Climbing the Walls

Introducing “Climbing the Walls”

From Understood.org, Climbing the Walls is an investigative limited-series podcast that explores why women were historically underdiagnosed with ADHD — and how the recent surge in diagnoses is reshaping our understanding of ADHD.Join host Danielle Elliot, a health and science journalist, as she digs into the recent rise of ADHD diagnoses among women. She weaves scientific insights with personal stories — including her own. Through candid conversations with mental health experts and women who’ve been through it, Danielle starts getting answers to some of her big questions around the surge in ADHD diagnoses, like: Why women? And why now? 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

I didn’t want to have ADHD | 1

When Danielle Elliot finds herself among the many women diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic, she gets curious. Why women? And why now? This question takes her to northern Michigan, to meet a friend’s mom.More on this story:  ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)Older women and ADHD: How the lost generation got foundA day in the life with ADHDFor a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls page on Understood. 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

She wrote the book on women, shame, and ADHD | 2

Sari Solden was looking for answers. Why was she having memory issues? Why couldn’t she get her life organized? Where did this feeling of deep shame come from?Sari’s books have changed the lives of generations of women with ADHD. Her early research uncovered the truth that the disorder looks different in women.More on this story:A history of ADHD medicationsADHD and shameADHD symptoms in womenFor a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls episode page on Understood. 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

How social media changed ADHD forever | 3

As ADHD content explodes during the Covid pandemic, countless people seek care for the first time, including many Black women. But new telehealth rules also open the door for potential misdiagnosis. More on this story:ADHD symptoms in womenHow to handle a misdiagnosisA day in Danielle’s lifeFor a transcript and more resources, visit the episode page on Understood. 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

ADHD: From stigma to superpower | 4

ADHD finds itself at the center of mental health discourse, and some see it not as a disorder but as a strength. Danielle investigates the origins of this theory and questions who benefits from the rebranding of ADHD.More on this story: What does “thriving” with ADHD actually look like?The myth of the ADHD “superpower”For a transcript and more resources, visit the episode page on Understood.org. 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