Female-Specific ADHD Questionaire | ADHD Information

Oh, girl, I hear ya!!!!!! Does the term square peg in a round hole mean anything to you? I, too, was a hyper tomboy!!! I was playing with He-Man when the girls were having tea parties. Always felt like the outsider, but somehow I got named Homecoming Queen!?!?!! WHAT THE %$#^????(there goes my potty mouth) Christ, I couldn't even bring myself to wear mascara until I was half way through college. I was hyperactive chatty Kathy/class clown as a kid, and still have soem hyper tendencies & of course, impulsivity. But I have found myself turning inward more & more as an adult, and I think its because of this unknowingly self-imposed LACK of(esp in the last fwe yrs) stimulation/ entertainment/being the zany girl I'd always been cycle. I just can't do it anymore. I don't want to be the hermit, but its that weird feeling of being paralyzed...

I'm sure there are about a ba-zillion women out there who have felt just like us for their whole lives, and think "that's just the way it is" for them. That's how I felt. Now, I find myself feeling angry(GRRR!!!) that so many women ARE undiagnosed, and the crap they've had to endure/hide for years. My MALE(yeah, field has always been dominated...grrrr) psych was trying to lead me down the path of did you flunk a grade, turn in everything late? Well, no, but my mind was going a million miles a minute, & i was stopping to read this or look at this, and talk to them and I did everything at the VERY last minute & handed it in with a smile....alwasy too much work for not much reward. I always felt, "If I'm working THIS hard at EVERYTHING, then I should be making, like, a million bucks a year! No one else has to work this hard!!!" Then I always go back to the 'ole "WHYYYYY MEEEEEE!"(picturing myself standing at the edge of a cliff with my arms wide open & having it echo into nothingness) Sorry for the rant, but i gues I don't need to apoolgize for once because we are in good, safe company, for once.

As you can see, I am still waking up from the foggy dream that's been my life, and trying to piece everything together......were you the one who fights wildfires??? If so, WOWWWW!!!! I soooo envy you!!!!!! I really want to find a job that I actually like doing...but one step at a time! Whew...I'm exhausting myself!!!

I can also relate to a lot of the items on this list, but I am a different kinda of woman I guess!!!

I exhibit the hyper outward adhd symptoms along with this other stuff!!! I have been this way as long as I remember and it was a real pain for me growing up prior to adhd even being understood in the male population!!!! I was called a Tomboy and told that girls don't act that way!!! Along with feeling defective with adhd, I felt defective as a kid all around!!!

Girls that acted the way I did back when were labled in a really negative way, as being really mental cases.

I also truly feel that the majority of women that exhibit the quiter, internal scatterdness were not diagnosed earlier because medicine was male dominated!!! Now that more women are in the field, I think it is helping for girls and women with adhd.

[QUOTE=SpaceyLady]

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Yes, I am the female fire management officer who still fights fires!!! A good job for the adhd'er of the hyper nature!!!

Yup, I was the kid that got kicked out of class at age 8, did stunts that would send me to emergency room visits, in trouble with the law as a youth, selected for alternative school, locked in a hospital at a young age, etc....... be a joker to hide your challenges kinda kid!!!!

I have a 12 year old, awesome daughter who gets great grades and plays sports, but at a cost to her. She is very social and liked by all the kids in her grade. She tries so hard to be successful and is really challenged in some school subjects. She is disorganized and loses things she needs for school and she only catches half of what is said to her. When I 1st started this forum - I said neither of my daughters had adhd because they were nothing like me when I was a kid. But, the more I learn and talk to the medical experts they are trying to encourage me to get her evaluated because they are recognizing that some girls exhibit adhd in different ways. I still have not decided if I am going to test her or not? If a kid is successful - why put them through it? I am resistant to her being judged by the establishment - but also don't want to get in the way of her being 100% what she can be by not getting her tested!!!

It sucks being a parent with adhd sometimes!!! So yeah - this whole thread rings a bell for me.

Dog--I TOTALLY agree. Sterotypes are hard to shake. But I'm shakin' , bacon! Here it is, i think?? http://www.additudemag.com/additude.asp?dept_no=406&sub_ no=5

Now that I'm diagnosed and have FINALLY sought help, I have this sense of urgency(impulsivity, maybe--hee hee) to get the word out! One of my good friends has felt anxious & depressed for years off & on, and now, because of my "outing", she is seeing a lot of these traits in herself. It's so cathartic to read more info & realize it isn't just me, or a problem I have of being lazy, spacey-whatever.

