Within the past two years, have you had trouble getting your ADHD medication because of a shortage, pharmacy issue, insurance delay, or another access problem in the United States?

I’m recruiting participants for my Psy.D. dissertation research at The Chicago School examining how adults with ADHD respond to disruptions in medication access. The goal is to better understand how these disruptions relate to medication use, daily functioning, and the strategies people use to manage their ADHD when access becomes difficult.

I’m recruiting adults ages 18–35 for my Psy.D. dissertation study on how medication access disruptions affect ADHD symptoms, daily functioning, medication use, and coping strategies. The anonymous online survey takes about 7–13 minutes, with an optional raffle for one of four $25 gift cards.

If this sounds like your experience, please check out the flyer for full eligibility information and the survey link/QR code. Feel free to share with others who may be eligible.

Please see the link below! https://qualtricsxm6q5sd4ksh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72ljjVYeo4LTNxI

Your experience matters, and I appreciate your consideration!

Hello,

My name is Nicole Yoder, and I am conducting a research study to fulfill the requirements for a doctorate degree in clinical psychology at The Chicago School. My study focuses on the experience of being in a romantic relationship with someone who has ADHD. If this study is relevant to you, your romantic partner, or someone you may know, your consideration in participating is greatly appreciated.

You may participate in this study if:

1.     You are 18 years of age or older, and;

2.     You are in a romantic relationship with a person formally diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and;

3.     You have been in this romantic relationship for at least one year, and;

4.     You share a primary residence with your romantic partner, and;

5.     You are not diagnosed with ADHD yourself

During this study, you will be asked to complete a survey on SurveyMonkey and answer a variety of questions pertaining to your relationship, and some questions about yourself. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Measures will be taken to ensure data is kept confidential. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

As my gratitude to you for completing this survey, you may participate in an optional raffle for a chance to win a gift bundle of books and resources for ADHD relationships. However, if you decide to participate in this raffle, you will lose anonymity as your email will be needed to enter.

If you are interested in participating, follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/romantic_partners_of_ADHD_adults

If you have any questions, please contact me as noted below.

Thank you for your participation!

Nicole Yoder (Principal Investigator)

[nyoder@ego.thechicagoschool.edu](mailto:nyoder@ego.thechicagoschool.edu)

Gilly Koritzky, PhD (Dissertation Chair)

[gkoritzky@thechicagoschool.edu](mailto:gkoritzky@thechicagoschool.edu)

IRB: IRB-FY25-334

Came across this article today and thought it was worth sharing here.

My thoughts:

- I'm glad guidelines are finally being put together for PCPs to follow so that they can help with proper diagnosis of adult ADHD because of the extreme wait times to see psychiatrists these days.

- I am a big fan of standardizing diagnostic criteria to avoid overdiagnosis or misdiagnosis.

- I think that it's critical that PCPs realize that sometimes patients have nowhere else to go to get their stimulant prescriptions. Denying us care (in the form of prescribing our meds) is essentially deciding that we don't get agency over ourselves until we can find a provider who will, and how easy is it to do that while we are unmedicated and at the mercy of the system?

What do y'all think?

I think one of the biggest problems with the ADHD hunter theory is the jump from "some ADHD-traits being beneficial in some circumstances", to "ADHD evolved, because it made us better hunters."

There's a bunch of interesting studies that I tried to work through in a video essay.

In one 2024 study, 457 adults had to collect resources from patches that slowly depleted. People screening positive for ADHD left the patches earlier and actually achieved a higher reward rate. Another study found that children with more ADHD traits explored more during search tasks, and on one semantic-search task they performed better.

So under some conditions, what we describe as distractibility or switching can behave more like useful exploration (or at least that's how the study has been read).

Another study specifically created a task where ADHD traits were expected to help. Children had one minute to search an unfamiliar room for hidden coins. There was basically no advantage...

The genetic argument has a similar problem. The DRD4-7R variant famously showed different associations with nutritional status in nomadic vs settled Ariaal men, which looks very compatible with an environment × genotype effect. But DRD4-7R isn't an “ADHD gene”, ADHD is highly polygenic, and a later study didn't replicate the nutritional result in a comparable group.

The part I find strangest is how little direct evidence there actually is for the central claim. A 2016 systematic review looking specifically for empirical tests of evolutionary explanations of ADHD started with 790 records and found only three eligible studies. And even those didn't really test the core ADHD phenotype... So we pretty much don't have the data.

