Dr. Monica Johnson joins Laura to talk about a topic that comes up a lot on ADHD Aha!: ADHD and trauma. She explains how trauma and ADHD can look alike and whether ADHD can lead to trauma. Dr. J, as she’s known, also talks about misdiagnosis, treatment, and how to support someone who’s struggling.

This episode contains discussion about trauma, PTSD, and examples of traumatic events. It’s intended for educational purposes, but may not be for everyone. You can visit mentalhealthhotline.org, or rainn.org for support.

Related resources

• 6 ways ADHD and PTSD can look alike
• Trauma, learning differences, and kids of color (from The Opportunity Gap podcast)
• MissUnderstood: The ADHD in Women Channel

Timestamps

(04:05) Dr. J defines trauma

(05:18) The difference between trauma and PTSD

(07:59) Can trauma cause ADHD? Can ADHD cause trauma?

(09:51) Misdiagnosis

(16:50) What happens when you have both ADHD and trauma

(19:25) Possible treatment

(23:54) How can caregivers and loved ones support someone who has ADHD and trauma?

(28:13) More on ADHD and... on the MissUnderstood podcast channel

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

Breon and Dan Gummel are a mixed-neurodiversity married couple. After about 5 years of marriage, Breon was diagnosed with ADHD. The conflicts they’d been having as a couple took on a new shape. The more they learned about ADHD, the better they understood each other.

Now, they’ve founded an ADHD community called ADHDinner. This is where people with ADHD, and their close ones, can come together for a meal and share their experiences. You can create your own wherever you live with their free ADHDinner guide.

Related resources

• adhdinner.org
• ADHD and marriage (Rachel and Jon’s story)
• Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey
• The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

Leadership and career coach Phoebe Gavin was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Phoebe’s mom was her number one advocate. She never made Phoebe feel like there was something wrong with her, and that’s followed her to this day. Now, she works with clients to empower them in the same way.

Phoebe takes us through serving in the military, to fashion school, to starting a business with ADHD. She shares career tips when you have ADHD and her journey navigating ADHD and PTSD.

Related resources

• Phoebe’s episode of How’d You Get THAT Job?!
• Phoebe’s website, betterwithphoebe.com
• 6 ways ADHD and PTSD can look alike

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

As women, it can feel like we have to do it all, yet not be “too much.” Add ADHD stigma and shame on top, and it can feel impossible. Good thing we have Tracy Otsuka to remind us that no one has ever made a difference by being “too little.”

Tracy is an ADHD coach, the host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast, and author of the book with the same name! In this episode, host Laura Key and Tracy talk about how her son’s diagnosis led to her own, the need for an ADHD cookbook, and challenging the status quo.

Related resources

• Tracy’s podcast, ADHD for Smart Ass Women
• Tracy’s book, ADHD for Smart Ass Women
• ADHD and women: The essentials

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

Jesse Anderson wishes he’d had an ADHD manual when he was first diagnosed as an adult, so he wrote one. Before he was diagnosed, he never considered having ADHD himself. After his wife encouraged him to look into it more, his trouble with remembering to do things, time management, and anger started to take a different shape in his mind.

Today, Jesse is an ADHD advocate, writer, speaker, and author of the book Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD. Join host Laura Key and Jesse as they discuss toxic productivity, prospective memory, and the magic of owning a whiteboard.

Related resources

• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• ADHD and anger
• Jesse’s website, adhdjesse.com

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Learn more at Understood.org.

And if you like what you hear, help us continue this work by donating at understood.org/donate.

Copyright © 2024 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

When William Curb learned he had ADHD (and wasn’t just lazy), he felt empowered to build coping skills. Now, he hosts the Hacking Your ADHD podcast where he talks about ADHD supports, workarounds, and more.

In this bonus episode, host Laura Key and William talk about ADHD and emotions and his favorite ADHD hacks.

Related resources

• William’s podcast, Hacking Your ADHD
• ADHD and emotions
• ADHD and the myth of laziness

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Learn more at Understood.org.

And if you like what you hear, help us continue this work by donating at understood.org/donate.

Copyright © 2024 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

ADHD coach and creator Caren Magill was diagnosed with ADHD in 2020, during the pandemic. Caren gets real about her experience as a teen girl with undiagnosed ADHD: dropping out of high school, smoking, having poor self-care, and being a “messy kid.” She also shares how she manages her ADHD through fitness, sleep, and meditation.

Caren is also the host of It’s The ADHD-Friendly Show podcast. Listen as she shares what she’s hearing from women with ADHD about overwhelm, and approaching ADHD challenges with curiosity instead of shame.

Related resources:

ADHD in teens: From friendship to forgetting homework (Miya’s story)

5 ways ADHD teens take risks — and why

Caren’s website

Caren’s podcast, It’s The ADHD-Friendly Show

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Learn more at Understood.org.

And if you like what you hear, help us continue this work by donating at understood.org/donate.

Copyright © 2024 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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

Casey McQuiston, best-selling author of Red, White and Royal Blue, grew up in a neurodivergent family and was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Still, they had trouble coping, and in high school, English teachers gave them an intervention for “not trying hard enough.”

Casey is the author of multiple books in the queer romance genre. Casey chats with Laura about how ADHD influences their writing. They also share a sneak peek of their upcoming book The Pairing, coming out August 2024.

Related resources

• Why “just try harder” is a myth
• Being Trans with ADHD (Max’s story)
• caseymcquiston.com

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at ADHDAha@understood.org.

Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about ADHD Aha! and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts.

Copyright © 2024 Understood for All, Inc. All rights reserved. Understood is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical company.

Introducing “MissUnderstood,” the first-ever podcast channel for women with ADHD. Listen now: lnk.to/missunderstood

Understood 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