I'm just getting into Sari Solden's book, "Women with ADD--Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life" It is really affecting me at a very deep level. Very powerful, as I look to the past for answers and reasons why I feel the way i do....

Deep thought...maybe the world WANTS women to stay undiagnosed...because we just might TAKE IT OVER!!!!!

That's a great questionaire. Do you remember where you found it? If not, it's still useful.

I think add is generally more difficult for women because it includes many characteristics that women are suppose to be particularly good at - like being neat and organized, socially well-versed, etc. And, I think that is so entrenched in society that it is harder for people to accept add in a woman.

I do think more girls are being diagnosed now but I'm not sure about adult women.

Just wanted to post this on the main page, because this questionaire described me A LOT better than the generic ADHD questionaire-- good talking point to bring up with a Dr. if you are female & your doc isn't well-versed on women w/ ADHD(even the so-called experts may not know the symptomatology can be different b/t the sexes!) Good Luck ladies!

Symptom Checklist for Women

Do you have ADD? Does your daughter? Only a mental-health professional can tell for sure, but completing a do-it-yourself symptom checklist will give you an idea. The more questions you answer in the affirmative, the more likely you are to have ADD. Be sure to share your completed checklist with a doctor.

Do you feel overwhelmed in stores, at the office, or at parties? Is it impossible for you to shut out sounds and distractions that don't bother others?

Is time, money, paper, or "stuff" dominating your life and hampering your ability to achieve your goals?

Are you spending most of your time coping, looking for things, catching up, or covering up? Do you avoid people because of this?

Have you stopped having people over to your house because of your shame at the mess?

Do you have trouble balancing your checkbook?

Do you often feel as if life is out of control, that it's impossible to meet demands?

Do you feel that you have better ideas than other people but are unable to organize them or act on them?

Do you start each day determined to get organized?

Have you watched others of equal intelligence and education pass you by?

Do you despair of ever fulfilling your potential and meeting your goals?

Have you ever been thought of as selfish because you don't write thank-you notes or send birthday cards?

Are you clueless as to how others manage to lead consistent, regular lives?

Are you called "a slob" or "spacey?" Are you "passing for normal?" Do you feel as if you are an impostor?

Be patient-- see above post to The Dog....any "diagnosis" can be a really tough pill to swallow, especially for the generations before us. Good luck!

Spaceylady,

I too would like to know where you got the checklist.. Wow, I have to send that list to my Mom. She has it. There has been no doubt in my mind since I read up on ADHD and was diagnosed 5 years ago (about 3 months after my dd was diagnosed).

This list might finally help her see the truth (It's her to a T)!!

bepatient38951.961087963 [QUOTE=LCdc]

I can also relate to a lot of the items on this list, but I am a different kinda of woman I guess!!!

Girls that acted the way I did back when were labled in a really negative way, as being really mental cases.

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I want to say dito because I relate to LCdc but I had a really difficult time reading blue letters on a black background. Anyone else find that increibly distracting?
After struggling a bit did the letters seem to make words in a foreign language? &nb sp; &nb sp; &nb sp; &nb sp; ? ;
[QUOTE=SpaceyLady]

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Oh!!! It's too long!!!! Whine, moan and complain. Cliff notes?

Wow...that sounds like the greatest job...I'd love the rush, I'm sure!!! I, too, have a daughter who is the re-incarnation of me. She is so bright and funny, but she spaces out, and sometimes is prone to being overly emotional. She's only 5 & about to enter kindergarten, so I'm a bit anxious as to how she'll fare(and, how I'll fare in dealing with it all). Have you read Hallowell's book Delivered from Distraction? they talk about natural supplementation, Omega-3's to be exact. There is actually a great deal of research done by Harvard(HAAA-VAAAD- hee hee) Docs. I'm trying one of the ones they recommended in the book for all 4 of us. There apparently are other benefits in addition to improvement in memory and attention span. Just got it yesterday. I also researched another mega-antioxidant that has a lot of solid reserach behind it, and we're trying that as well. So we'll see.... I'll keep you posted if we see a difference....have a great, zany day!

Sorry, I took it straight off the website above(see response to LcDC), background and all. There it had red letters, which didn't even come through. Try going though the link.

I couldn't write cliff notes if I tried

Got IT! And Yes to I think all of them. Lots of other symptoms too. Hyperactivity being one of them. put it on my favorites to check out again. I always miss things the first dozen times I read them

muy interesante! gracias para las informacion