Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson
Hyperfocus is a show that zeroes in on what fascinates us about ADHD, mental health, and learning. Big questions like, “Does ADHD make you more likely to have postpartum depression?” Little nitpicks (TikTok was wrong about something?!), and personal conversations with everyone from old bosses and hilarious comedians, to leading researchers. Because on this show, hyperfocus isn’t the distraction — it’s the assignment.
Episodes
Artificial intelligence has cemented itself as the latest world-altering technology. It follows the same lineage as electricity, the television, the internet — the list goes on.
Depending on who you talk to, AI is the greatest thing ever or the thing that will destroy the world, with lots of room in the middle for discussion and experimentation.
But within the bigger AI fascination, there’s a smaller yet critical conversation about...
Craig Thomas is best known for his work on TV. He co-created the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and has written for “American Dad” and more. He’s penned songs for “Sesame Street” and essays for “The New Yorker.”
He’s less known for being a dad. For now, at least. He has a daughter, Celia, and a son, Elliot, who was born with Jacobsen syndrome, a genetic condition causing physical and developmental disabilities.
When Elliot was born...
To celebrate this holiday weekend, we’re reposting one of our early favorites. It’s a fascinating — and heartbreaking — deep dive into one of the most important studies ever done on girls with ADHD.
Check out Rae’s interview with Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, leader of the famous Berkeley Girls study, and learn why Dr. Hinshaw himself calls the findings “devastating.”
Timestamps
(4:45) The beginnings of the Berkeley Girls Study
(6:50) Combined-...
One of the most inevitable questions that comes with early adulthood is also one of the most fraught: “When are you having kids?”
The question is loaded with assumptions and pressure. It also seems to ignore the fact that having kids is supposed to be a choice, not a requirement.
For neurodivergent people, especially those with ADHD, deciding whether to become a parent can be even more complex.
On this episode of “Hyperfocus with R...
We’re picking up where we left off last time on Hyperfocus for the conclusion of our two-part series on the R-word’s resurgence.
Today, we meet a comedy writer who shares his personal evolution with the word and hear from a disability advocate.
We’ll also learn more from our research correspondent, Dr. KJ Wynne, and have producer Cody Nelson back on to hear from host Rae Jacobson about what she’s learned.
Related resources
...Last year, Rae and Cody at Team Hyperfocus noticed something unnerving: The R-word was coming back into public discourse. People, especially people in power, seemed to be using it more often, and more freely.
We weren’t the only ones who’d spotted this upsetting trend. Researchers, disability advocates, and other journalists were also concerned. If this word, long considered a slur, was being used by some very powerful people, what...
Happy summer, everyone! Because of the holiday weekend, we’re re-airing one of our favorite Hyperfocus episodes yet, which happens to be our very first one. We’ll be back in your feeds with a fresh show in two weeks.
After her daughter was born, Rae Jacobson was hit by a bout of severe postpartum depression. Back then, there wasn’t much out there about ADHD and women, let alone ADHD and postpartum mental health.
Rae had heard that t...
When you think about someone taking a psychedelic drug like magic mushrooms, the first images that come to mind probably don’t involve a medical professional in a white coat or any sort of clinical setting.
However, the perception of these drugs is changing as researchers and health professionals continue to learn new ways these drugs can treat a variety of mental health conditions.
Much of the research has to do with microdosing, ...
ADHD gets mentioned a lot in the new report from the Make America Healthy Again commission. It’s pitched as part of the “childhood chronic disease crisis,” and the authors make a lot of big claims:
- Food additives cause behavioral disorders
- Time outside can help treat ADHD
- ADHD is overdiagnosed and overtreated
But are any of these claims legit? We asked a licensed psychologist who specializes in learning and thinking difference...
On this bonus episode of Hyperfocus, we dive into the controversial new “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, released by a commission led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The 73-page document claims to explain what it calls a rise in “childhood chronic diseases” like ADHD, by pointing fingers at antibiotics, food dyes, and even a lack of outdoor play. But there’s a major catch: some of the report’s sources don’t actually exist.
In t...
If you haven’t heard of financial therapy before reading this, don’t worry. It’s new for us, too.
But when a past Hyperfocus guest told us to look up Dr. Christine Hargrove, we listened, and were so curious we had to get her on the show. Fortunately, she was game to share her expertise with us and our listeners.
She kindly answered our basic questions (what is financial therapy, really?) and some of the trickier ones, like how to m...
On this very special episode of Hyperfocus, host Rae Jacobson interviews three of these women — Sari Solden, Terry Matlen, and Dr. Ellen Littman — along with Dr. Michelle Frank, a psychologist taking up the torch for a new generation.
Together, they discuss how they met, their journey to legitimize ADHD in women, and what they hope for the future.
Related resources
...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
In honor of Mother’s Day weekend, we’re sharing an episode of our sibling podcast from Understood.org, ADHD Aha! The episode features our very own Rae Jacobson and, appropriately, it’s a conversation about motherhood. More specifically, it’s about being a mom (and a woman) with ADHD...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
“Thriving” is often held up as something to work toward in life, the gold standard for existence. If you have a learning difference or you’ve experienced mental health issues or even just went through a tough time, you’ve probably gotten some advice on what it takes to thrive.
But f...
We have a special treat for you this week on the usual off-week in our feed. It’s an episode of a brand new, investigative podcast called Climbing the Walls.
If you caught our last episode, you heard from the podcast’s host, Danielle Elliot. She’s been working with a team of us at Understood.org to put together the limited series, which just launched.
On Climbing the Walls, Danielle digs into the reasons behind the rise of ADHD dia...
If you follow ADHD news, you might’ve heard that diagnosis rates in women nearly doubled during the pandemic. Danielle Elliot was one of them, receiving her diagnosis just before she turned 37.
Danielle is also a science and health journalist. So, she did the thing that many reporters are inclined to do — she began investigating this big, new thing in her life and how it fit into the world around her.
As she dug in deeper, she lande...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
It often seems that the more complex a subject is, the more people tend to oversimplify it.
If your social media feeds are anything like mine, that’s definitely the case. Especially when it comes to science.
One of those often-oversimplified things is dopamine. This neurotransmitter,...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
We’re back with another episode from our Hyperfocus field trip to San Diego. While we were at the APSARD (American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders) conference, one of the talks that really piqued our interest was on genetics and neurodevelopmental disorders, inclu...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
Earlier this year, Hyperfocus took a field trip to San Diego for an ADHD conference called APSARD, which stands for the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (quite a mouthful).
A conference of ADHD professionals might not sound fascinating, but it was — and we ...
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
ADHD medications have been in the news a lot lately, especially stimulants.
In this bonus episode of Hyperfocus, host and mental health journalist Rae Jacobson talks about two U.S. policy items that could affect people with ADHD.
First, an executive order from February 13 established...
Popular Podcasts
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.