6 Female Celebrities With ADHD Thriving After Diagnosis
Updated: May 11, 2024
Can you thrive after your Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis? Find your answer in these resilient stories of six successful female celebrities with ADHD who are thriving after their diagnosis. Learn tips from your favorite women in the spotlight!
To celebrate Women’s Health Month in May, I wanted to highlight not just women but also women with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) thriving with their neurodiversity, not despite it.
While there are more numbers of successful women with ADHD than the six celebrities mentioned here, I chose these six women in the spotlight because I could relate to the symptoms and experiences they described.
In this blog post, I included these celebrities' struggles and triumphs with their ADHD, my personal insights, and simplified information about ADHD.
By sharing these, we can all feel understood and less alone in our ADHD journey.
In recent years, more and more famous people have opened up about their stories of strengths and insights after their diagnosis of ADHD. ADHD is both neurological (in the brain) and hereditary (in the genes). ADHD is a neurological condition, which I described in layman’s terms as a chronic trait of limited self-regulation.
By publicly sharing their hard time with their symptoms, these celebrity women with ADHD help shatter stereotypes and shed light on the invisible struggles of navigating ADHD for adult women.
The openness of these famous ADHD women allows people with ADHD to see that they, too, can flourish beyond their diagnosis.
Spreading compassionate sentiments about mental health is critical. As a TV legal analyst, I’ve received comments online from people in other countries asking how I was able to become a lawyer even though I have ADHD. They often asked how I did it and wondered how success was possible with ADHD.
These questions break my heart. I recognize the stigma and shame an “ADHD label” carries. When I was diagnosed over 20 years ago, uninformed people placed that label on me like a scarlet letter by my classmates, teachers, and strangers who knew nothing about me except that I have ADHD.
That’s why now, after two decades of resilience and triumphs, I am using my voice to share my ADHD journey, intending to break barriers.
Join me in celebrating the triumphs of other women living with ADHD. Here are six remarkable women in the spotlight living with ADHD.
Simone Biles (record-breaking gymnast)
Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles found herself publicly defending her use of ADHD medication in 2016 when a group of Russian hackers broke into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) database and disclosed her (and other athletes’) confidential medical records.
The hackers accused Biles of cheating in the 2016 Rio Olympics because she was using a medication that they claimed gave her an “unfair advantage” against other gymnasts.
Turns out Biles was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. At the time, Biles treated her ADHD symptoms with methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is a stimulant medication used by millions of people with ADHD daily. Methylphenidate is the most commonly prescribed ADHD medication since 1956.
I use methylphenidate myself to help regulate my ADHD symptoms, and thankfully, it has proven effective for me. ADHD medications’ effectiveness differs per person, and often, many trials and errors happen before finding the proper medication and dose.
Opposite to misconceptions that it’s an “unfair advantage,” methylphenidate’s side effects include loss of appetite, nervousness, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, or increased heart rate - none of which feel like an “advantage” when I experience them.
So why take the medication? Because the pros outweigh the cons. People with ADHD have a tough time regulating Emotions, Thoughts, and Actions (aka their ETA).
When appropriately used to treat ADHD, methylphenidate helps neurotransmitters in the ADHD brain work normally, restoring the ability to self-regulate emotions, thoughts, and actions.
More than 366 MILLION adults with ADHD worldwide struggle with chronic traits of limited self-regulation every single day. In simple terms, methylphenidate helps us manage our ADHD symptoms effectively.
For me, ADHD medication helps me become the best version of myself for my kids and my family. That is certainly worth the side effects in my book! I suspect Biles feels similarly.
After hackers revealed her medical records, Biles tweeted on Twitter:
“I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid. Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me. Having ADHD, taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.”
USA Gymnastics also issued a press release stating that Biles submitted a request for a therapeutic-use exception to continue taking methylphenidate and confirmed that they had approved her request.
That means Biles followed all the rules and regulations, and her Olympic medals were well-earned!
Biles is the most decorated Olympic gymnast of all time. She has earned 4 Olympic gold medals, one silver, and two bronze. With 30 World Championship medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history. In 2022, US President Joe Biden awarded Biles the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Greta Gerwig (Barbie director)
After directing the Barbie movie, Greta Gerwig revealed in an interview, “Now, as an adult, I have ADHD - they diagnosed me.”
