Why does it feel like you have ADHD?

Hello! Welcome to another edition of ABC of Mental Health, your partner in the journey to better mental health, one newsletter at a time.

“I saw a reel about ADHD and now I’m questioning my entire personality.”

Forgetfulness. Doomscrolling. Losing focus. Procrastinating. Many experiences are increasingly being labelled as ADHD online. While this has helped many people find language for lifelong struggles, it also raises important questions: are we overidentifying, underdiagnosing, or simply living in conditions that make many of us look symptomatic? ADHD is real, but so are burnout, trauma, stress, anxiety, poor sleep, and a world built to constantly compete for our attention. In this newsletter we explore why ADHD feels like it's everywhere, what actually makes it a diagnosis, and why both overidentification and underdiagnosis can be harmful.

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One relevant recommendation:

The “Pattern, Impact, Context” Check-In (2 minute activity)

Instead of asking “Do I have ADHD?” try exploring:

Pattern: Has this been present across years and settings, or mostly recently?

Impact: Does this significantly affect work, relationships, daily functioning, or self-esteem?

Context: Could sleep, stress, burnout, trauma, hormones, grief, anxiety, or environment be contributing?

The goal isn’t self-diagnosis or self-dismissal. It’s curiosity.

Two Quotes on Attention and Understanding:

Russell Barkley, clinical psychologist and ADHD researcher, reminds us that ADHD is not simply about attention but about regulating behaviour across time:

 “ADHD is not a disorder of knowing what to do. It is a disorder of doing what you know.”

While she lived long before the medical definition of ADHD, Emily Dickinson, 19th-century American poet, reflects the vast associative and boundary-free way an ADHD brain generates ideas and creative potential:

"I dwell in Possibility…"

Three TherapyShorts from TST:

1. Maybe It’s ADHD. Maybe It’s The World. Maybe It’s Both.

   Many experiences associated with ADHD are also common human experiences: distraction, procrastination, forgetfulness. The difference often lies in frequency, intensity, and impairment. At the same time, we live in a world of constant notifications, fractured attention spans, rising burnout, poor sleep, and chronic stress. It’s possible for environments to create ADHD-like experiences without ADHD being the explanation. It’s also possible that people who struggled silently for years are finally finding language. Both realities can exist together. The goal is not to win a diagnostic debate. It’s to understand what support you need.

2. When Social Media Promotes Self-Diagnosis

   Social media has changed mental health conversations. For many people, a 30-second video was the first time they felt seen. For others, it created confusion. The problem isn’t awareness. The problem is when awareness becomes certainty without context. Humans naturally look for explanations that fit. Sometimes that’s validating. Sometimes it narrows the picture too quickly. Instead of asking, “Does this content prove something about me?” try asking, “What resonates, and what else could explain this?” Understanding yourself is rarely a single-video discovery. It’s a longer conversation.

3. Attention Needs Context

   Difficulty focusing doesn’t happen in isolation. Trauma, anxiety, grief, depression, chronic stress, lack of sleep, burnout, sensory overload, hormonal changes, and executive dysfunction can all affect attention. A brain under threat or exhaustion will prioritise survival over concentration. This doesn’t mean your struggles are “not real” if they’re not ADHD. It means attention is deeply connected to context. Instead of asking only “What diagnosis explains this?” also ask “What conditions is my brain trying to function under?” Sometimes the answer changes the intervention entirely.

A QUICK QUESTION…

What do you most relate to when you think about difficulties with attention and focus? Vote here!

Last week, we asked you what’s your first instinct when you’re triggered, and the responses were… (drumroll please)…

If you've been considering starting therapy, fill out this form (30 seconds), and we promise to take care of the rest.

With care and compassion,

The Social Therapist

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