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Suicide Prevention Month: ADHD and a Risk We Need to Talk About
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to remember those we have lost, support people who have experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and make sure people know where to turn when they need help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes September each year as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with an…
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How to Get Diagnosed With ADHD as an Adult
Maybe you’ve always been forgetful. You lose track of time, start projects you don’t finish, procrastinate until the pressure becomes unbearable, or find yourself wondering why everyday tasks seem to require so much effort. Or maybe you were doing reasonably well until adulthood became more complicated. Work. Bills. Relationships. Parenting. Managing a household. Keeping track…
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ADHD in Women: 12 Signs That Often Go Undiagnosed Until Adulthood
For many women, ADHD doesn’t look like the stereotype. There may have been no bouncing off classroom walls, constant disciplinary problems, or obvious hyperactivity. Instead, ADHD may have looked like daydreaming, procrastination, losing things, staying up all night to finish assignments, or working twice as hard as everyone else just to stay organized. Some women…
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ADHD Test for Adults: Screening vs. a Real ADHD Assessment
If you’ve ever searched “Do I have ADHD?” online, you’ve probably encountered dozens of ADHD quizzes and screening tests. Some take only a few minutes and may give you an immediate result suggesting that ADHD is likely—or unlikely. These tools can be useful. But an ADHD screening is not the same thing as an ADHD…
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Podcast Episode: ADHD in College: Getting Assessed for Academic Accommodations
Pip: Valerie Holcomb writes about ADHD, and this week she covers two territories where the stakes are genuinely high: getting the institutional support college requires, and understanding why a single critical email can feel like the floor dropping out. Mara: Right — we have college accommodations on one side, and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria on the…
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Do I Have ADHD? Signs of ADHD in Adults
Do you start things but struggle to finish them? Lose track of time? Forget why you walked into a room? Put off simple tasks until suddenly they become emergencies? Maybe you can focus for hours on something that interests you—but answering an email you’ve been avoiding for three days feels nearly impossible. At some point,…
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ADHD College Accommodations: How to Get Assessed and What to Ask For
Transitioning to college with ADHD brings a unique set of hurdles. Without the structured guardrails of high school or parental oversight, many adults find that managing independent living, dense reading loads, and self-directed studying pushes their executive functions to a breaking point. Pursuing an official ADHD assessment and securing college accommodations is one of the…
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What is Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria?
The sting of criticism can throw anyone off balance, but for people with ADHD, that reaction often goes far beyond hurt feelings. It can feel like a physical blow. That intense, overwhelming emotional pain is known as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). While not an official diagnostic term in the DSM-5, it is a widely recognized…
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Beyond the Wall: Understanding the Three Types of Adult ADHD
When we think of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the image that often comes to mind is a restless schoolboy bouncing off classroom walls. But for millions of adults navigating careers, relationships, and daily life, ADHD looks entirely different. Clinically, the condition is categorized under the DSM-5 into three distinct presentations (formerly called subtypes). Understanding these types…
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Adult ADHD Assessment: Why Getting Evaluated Changes Everything
Adult ADHD often hides in plain sight, frequently masquerading as chronic stress, burnout, or simply “being disorganized.” Because the condition looks different in adults than it does in hyperactive children, many people spend decades struggling against invisible barriers, assuming their difficulties with focus, time management, and emotional regulation are personal failings rather than neurodevelopmental traits.…
Valerie Holcomb, MS, LPC
Therapy & Adult ADHD Assessment
