Climbing the Walls

Understood.org•climbing-the-walls.simplecast.com

From Understood.org, Climbing the Walls is an investigative limited-series podcast that explores why women weren’t diagnosed with ADHD for so long — and how the massive uptick in diagnoses since the pandemic is changing the ways we think about ADHD.

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Episodes

ADHD: From stigma to superpower

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: 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 wan...

Apr 23, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 4

How social media changed ADHD forever

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 women How to handle a misdiagnosis A day in Danielle’s life For 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 d...

Apr 16, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3

I didn’t want to have ADHD

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 found A day in the life with ADHD For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls page on Understood . Understood.org is a nonprofit organizat...

Apr 09, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1

She wrote the book on women, shame, and ADHD

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 medications ADHD and shame ADHD symptoms in women For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls episode page on ...

Apr 09, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 2

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...

Mar 06, 2025•2 min

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