As a child, she described herself as a “rule follower” at school with “a ton of energy.”
She was an avid reader. Her uncontrollable impulse to read often led her to read at the dinner table, even if it wasn’t allowed, which caused her to get in trouble.
“As a kid, my mum was like, ‘Let’s sign her up for every activity. Let’s tire her out.’ I’ve always had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. I was just interested in, like, everything. I had a active imagination. I had a lot of really deep feelings. I was emotional.”
It might surprise you that Gerwig’s self-description of being a rule follower is common for kids with ADHD. Before, doctors thought that only kids who got in trouble at school could have ADHD. Extensive research proved this notion wrong.
Many girls and women are often missed or undiagnosed because they tend to be rule followers and “daydreamers,” like Gerwig. While mental health professionals previously thought that ADHD affected boys and men only, further studies for the past 44 years revealed that this notion was incorrect.
While the ratio of boys to girls with ADHD is 3:1, the ratio of men to women with ADHD is closer to 1:1. Yet, girls and women continue to be under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed. Missed or even a late diagnosis can damage self-esteem and mental health. In March 2023, the Journal of Attention Disorders published a study confirming that undiagnosed ADHD in childhood can have lasting negative and painful consequences into adulthood.
Emma Watson (actress)
Famous for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie franchise, Emma Watson has not publicly discussed her ADHD, which we all respect.
The revelation of her ADHD came from the UK’s ADHD Foundation, which said, “She was diagnosed with ADHD as a young child and was medicated throughout the filming of Harry Potter.”
"I don't want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that for myself," as she was eloquently quoted in Additude Magazine.
In addition to her successful acting career, Watson has an English literature degree from Oxford University. She is known for advocating for gender equality and women's rights, and she is a humanitarian and UN Goodwill Ambassador for women.
Watson is an excellent example of how a diagnosis in childhood and receiving proper treatment early in life can help manage ADHD symptoms successfully. She has reached many milestones and thrived with her ADHD!
[Read: 5 Little-Known Ways To Manage And Simplify Your ADHD Life]
Solange Knowles (singer, songwriter, actress)
Solange Knowles is a mother of two who has been touring worldwide and releasing new music while balancing motherhood and her music career.
Comparing her symptoms with what she saw in the entertainment industry, Knowles was initially in denial about her ADHD because “[t]he symptoms seem to apply to everyone around me in the industry - loss of memory, starting something and not finishing it,” she said.
After she was diagnosed with ADHD, she went for a second opinion.
“I was diagnosed with ADHD twice. I didn’t believe the first doctor who told me and I had a whole theory that ADHD was just something they invented to make you pay for medicine, but then the second doctor told me I had it.”
Beyonce’s younger sister said she has always been full of energy and that her erratic speech and high energy led people to think she was on drugs.
Knowles also described “debilitating anxiety” with her ADHD. Since her diagnosis, she has been open about how hard it was to be an unmedicated adult with ADHD and how most people lack empathy for it. She tried taking Adderall, but it caused her severe side effects.
I can relate with Knowles. While medication is the most effective treatment for ADHD, it can also be the most challenging to navigate. ADHD symptoms can differ for each person, and ADHD medications can affect a person differently as well. See why it’s so complicated?
A medication that works for one person might not work similarly for another. It’s trial and error. As a thriving ADHD Mom who has been taking medication for the past 20 years, I know how frustrating it can be - especially when you add to the complication that the effectiveness of one medication can wear off over time. For me, that meant I had to switch medications again and start the trial-and-error process.
There were even times when my health insurance canceled my insurance coverage for a particular ADHD medication. That meant I had to switch medication, too, and start with the whole process all over again with a different medication.
Many people with ADHD have similar challenges with their medication and treatment.
Busy Phillips (actress)
Elizabeth Jean “Busy” Phillips is best known for her roles on Dawson’s Creek, ER, and Freaks and Geeks.
As an infant, her parents nicknamed her “Busy” because she always moved. The name stuck. Little did her parents know that her nickname would reflect her ADHD diagnosis.
While she was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, the diagnosis was “forgotten” and left untreated until her adulthood.
