Last fall, I heard something that floored me: The tests we have for ADHD in adults don’t work very well.

As an adult with ADHD, I think about this all the time because our diagnosis is so stigmatized and so misunderstood. It’s overdiagnosed. It’s underdiagnosed. Everybody has it. Nobody has it.

If only there were a silver bullet or some test that could definitively say yes or no.

So, I asked the two Chicago School faculty members who got me thinking about this after their presentation at the CHADD conference last year: Jessica Rosenfeld, a clinical psychologist, and Reneh Karamians, a  neurorehabilitation psychologist.

They explained why adult ADHD diagnosis is so difficult, and how new scan technology holds promise for spotting ADHD in the brain. 

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected]

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Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever stayed up all night replaying a meeting in your head? Or obsessed over an email? Or questioned every instinct you have? If making decisions feels like a full-time job, this one’s for you!

We’re talking with Dr. Mark Schrime, a surgeon with a PhD in the science of decision-making. Hear about the exhausting cycle of analysis paralysis, second-guessing, and decision fatigue that’s a reality for many people with ADHD. 

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why can a small stressor like a confusing email or a last-minute change suddenly feel like the floor just dropped out from under you? One minute you’re fine. The next, you’re overwhelmed, avoiding, and stuck in a loop of guilt and overthinking.

Dr. J walks through what’s actually happening in your brain and nervous system during an ADHD mood spiral and how avoidance becomes “relief with hidden fees.” 

You’ll leave with simple, science-backed ways to regulate, start small, and recover faster when your brain gets loud.

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected]

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Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If your ADHD symptoms seem to have leveled up out of nowhere, you’re not losing it. Hormones play a much bigger role in ADHD than most of us understand, especially during perimenopause and menopause.

Today, we’re chatting with licensed counselor Mandi Dixon about why focus, memory, sleep, and emotional regulation can suddenly fall apart in your 40s. We also dig into why ADHD meds may stop working the way you’re used to — and what actually helps when carefully built systems stop cooperating.

For more on this topic: 

• Listen: ADHD and hormones
• Read: A guide to hormones and ADHD
• Read: ADHD and periods
• Explore: The Menopause Society

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

By now, New Year’s resolutions already feel… kind of over. 

In this episode, Dr. J breaks down why traditional resolution culture doesn’t work for ADHD brains — and how to approach goal setting after the January hype has worn off. 

We talk about executive dysfunction, motivation, and dopamine. And we share practical ways to set goals that are flexible, realistic, and actually sustainable. No fresh start energy here!

For more on this topic: 

• Listen: ADHD and perfectionism
• Listen: When ambition doesn’t match output
• Read: Little goals can be better than big resolutions

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The ADHD internet is crowded — and not all content is created equal. From unlicensed coaches to miracle cures and viral “hacks,” misinformation spreads fast and wide.

The problem is that many prominent voices have little to no formal training. And algorithmic incentives encourage creators to bait their audience.

Cate Osborn, known online as @catieosaurus, joins Hyperfocus to explain how the ADHD content economy works. She looks at why grifting thrives and how power, profit, and trust in online mental health spaces affect our understanding of ADHD.

For more on this topic:  

• Read: What is an ADHD coach?
• Read: 50% of mental health TikToks contain misinformation (The Guardian)
• More on Cate: Cate’s book, tour dates, and podcast

For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ever catch yourself spiraling over a decision and feeling like your brain won’t stop replaying every possible “what if”? 

Dr. J is joining us to talk about rumination, overthinking, and getting caught in a mood spiral as a woman with ADHD. We’re breaking down why we get stuck and practical ways to interrupt those thought loops. 

For more on this topic: 

• Try: ADHD Unstuck (a free self-guided activity)
• Listen: How to climb out of mental rabbit holes (from Hyperfocus)
• Read: ADHD and mood swings

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Routines aren’t about perfection. They’re about keeping the peace and developing a sense of stability. 

In this episode, Dr. J explains why traditional routines can feel impossible for ADHD brains — and what actually works. 

Think tiny, doable habits. Attaching new routines to things you already do. And yes, leaving room for rest, fun, and even the occasional “I forgot my socks” day.

For more on this topic: 

• Listen: ADHD and time perception
• Read: One woman’s daily routine with ADHD
• Read: How to build habits with ADHD
• Watch: Jessica McCabe on sticking to habits and routines

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected]

.

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

U.S. kids are more depressed, stressed, and anxious than ever. ADHD and autism diagnosis rates are steadily rising. What’s going on? 

In this episode of Hyperfocus, journalist Jia Lynn Yang joins Rae to examine how major school policy shifts in the U.S. have changed what’s expected of kids, often with unintended — and serious — consequences. 

Drawing from her New York Times reporting and her personal experience as a parent, Jia Lynn explores whether school itself may be contributing to the crisis — and what kids actually need to thrive.

For more on this topic:

• Read: Jia Lynn’s piece: America’s children are unwell. Are schools part of the problem?
• Read: CDC youth mental health snapshot
• Read: The evolution of common core standards

For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When ADHD overwhelm hits, it’s usually not because of one big event. It’s the work project and your kid’s school play and the relationship thing and everyone is out of clean socks... and now you’re caught in a spiral of OMG. 

Today, Cate and our fabulous producer, Jessamine, dig into Reddit stories about work screw-ups, panic lying, and how pattern recognition can quietly turn everyday moments into emotional flashpoints in relationships. 

What actually can stop that spiral? 

For more on this topic: 

• Listen: ADHD and workplace stress
• Listen: Managing expectations in relationships (feat. KC Davis)
• Read: How to Keep House While Drowning, by KC Davis
• Read: Fair Play, by Eve Rodsky

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also email us at [email protected].

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.