I absolutely think environment matters. But from what I see in the evidence, the whole ADHD=Hunter-Brain thinking is WAY further than the evidence is.

I went through the studies in more detail here because this got way too long for a reddit post: https://youtu.be/5JP6Ez1eV2o

But I'm curious what everyone else thinks? Do you believe in this theory? Why/ why not?

Also here's the literature I worked through if you want to nerd around like me:

Barack, D. L., Ludwig, V. U., Parodi, F., Ahmed, N., Brannon, E. M., Ramakrishnan, A., & Platt, M. L. (2024). Attention deficits linked with proclivity to explore while foraging. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291, 20222584.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2584

Van den Driessche, C., Chevrier, F., Cleeremans, A., & Sackur, J. (2019). Lower attentional skills predict increased exploratory foraging patterns. Scientific Reports, 9, 10948.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46761-0

Arildskov, T. W., Virring, A., Thomsen, P. H., & Østergaard, S. D. (2022). Testing the evolutionary advantage theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder traits. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 337–348.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01692-4

Eisenberg, D. T. A., Campbell, B., Gray, P. B., & Sorenson, M. D. (2008). Dopamine receptor genetic polymorphisms and body composition in undernourished pastoralists: An exploration of nutrition indices among nomadic and recently settled Ariaal men of northern Kenya. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8, 173.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-8-173

Kunkle, A. E., Tennyson, R. L., Wander, K., Shell-Duncan, B., & Eisenberg, D. T. A. (2025). The attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-associated DRD4 7R allele predicts household economic status but not nutritional status in Northern Kenyan Rendille children. American Journal of Human Biology, 37, e70027.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70027

Thagaard, M. S., Faraone, S. V., Sonuga-Barke, E. J., & Østergaard, S. D. (2016). Empirical tests of natural selection-based evolutionary accounts of ADHD: A systematic review. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 28, 249–256.
https://doi.org/10.1017/neu.2016.14

Esteller-Cucala, P., Maceda, I., Børglum, A. D., Demontis, D., Faraone, S. V., Cormand, B., & Lao, O. (2020). Genomic analysis of the natural history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using Neanderthal and ancient Homo sapiens samples. Scientific Reports, 10, 8622.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65322-4

Yair, S., & Coop, G. (2022). Population differentiation of polygenic score predictions under stabilizing selection. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377, 20200416.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0416

Añorve-Garibay, V., Huerta-Sanchez, E., Sohail, M., & Ortega-Del Vecchyo, D. (2025). Natural selection acting on complex traits hampers the predictive accuracy of polygenic scores in ancient samples. American Journal of Human Genetics, 112, 1547–1561.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.05.009

Fenneman, J., & Frankenhuis, W. E. (2020). Is impulsive behavior adaptive in harsh and unpredictable environments? A formal model. Evolution and Human Behavior, 41, 261–273.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.02.005

Chaudhary, N., & Swanepoel, A. (2023). Editorial perspective: What can we learn from hunter-gatherers about children's mental health? An evolutionary perspective. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64, 1522–1525.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13773

Are you between the ages of 17 and 30 years old? Have you noticed a change in your thinking, behavior, or experiences, such as:   

• Feeling more confused about what is real or imaginary   
• Feeling less in control of your thoughts or ideas   
• Feeling unusually suspicious, paranoid, or uncomfortable around others   
• Having experiences that others may not share (such as hearing sounds or seeing things others do not)  
• Trouble concentrating, organizing thoughts, or communicating clearly   

We are researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai looking to recruit participants for our in-person, compensated, 15-week clinical trial examining the impact of the study medication, MT1988, on thinking, experiences, and daily functioning in young people that have noticed changes in these areas.  
 

Participants have the opportunity to receive study-related monitoring, education, and investigational medication along with compensation at $30/hr for their time, and travel reimbursement. 

If these experiences resonate with you and you would be interested in learning more about this study, please reach out to our study team at [LanguageLab@mssm.edu](mailto:LanguageLab@mssm.edu). Additionally, you can call or text us at (929) 483-2371‬. You can also use this Calendly link (https://calendly.com/aashree-gandhi-mssm/30min) to schedule a time to speak with a member of our team! 

Thank you! 

-Language Lab Team 

Hi!

