017: ADD/ADHD - Let's Discuss How to Identify and Treat this Disorder on the Rise

It’s ADHD’s moment in the spotlight. Thanks to Tiktok, today there’s an unprecedented level of interest around ADHD. But so many of the symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder can also be caused by lifestyle factors -- diet, sleep, exercise, social activity -- exacerbated by the pandemic. In other words, if you’re bouncing off the walls after a year and a half of being cooped up, it’s probably more an environmental issue than a clinical one.

In this episode, Shift’s Zac Erickson and Andrea McTague discuss ADD/ADHD from the inside out, bringing to bear their personal and professional experiences with the disorder. After defining the three types of ADD/ADHD and running Andrea through a screening questionnaire, the two discuss why a diagnosis matters (and why it doesn’t), and how to build a life that works with, not against, your instinctual nature. 

Bottom line: regardless of label, it’s all about knowing yourself, what makes you tick and what throws you off the rails. 

Listen closely and you’ll learn: Why you wouldn’t ask your chihuahua to herd sheep, how a box of yarn saved Andrea’s grey velvet couch, and why not all screen-time is created equal.