Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson

Happy summer, everyone! Because of the holiday weekend, we’re re-airing one of our favorite Hyperfocus episodes yet, which happens to be our very first one. We’ll be back in your feeds with a fresh show in two weeks.  After her daughter was born, Rae Jacobson was hit by a bout of severe postpartum depression. Back then, there wasn’t much out there about ADHD and women, let alone ADHD and postpartu...

When you think about someone taking a psychedelic drug like magic mushrooms, the first images that come to mind probably don’t involve a medical professional in a white coat or any sort of clinical setting.  However, the perception of these drugs is changing as researchers and health professionals continue to learn new ways these drugs can treat a variety of mental health conditions.  Much of the...

ADHD gets mentioned a lot in the new report from the Make America Healthy Again commission. It’s pitched as part of the “childhood chronic disease crisis,” and the authors make a lot of big claims: Food additives cause behavioral disorders Time outside can help treat ADHD ADHD is overdiagnosed and overtreated But are any of these claims legit? We asked a licensed psychologist who specializes in le...

On this bonus episode of Hyperfocus , we dive into the controversial new “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, released by a commission led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The 73-page document claims to explain what it calls a rise in “childhood chronic diseases” like ADHD, by pointing fingers at antibiotics, food dyes, and even a lack of outdoor play. But there’s a major catch: some of the report’...

If you haven’t heard of financial therapy before reading this, don’t worry. It’s new for us, too.  But when a past Hyperfocus guest told us to look up Dr. Christine Hargrove , we listened, and were so curious we had to get her on the show. Fortunately, she was game to share her expertise with us and our listeners.  She kindly answered our basic questions (what is financial therapy, really?) and so...

On this very special episode of Hyperfocus, host Rae Jacobson interviews three of these women — Sari Solden, Terry Matlen, and Dr. Ellen Littman — along with Dr. Michelle Frank, a psychologist taking up the torch for a new generation.  Together, they discuss how they met, their journey to legitimize ADHD in women, and what they hope for the future.  Related resources Climbing the Walls MissUnderst...

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now. In honor of Mother’s Day weekend, we’re sharing an episode of our sibling podcast from Understood.org, ADHD Aha! The episode features our very own Rae Jacobson and, appropriately, it’s a conversation about motherhood. More specifically, it’s about...

“Thriving” is often held up as something to work toward in life, the gold standard for existence. If you have a learning difference or you’ve experienced mental health issues or even just went through a tough time, you’ve probably gotten some advice on what it takes to thrive.  But for me, it’s never been clear what it means to thrive. It’s an abstract concept with many definitions. As someone wit...

We have a special treat for you this week on the usual off-week in our feed. It’s an episode of a brand new, investigative podcast called Climbing the Walls . If you caught our last episode, you heard from the podcast’s host, Danielle Elliot. She’s been working with a team of us at Understood.org to put together the limited series, which just launched.   On Climbing the Walls , Danielle digs into...

If you follow ADHD news, you might’ve heard that diagnosis rates in women nearly doubled during the pandemic. Danielle Elliot was one of them, receiving her diagnosis just before she turned 37.  Danielle is also a science and health journalist. So, she did the thing that many reporters are inclined to do — she began investigating this big, new thing in her life and how it fit into the world around...

It often seems that the more complex a subject is, the more people tend to oversimplify it. If your social media feeds are anything like mine, that’s definitely the case. Especially when it comes to science.  One of those often-oversimplified things is dopamine. This neurotransmitter, or brain chemical, has become a target for catchy headlines promising new ways to “hack your dopamine.” Seriously....

We’re back with another episode from our Hyperfocus field trip to San Diego. While we were at the APSARD (American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders) conference, one of the talks that really piqued our interest was on genetics and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD.  Genetic science is tough to understand. And, as you’ll hear in this interview, we had a lot to learn and...

Earlier this year, Hyperfocus took a field trip to San Diego for an ADHD conference called APSARD, which stands for the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (quite a mouthful). A conference of ADHD professionals might not sound fascinating, but it was — and we learned a ton . But there was one person and one talk I really wanted to find: A keynote speech about how ADHD affec...

