ADHD: Do We All Have It?

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Science, Education, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 11.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

ADHD is all over the internet, with people saying that it’s way different than we thought it was — and that tons of us might have it without even knowing it. Influencers are telling us that ADHD can cause all sorts of things, like hyperfocused states, serious emotional dysregulation, even something called rejection sensitivity dysphoria. So — is all this true? Plus, when you do have ADHD — what’s going on inside your brain? And what are the best ways to cope with it? We talk to Prof. Maggie Sibley, Prof. Philip Shaw, and Dr. J. Russell Ramsay. This episode does mention depression. Here are some crisis hotlines: United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “HOME” to 741741 Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available) Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province) United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI) Full list of international hotlines here Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsADHD Chapters: In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Is ADHD everywhere?? (02:45) How do you really know if you have ADHD? (09:05) Is hyperfocus legit? (12:50) What’s up with ADHD and emotional issues? (18:05) ADHD in women and people who menstruate (20:07) So do is ADHD really everywhere? (21:34) ADHD in the brain (26:21) Meds, Therapy, Body Doubling?! This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard and Marlowe Starling. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka, and Bobby Lord.Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Robert Rosenthal, Dr. Miguel Garcia Pimenta, Prof. Michelle Martel, Dr. Maedbhe King, Dr. Edward Modestino, Prof. Edmund Sonuga-Barke, and Dr. Ashley Halkett. Again, big special thanks to all the listeners who called in and told us about their ADHD experiences! Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman and you're listening to Science Verses.
0:05.1	Today, we're pitting facts against focus as we look at ADHD.
0:15.0	Lately, it seems like more and more people are saying, I've got ADHD.
0:20.7	And if you're pondering your ADHD status,
0:23.9	there are plenty of TikTok listicles out there to help you out.
0:28.2	Top 10 signs of ADHD.
0:30.6	Five things that are ADHD that I had no idea were ADHD.
0:34.1	The six surprising signs that could be signs that you, too, have adult ADHD.
0:40.1	Six signs?
0:41.4	Ten signs?
0:42.8	According to the internet, ADHD goes way beyond those classic symptoms of having trouble
0:48.8	paying attention or being fidgety.
0:50.9	We're hearing that it includes stuff like...
0:53.0	Hyper-focus.
0:54.0	You get so engrossed that you
0:55.8	sort of lose track of time. You might forget to eat or sleep or go to the bathroom. I have
1:00.5	trouble regulating emotions, mood swings 24-7. Having ADHD feels like you're on an emotional
1:06.8	roller coaster. Either everything is great or everything is absolutely terrible.
1:11.6	But some aren't so sure about all these new, so-called ADHD symptoms.
1:17.6	They're worried that this ballooning definition of ADHD is making a bunch of people think that they have this condition when they don't.
1:25.6	There are all these headlines screaming that we're over-diagnosing ADHD,
1:30.9	medicating people for ADHD when we shouldn't be.
	...

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