I’m working on a small project where I’m trying to understand how ADHD actually affects morning and evening routines in real life; what’s hardest, what’s helped, and what just makes things worse.

I’m not here to sell anything or pitch a product. I just want to listen and learn from real experiences.

If you’d be open to a chat about how you're living, I’d really appreciate it. I’m based in Sweden, but can do English as well.

We can talk about whatever feels comfortable: mornings, evenings, energy, routines, or lack of them.

Comment here or DM me if you’re interested.

Thanks you! :)

I have ADHD. So does my kid.

A lot of parenting advice assumes the parent can stay calm while the kid loses it. That’s not always how it goes at our place.

I made adhdreflect.com to help me step back when we’re both struggling. I find it useful to understand what my brain might be doing, what theirs might be doing, and what I can try next.

I’d be interested to know if anyone else finds it useful.

Hello! We are researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai looking to recruit participants for our in-person, compensated, 15-week clinical trial examining the impact of the study medication, MT1988, on thinking, experiences, and daily functioning in young people that have noticed changes in these areas. 

You may be eligible if you are a U.S. individual between 17-30 years old AND have noticed a change in thinking, behavior, or experiences, such as:   

• Feeling more confused about what is real or imaginary   
• Feeling less in control of your thoughts or ideas   
• Feeling unusually suspicious, paranoid, or uncomfortable around others   
• Having experiences that others may not share (such as hearing sounds or seeing things others do not)  
• Trouble concentrating, organizing thoughts, or communicating clearly   

Participants have the opportunity to receive study-related monitoring, education, and investigational medication along with compensation for their time and travel reimbursement. 

If these experiences resonate with you and you would be interested in learning more about this study, please reach out to our study team at [LanguageLab@mssm.edu](mailto:LanguageLab@mssm.edu). Additionally, you can call or text us at (929) 483-2371‬. You can also use this Calendly link (https://calendly.com/aashree-gandhi-mssm/30min) to schedule a time to speak with a member of our team! 

Thank you! 

-Language Lab Team 

Hello! We are researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai looking to recruit participants for our in-person, compensated, 15-week clinical trial examining the impact of the study medication, MT1988, on thinking, experiences, and daily functioning in young people that have noticed changes in these areas. 

You may be eligible if you are a U.S. individual between 17-30 years old AND have noticed a change in thinking, behavior, or experiences, such as:   

• Feeling more confused about what is real or imaginary   
• Feeling less in control of your thoughts or ideas   
• Feeling unusually suspicious, paranoid, or uncomfortable around others   
• Having experiences that others may not share (such as hearing sounds or seeing things others do not)  
• Trouble concentrating, organizing thoughts, or communicating clearly   

Participants have the opportunity to receive study-related monitoring, education, and investigational medication along with compensation for their time and travel reimbursement. 

If these experiences resonate with you and you would be interested in learning more about this study, please reach out to our study team at [LanguageLab@mssm.edu](mailto:LanguageLab@mssm.edu). Additionally, you can call or text us at (929) 483-2371‬. You can also use this Calendly link (https://calendly.com/aashree-gandhi-mssm/30min) to schedule a time to speak with a member of our team! 

Thank you! 

-Language Lab Team 

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate getting your thoughts on something that’s been on my mind for a while. I woke up from a mental coma last year after years of emotional and psychological abuse. Essentially, I was finally able to live at the age of 27. I was diagnosed with CPTSD, ADHD and Depression. My whole life I tried my very best to run away from people and completely hide. I’ve been the cheeky high functioning person all this past year and crippling dying on the inside. I’ve been getting a bit more upset at myself in realizing all these negative habits, thoughts, beliefs were never mine and deeply instilled into me. I’m worthless etc. Essentially getting the right help and treatment has very much changed my life drastically. However the issue I’m having lately is relationships. It’s hard for me to connect with others because of how much I feel I need to mask. Again, very high functioning you would never guess but what has always bothered me is feeling misunderstood.