ADHD medications have been in the news a lot lately, especially stimulants.  In this bonus episode of Hyperfocus , host and mental health journalist Rae Jacobson talks about two U.S. policy items that could affect people with ADHD. First, an executive order from February 13 established the “Make America Healthy Again Commission.” The executive order specifically mentions ADHD and the rise in diagn...

Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is someone who I’d call one of the godmothers of ADHD in women. She was one of the first people to stand up to the medical establishment and say, “Yes, ADHD affects women and girls, and we need to do something about it.” She persisted against the gatekeepers who’d call her and her peers “ADHD wannabes,” responding to their dismissal by writing books, conducting research, and be...

This week on the show, I’m hyperfocusing not on a topic or a question, but a person: the neurodivergent comedian and actor Emma Willmann.  You might know Emma from her comedy (she’s done stand-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) or her acting (she played “Beth” on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). But I didn’t want to know about any of that. I wanted to spend some time with the person who has made a car...

Sometimes, our brains spiral and it seems like there’s nothing we can do about it.  This can happen to anyone. Maybe you have an awkward social interaction and can’t stop thinking about it — then your mind jumps to worse and worse scenarios, far from what actually happened.  And for those of us with ADHD, it can be extra difficult to exit that spiral. A situation like this happened to Rae Jacobson...

This week, Host Rae Jacobson shares an episode from ADHD Aha, another Understood Podcast, where YouTuber Jessica McCabe shares her experience being a new mom with ADHD. How to ADHD creator Jessica McCabe has been the source of many ADHD “aha” moments — so what were her ADHD “aha” moments?  Jessica was diagnosed when she was 12 years old but didn’t start to look into what ADHD meant for her until s...

If you have ADHD, the science says you’re much more likely to have a substance use disorder in your life than someone who’s neurotypical.  ADHD brains often lack dopamine. Drugs and alcohol can provide a hit of dopamine, albeit a temporary one. That’s why it’s so common for people with untreated ADHD to self-medicate.  Elaine O’Brien used to fit that ADHD archetype to a tee. Eventually, though, sh...

*Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and self-harm. Please take care when listening and skip this one if you need to. * Dr. Stephen Hinshaw is one of the leading voices when it comes to ADHD in women and girls.   That’s in large part due to his work on The Berkeley Girls study. (Its full name is The Berkeley Girls with ADHD Longitudinal Study , but most people know it by that shortha...

At work, neurodivergent people face a bunch of different hurdles — stigma, burnout, firings, higher unemployment rates, and more.  In recent years, all kinds of businesses have begun various types of neurodiversity initiatives. On the surface, these initiatives are supposed to foster inclusion and make working better for everyone. But host Rae Jacobson wondered: Do these initiatives actually do an...

ADHD can create all kinds of challenges in the workplace. Like a list of infinite things to do and to remember. A busy, ever-changing schedule. And co-workers who don’t always know what’s going on in your mind.  There’s a lot to figure out. But recently, Rae Jacobson found herself wondering what it's like on the other side — to manage someone who’s neurodivergent and still figuring it out.  So, Ra...

Rae Jacobson has been friends with Katherine Martinelli since they were 6. In the classroom, they were polar opposites: Katherine, a star student; Rae, scrambling and struggling with then-undiagnosed ADHD and dyscalculia.  As they grew older, they both became mothers and professional writers and editors. Rae got diagnosed and found the support and systems that worked for her.  When, well into thei...

Rae had heard that there was a link between ADHD and postpartum depression. But with a tiny baby to care for and a life to navigate, she had more pressing things to deal with.  But the question kept bugging her: Does ADHD make you more likely to have postpartum depression? This week on Hyperfocus, Rae finally gets some answers to questions she has had for years. Her guest is Dr. Catherine Birndorf...

Hyperfocus is a show that zeroes in on what fascinates us about ADHD, learning, and mental health. Join journalist Rae Jacobson as she tackles big questions like, “Why can’t I get my ADHD meds? Who exactly gets to define a diagnosis? And can ADHD make postpartum depression worse?” New episodes launch every other Thursday wherever you get your podcasts. Understood is a nonprofit organization dedica...