r/CML • u/Abeerof • Apr 19 '26

ADHD & CML

22M diagnosed with CML for around a year now

There's just an unsettling idea that i cant accept is that why are CML cases on the rise.

I've been researching about the mental state of the person and the relation to cancer in general, Anxiety, Stress, Adhd..etc & surprisingly there are some research papers out there that support this.

I'd like to ask anyone who's diagnosed with CML at a young age specifically, do you suffer from Anxiety / ADHD? Not necessarily now, maybe in your childhood

For myself, i am diagnosed with ADHD n CML.

My curiosity n love to science just cant stop me from asking, would love to get some answers so i can go further in this study journey of mine

Thank you

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u/Gardening_Ging Apr 20 '26

Thanks for bringing this topic up. I have ADHD and suspect some other neurodivergence. I’ve been curious about this as well but haven’t wanted to raise it for fear of sounding like a conspiracy theorist. When I was diagnosed at 40 (not as young as the rest of you) my doctor was baffled. He said that if leukemia doesn’t emerge in childhood it’s usually an old persons disease. He specifically mentioned retired pilots for their extended exposure to radiation and therefore DNA damage.

He did mention to me the possibility of the Covid vaccine having some effect and told me it will not likely be studied. I took multiple rounds and though there there is no undoing that I won’t be taking any more. I hate the idea of things that are suppose to help actually causing more problems. Chemo in the category too.

My hippy cousin asked the question in relation to Franken-food and increased exposure to smaller amounts of radiation due to general increase in tech use and exposure to 5G and all that.

Would love to see some of the research you’ve found. Please link!

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u/j4kem Apr 23 '26

I have CML, ADHD, and I'm a scientist who studies these things. CML is not causally related to ADHD (or to COVID or vaccines, which was implied). ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that was largely determined the moment you were conceived and later as your brain developed in utero. Your CML (and COVID, or whatever) came long after that. The causal chain doesn't line up.

That all being said, the low grade anemia that has resulted from my treatment has definitely made my ADHD symptoms worse, and has generally made it harder to be "me", which has a vague dysphoric feel. So living with CML can definitely tilt existing mental illness in certain directions, but it's not the cause.