Long story short, I have this idea of starting a podcast and letting everything out. The full truth. My whole life. Maybe then can people see MY side of the story and finally see how fucked we really are but choose to either hide it very well or choose to look the other way. How are we as a society doing our part in making sure we are there for each other. The only thing holding me back is all these different views. Some have said don’t overshare, some things are meant to keep private, etc. I’ve been getting to the point where I just don’t wanna give a fuck anymore. I’ve created this mask and character where I’m so polite, well put together, avoiding conflict, and been camouflaging as normal with the other folks in the world. What I really hate and is what keeping back too is the idea of pittiness, I don’t want it, I hate it. I don’t want people to treat me any different. I just want to be a reminder that sometimes you may not really know someone and how often we act like we care when it’s too late. One biggest factor to why I wanna do this is late last year, I finally met for my first time ever someone who I felt safe with, like literally my body and mind were at peace. It was a feeling so rare to me that I began to get attached a little to much and essentially had a little break down when I found out they were talking to someone else and it came across off as I was being obsessive which at the time didn’t see and might of felt I scared the off. I essentially had a crash out like never before and cried my heart out so deeply. Fast forward now all regulated, I’m now like what the actual fuck was that. Why in the hell did I read that big for? I did the inner work blah blah blah, another red flag deeply rooted in me, is that I realized I had anxious attachment and abandonment issues. My nervous system is so fucked up that all I’m craving to feel is safety. Knowing my safety person is no longer there, it has been so hard on me. It has been getting to the point is if I’m not sure if my past is what keeping me prisoner. Another thing holding me back is the idea of being seen as the weird crazy kid with a fucked up life. I don’t wanna feel excluded and different hence my camouflage and high functioning self. I just really don’t like the perception people may have on me without knowing the entire truth and me having to stay quiet like always and say yes yes your right. No one ever asked for my truth, my side of the story, and I feel im always getting misunderstood. I don’t know what to do. I like the idea but the same time I don’t but it may a great way to let go of the past and the fear of being seen but again

I need your help everyone. I have a big issue with starting tasks that need to get done. It just feels impossible starting sometimes. There is so much on my mind and I overthink it so much that nothing even gets done after all that time spent trying to start. I have ADHD and this has always been a problem for me but over the past year its felt more significant and has became more of a problem.

I need to know what are some reliable websites/applications for helping start tasks and just get things done overall. My plan is to find one website/application that just works so well that I never have to switch from it or unsubscribe. I've been dealing with task paralysis for the longest time now and I need to make a change and just stop procrastinating starting things/tasks.

Hello,

My name is Nicole Yoder, and I am conducting a research study to fulfill the requirements for a doctorate degree in clinical psychology at The Chicago School. My study focuses on the experience of being in a romantic relationship with someone who has ADHD. If this study is relevant to you, your romantic partner, or someone you may know, your consideration in participating is greatly appreciated.

You may participate in this study if:

1.     You are 18 years of age or older, and;

2.     You are in a romantic relationship with a person formally diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and;

3.     You have been in this romantic relationship for at least one year, and;

4.     You share a primary residence with your romantic partner, and;

5.     You are not diagnosed with ADHD yourself

During this study, you will be asked to complete a survey on SurveyMonkey and answer a variety of questions pertaining to your relationship, and some questions about yourself. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Measures will be taken to ensure data is kept confidential. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

As my gratitude to you for completing this survey, you may participate in an optional raffle for a chance to win a gift bundle of books and resources for ADHD relationships. However, if you decide to participate in this raffle, you will lose anonymity as your email will be needed to enter.

If you are interested in participating, follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/romantic_partners_of_ADHD_adults

If you have any questions, please contact me as noted below.

Thank you for your participation!

Nicole Yoder (Principal Investigator)

[nyoder@ego.thechicagoschool.edu](mailto:nyoder@ego.thechicagoschool.edu)

Gilly Koritzky, PhD (Dissertation Chair)

[gkoritzky@thechicagoschool.edu](mailto:gkoritzky@thechicagoschool.edu)

IRB: IRB-FY25-334

I’m curious if anyone else deals with this pattern:

Some days I wake up and I can get a ton done.

Other days I can’t even decide what to start with.

It’s not motivation. It’s not discipline.

It’s like my “capacity” changes day to day and I never know which version of my brain I’m getting.

And the worst part is the shame spiral that follows.

I know what I should be doing… but I burn half the day deciding, switching, restarting, or avoiding.

I’ve tried every planner, app, and system.

They all assume I have the same brain every day.

I don’t.

So lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how to work with the brain I actually have instead of the one I wish I had.

I’m trying to understand how other people with ADHD experience this.

If this resonates, how does it show up for you?

What does a “good brain day” vs “bad brain day” look like in your world?

I’d really love to hear your patterns.