Danielle Elliott

Hey, it's Danielle. When I was reporting and writing Climbing the Walls, there was a lot happening. ADHD was constantly in the news, for better or worse. I was navigating my own diagnosis, and I was digging into the long, complicated history of ADHD in women. With so much to unpack, I joined another podcast called Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson.

Hey, it's Danielle. When I was reporting and writing Climbing the Walls, there was a lot happening. ADHD was constantly in the news, for better or worse. I was navigating my own diagnosis, and I was digging into the long, complicated history of ADHD in women. With so much to unpack, I joined another podcast called Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson.

It's a show that dives into the most fascinating parts of ADHD—mental health and learning—and In the episode you're about to hear, I talk about how climbing the walls came to be, what surprised me most during the reporting process, and more. If you enjoy it, be sure to follow Hyperfocus with Ray Jacobson wherever you get your podcasts, or just click the link in the show notes.

It's a show that dives into the most fascinating parts of ADHD—mental health and learning—and In the episode you're about to hear, I talk about how climbing the walls came to be, what surprised me most during the reporting process, and more. If you enjoy it, be sure to follow Hyperfocus with Ray Jacobson wherever you get your podcasts, or just click the link in the show notes.

I had started working on a book proposal about ADHD, but it was interesting because the response from a lot of editors was, we've already had so many proposals about ADHD in women, but the process of publishing a book takes a year to two years. So it's going to be behind the news cycle.

I had started working on a book proposal about ADHD, but it was interesting because the response from a lot of editors was, we've already had so many proposals about ADHD in women, but the process of publishing a book takes a year to two years. So it's going to be behind the news cycle.

In everything always. Like it was almost like when I got diagnosed, I was like, oh, that's – like that makes sense.

In everything always. Like it was almost like when I got diagnosed, I was like, oh, that's – like that makes sense.

I think I feel like three years behind still in a lot of things. Oh, my gosh.

I think I feel like three years behind still in a lot of things. Oh, my gosh.

In little and very, very big ways. Yeah. Yeah.

In little and very, very big ways. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, it's been interesting because I think that what seemed different to me about the moment with women was like when I first started hearing ADHD, I was on the rise. It's like, yeah, we go through this every five years. Like I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, right? Like I have seen the news cycle cover ADHD, but this one just felt different because of the sheer amount.

Well, it's been interesting because I think that what seemed different to me about the moment with women was like when I first started hearing ADHD, I was on the rise. It's like, yeah, we go through this every five years. Like I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, right? Like I have seen the news cycle cover ADHD, but this one just felt different because of the sheer amount.

Like it just seemed like truly every woman in my age range was saying it. And so I wanted to understand if there was something different happening in now, like if there are other elements of our culture that were contributing to this, or is it exclusively ADHD? And I think reporting on it was a really interesting process because there were moments where I started to doubt the rates of diagnosis.

Like it just seemed like truly every woman in my age range was saying it. And so I wanted to understand if there was something different happening in now, like if there are other elements of our culture that were contributing to this, or is it exclusively ADHD? And I think reporting on it was a really interesting process because there were moments where I started to doubt the rates of diagnosis.

And then there were moments where I thought, oh, we haven't even slightly begun to diagnose the true number of people who have this. And then Others where you're like, oh, if we continue to live the way we live in 2024, 2025, 100% of the population will have ADHD 100 years from now. Which is not a scientifically backed statement at all. That is completely just me saying things. Yeah.

And then there were moments where I thought, oh, we haven't even slightly begun to diagnose the true number of people who have this. And then Others where you're like, oh, if we continue to live the way we live in 2024, 2025, 100% of the population will have ADHD 100 years from now. Which is not a scientifically backed statement at all. That is completely just me saying things. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.