"My ADHD presented as depression/anxiety/low self-esteem for YEARS before I was properly diagnosed."
Rediscovering her ADHD contributed to an even more significant effect on her mental health than she initially anticipated.
“That was the most revelatory part of the ADHD medication. My sort of low-grade depression, the underlying feelings of low self-worth and anxiety, just kind of went away.”
Phillips’ comment is another good reason to seek a diagnosis. Eighty to 85% of adults with ADHD have another disorder called comorbidity.
Examples of ADHD comorbidity are anxiety disorder, depression, learning disability, and more.
I can relate to Phillips’ experience with ADHD. My comorbidity is depression. I was initially diagnosed with depression as an adult. But the treatment didn’t work. There was still some underlying cause for my depression. Years later, I finally received the proper diagnosis - ADHD. Armed with the correct diagnosis, I received the appropriate treatment, and my depression has been well managed.
The power of a proper diagnosis can indeed be transformative. Sometimes, the diagnosis itself significantly shifts a person’s outlook on oneself. After a diagnosis, a person with ADHD experiences a sense of “Aha!” moment, finally getting an explanation (not an excuse) for how they acted and felt since childhood.
Since her re-discovery of her ADHD, Phillips has been a vocal advocate for ADHD medication. “Medication for ADHD is the only thing that has EVER helped alleviate those feelings for me.”
Scientific research and ADHD experts have found that ADHD medications are the most effective treatments currently available for mastering ADHD.
That’s why Phillips understands the devastating impact on her and many people with the shortage of ADHD medications because of government regulations on production.
She emphasized, “I know people have thoughts about stimulants, but if your brain needs them, you understand - it makes a huge difference in my ability to simply exist daily without feeling like an actual garbage human.”
I can relate to Phillips’ sentiment, as I’m sure many people with ADHD taking stimulant medications can, too.
[Read: ADHD In Adult Women: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly]
Lily Allen (singer, songwriter, actress)
Lily Allen revealed her recent diagnosis of ADHD while in the US. She grew up in London and moved to New York City in 2020.
The 37-year-old actress and singer disclosed in Times, “I’ve actually just been diagnosed with adult ADHD.”
“I went to see someone and they said: ‘Have you ever thought about this?’ And I said: ‘Well, yes I have.’”
As part of her coping mechanism, Allen explained, “I’ve had to completely switch off social media because as soon as I look at it, it can be hours of my day gone.”
One of the symptoms of ADHD is time blindness. People with ADHD are time blind and cannot feel the passage of time. Place that symptom side by side with difficulty in planning and organizing behaviors for the future, and ADHDers are often shamed and mislabeled as "lazy" or "insensitive."
She was unsurprised by the diagnosis, explaining,
“It sort of runs in my family. And it [the ADHD diagnosis] is only because I’m here in America, where they take these things slightly more seriously than they do in England.”
While ADHD awareness in the UK has increased, the wait times for an official diagnosis could take as long as seven years (yes, that’s 7, and it’s not a typo!). Sadly, lack of diagnosis means no treatment and no ADHD medications while in the undiagnosed limbo.
What’s worse is research shows that even late diagnosis can damage self-esteem and mental health. As I referenced earlier, the Journal of Attention Disorders published a study in March 2023 confirming that undiagnosed ADHD can have lasting negative and painful consequences into adulthood.
Allen is fortunate to have the resources to receive a proper diagnosis, and I’m cheering for her successful ADHD journey!
CLOSING REFLECTION
Now that we’ve seen the remarkable journeys of six renowned public figures as they conquer life's challenges after their ADHD diagnoses, each of them proves how a woman with ADHD can have mental health conditions, have a successful career, and still achieve great things.
While your experience of ADHD may differ, may their stories help you understand that an ADHD diagnosis is not a bad thing and that your personal life can thrive after.
After reading this blog post, I invite you to reflect on whether you had a similar or different experience and how you tried to manage your ADHD. This self-reflection can help you better understand and navigate your neurodiversity.
I'd love to know what you discover about yourself. 🥰
JOURNAL PROMPT: Which of these women do you resonate with the most, and why?
P.S. For sources and in-depth discussion on this and similar topics, click to connect with Katherine here: ADHD Simplifiers Community.
