Rae Jacobson: The diagnosis boom … and backlash
Women & ADHD
Katy Weber
4.9 • 726 Ratings
🗓️ 1 December 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Episode 204 with Rae Jacobson.
“There is a difference between traits and impairment. If we dilute the idea of ADHD into something that just seems familiar, we risk shutting out the people who really need help.”
Rae is a journalist, an ADHD and learning disorders expert, and the Lead of Insight at Understood, where she also hosts the podcast Hyperfocus. Rae has spent over 20 years digging into the stories and science of neurodivergence. She’s a former senior editor at the Child Mind Institute, and her work has appeared in New York Magazine, the Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, Parenting, American Girl, and more.
Rae and I talk about her very winding path to an ADHD diagnosis: growing up as the “smart kid who did terribly at school,” getting diagnosed with LD-NOS, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and then finally, in her early 20s, realizing she has ADHD. Rae shares the life-changing experience of attending Landmark College — a school specifically for students with ADHD and learning disabilities.
We also wrestle with the current ADHD discourse: the difference between relatable traits and true impairment, what happens when “everyone has ADHD,” and why that can both broaden awareness and quietly shut people out of care. We talk about internalized ableism, the ongoing cycles of skepticism (“quit your whining”) and backlash online, and the need for voices that pair lived experience with journalistic fact-checking.
And of course, we talk about Hyperfocus, Rae’s podcast at Understood that zeroes in on what fascinates us most about ADHD, mental health, and learning.
Website: Understood.org
Instagram: @understoodorg
Links & Resources:
The Berkeley Girls with ADHD Longitudinal Study (S. Hinshaw)
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Episode edited by E Podcast Productions
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | all I wanted was just to be able to fit in with my friends. You know, it wasn't that I was such a |
| 0:04.6 | joiner, but like, I just wanted to be the person who wasn't in trouble. And that's a really powerful thing. And so when people tell you, you need help, and you can see very clearly the consequences when you don't get the help or accept the help, it doesn't make you feel like, wow, I'm worthy of like this support. It makes you feel like, I guess without this, I can't do it. I hope now, |
| 0:25.8 | and I hope this isn't changing in our current situation, that the way that we talk about all of |
| 0:31.2 | this is pretty different than it was when I was a kid. |
| 0:38.5 | Hello and welcome to the women and ADHD podcast. |
| 0:42.6 | I'm your host, Katie Weber. |
| 0:44.1 | I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45, and it completely turned my world upside |
| 0:50.0 | down. |
| 0:50.6 | I've been looking back at so much of my life, school, jobs, my relationships, all of it with |
| 0:57.3 | this new lens, and it has been nothing short of overwhelming. I quickly discovered I was not |
| 1:02.4 | the only woman to have this experience, and now I interview other women who, like me, discovered |
| 1:07.6 | in adulthood they have ADHD, and are finally feeling like they understand |
| 1:12.4 | who they are and how to best lean into their strengths, both professionally and personally. |
| 1:18.6 | Hello, hello, hello. You are in for a fantastic episode today, but before we get started, |
| 1:24.9 | I want to remind you that wherever you are on your ADHD journey, |
| 1:29.5 | women and ADHD.com has the resources to meet you where you're at. If you're in learning mode, |
| 1:34.9 | we have tons of free support, downloadable infographics, comprehensive guides, and our |
| 1:41.1 | recommendations for self-assessments for women, and of course, more than 200 |
| 1:44.7 | episodes of this podcast. If you're looking for more structure but you need flexibility, |
| 1:49.2 | our self-led course called, Hey, it's ADHD, is a great next step you can take at your own |
| 1:54.8 | pace. And if you're ready for more personalized help, our ADHD coaching team is here for you |
| 2:00.2 | with strengths-based support to help you |
... |
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