most with AD/HD is based on their interest and whether or not they find something stimulating. Many women daydreamed their way through school and hadn’t a clue what was being taught or going on around them. Yet, subjects or activities they found fun and interesting didn’t pose such a problem. In adult life, it may be the same.

Hyperfocusing, the opposite of inattention, also poses severe problems and can coexist with symptoms of inattention. While the woman with AD/HD may be unable to focus on some things, she may hyperfocus on that which interests her and is unable to shift from it. If she does manage to pull away, she may wander aimlessly as she repeatedly forgets what she is supposed to be doing, therefore, accomplishing little as her mind continues down one path.

AD/HD women may be impatient either visibly or internally or act impulsively. Standing in lines, sitting in waiting rooms, being placed on hold for lengthy waits drives some women to the brink. When they are faced with these nuisances, their agitation may show. Others are able to maintain their composure while still feeling anxious and annoyed.

Women with AD/HD may also be impatient about life and events. A woman with the disorder may plan her whole education one day, needing it to have happened yesterday, therefore, going gung ho rather than taking it step by step.

Impulsiveness is another symptom as demonstrated in acting or speaking without thinking. This often leads to trouble. AD/HD women may purchase impulsively or jump into or out of relationships. Some struggle socially by interrupting conversations or blurting out something they later regret.

Women with AD/HD may have mood swings, be overemotional, or easily frustrated, and often become depressed. They may be in a good mood, but at the drop of a hat their mood can swing to irritable or sad, sometimes without knowing why. For some women, it is like being on an emotional roller coaster—becoming overly excited by the positive and swinging to the other extreme over slight problems, disappointments, or perceived criticism or rejection. These extreme shifts in mood sometimes lead to a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Depression although not a symptom of AD/HD often coexists or is a result of the debilitating disorder. Depression may stem from lack of self worth because a woman with AD/HD may have difficulty holding down a job or adequately caring for her family. It sometimes comes from a feeling of being overwhelmed, which can predominate the life of the AD/HD woman. Or as is sometimes the case, clinical depression could easily be mistaken for AD/HD.

Research indicates that AD/HD is a neurobiological disorder with a strong genetic link. Peter S. Jensen, M.D., points out in the June 2001 issue of Attention! Magazine, published by the nonprofit organization Children and Adults with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, (CHADD), that complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, exposure to nicotine or alcohol during fetal development, or a number of other environmental factors may also play a role in AD/HD. Gene research that’s currently underway may lead to a better understanding of the disorder.

New studies show that the incidence of AD/HD in men and women are nearly identical says Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, co-author of Understanding Women with AD/HD. The most common reasons why women with ADHD don’t receive the diagnosis she states include the following:

V Their doctor diagnoses the depression that often accompanies AD/HD, but misses the AD/HD itself. Women with the condition, more often than men, have coexisting anxiety and depression that must be treated as well.

V Women who are more hyperactive, hypertalkative, and impulsive may be misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

V Doctors still look for AD/HD signs typical of boys and don’t understand that AD/HD signs in females often don’t appear until puberty or later. This is due to hormonal fluctuations that impact AD/HD so that it is worse when girls enter puberty, during PMS, and as estrogen levels drop in perimenopause and menopause.

V Girls tend to try harder in school, so their AD/HD patterns are masked or overlooked by teachers.

Several treatments are available for ADHD. The most effective, however, is prescription medication. Stimulants, such as Ritalin and Dexedrine have proven effective for approximately 70% of the AD/HD population. Antidepressants and some other classes of medications have also been found helpful in relieving ADHD symptoms.

Therapy can also be beneficial. Therapy is helpful for women in coming to terms with the lifelong disorder and can relieve negative coping behaviors that have developed. Coaching is useful in teaching women new skills and strategies for structuring their lives and in encouraging follow-through. However, because AD/HD is neurobiological, therapy and coaching work best in conjunction with medication. Unfortunately, several ineffective treatments are being marketed. Treatments that are suspect, according to CHADD, include dietary plans such as the Feingold Diet, vitamin and mineral supplements, anti motion-sickness medication, Candida yeast, EEG biofeedback, applied kinesiology also known as Neural Organization Technique, and Optometric Vision Training, to name a few. While most of these treatments are innocuous, there has been no research to unquestionably prove their effectiveness.

Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential to reducing the symptoms of AD/HD. Finding a qualified provider isn’t always easy because adult AD/HD, especially as it affects women, has only recently been recognized. As with any medical condition, the more you know about the disorder, the better you can advocate for yourself to help ensure that you get the best diagnosis and treatment possible.

Women with AD/HD are often misdiagnosed or the severity of their complaints is dismissed. Having a better understanding of the disorder will help in finding a qualified, knowledgeable provider. Before spending a lot of time in the diagnosis and treatment process, compile a list of questions to ask the provider to ensure that he or she has a clear understanding of the disorder and appropriate treatments. If you don’t feel comfortable with a physician’s responses seek help elsewhere.

Smptoms of AD/HD

Resources:

· Children and Adults with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder – referrals/ information (800) 233-4050 or go to http://www.chadd.org

· National Attention Deficit Disorder Association – referrals/information (847) 432-ADDA or go to http://www.add.org