When Paris Hilton first learned of her ADHD diagnosis, she felt like she had to hide her diagnosis from people. Given that the condition is still stigmatized, she was “worried about how it might be perceived.” She now realizes that although living with ADHD can be a challenge, it’s also “a superpower.” In an essay for Teen Vogue, Paris, 43, writes about how ADHD has impacted her.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it’s estimated that about 4.4% of adults 18 to 44 years old live with ADHD — and some of them might not even realize they have it. For years of her life, Paris felt “misunderstood” until she realized that the reason she had a “constant need for stimulation” and a “constantly racing” mind was because of ADHD.
More from CafeMom: Kim Kardashian Calls for the Menendez Brothers, Who Killed Their Parents, To Be Released
Paris describes feeling 'misunderstood' when she was younger.
In her essay for Teen Vogue, Paris Hilton writes about how she had symptoms of ADHD at a young age. But the people around her didn’t really try to get to the bottom of “What’s really going on with her?” Instead, Paris felt “misunderstood” and spent time in the “Troubled Teen Industry,” which she said “was apparently meant to ‘fix’ me.”
“Growing up, I was always told that I was too energetic, too distracted, too talkative — just too everything,” Paris described. At the time, she was faced with a “constant need for stimulation, paired with a school system that failed to accommodate how I naturally learn.”
She draws attention to gender differences in ADHD diagnosis and presentation.
Boys are diagnosed with ADHD more often than girls are — but it’s not necessarily because the disorder is more common in boys. Symptoms of ADHD are more likely to be overlooked in girls compared to boys, and there are a myriad of other reasons why it is underdiagnosed in women, according to Healthline. Paris also addresses these gender disparities in her essay, writing, “For many women, ADHD is often a silent struggle. A staggering 21 million women between the ages of 18 and 64 likely have ADHD or learning differences like dyslexia, and many of them are still undiagnosed.”
She continued with, “Studies show that girls are diagnosed with ADHD only one-third as often as boys because their symptoms don’t always align with the hyperactive, disruptive behaviors typically associated with ADHD in boys.”
More from CafeMom: Amanda Bynes Is Finally Putting Her Fashion Degree To Use & Her Designs Are Really Interesting
Her diagnosis felt like a 'label' and 'limitation' at first.
Like many women, Paris was diagnosed with ADHD many years after she began experiencing symptoms. When she was first diagnosed, she was worried about how people would perceive her: “Would people think I was too scattered, too unfocused, or incapable of success?”
She later realized, however, that “ADHD isn’t a limitation; it’s a superpower. It’s my secret weapon in a world that often tells us to play it safe.” Although living with ADHD can be a challenge, “the other side reveals something beautiful: creativity, passion, resilience, and a mind that thinks in bold, unexpected ways,” Paris explained in the Teen Vogue essay.
ADHD should not be stigmatized.
Even though she no longer sees the disorder as a limitation, Paris still admits that “ADHD can also be overwhelming and exhausting.” She has “learned over time to manage my tough moments by creating structure around my life.”
That doesn’t mean that she won’t have more challenging days sometimes — and she wants people to realize that that’s fine. “Even with these strategies, there are days when ADHD can feel like a storm that I have to navigate, and that’s okay,” she shared in the essay. “It’s part of the journey, and I’ve learned to give myself grace during those times.”
She believes that “the stigma surrounding ADHD — and neurodivergence in general — needs to change.”
“We live in a world where we’re often expected to fit into boxes, to follow the rules, and to do things the way everyone else does,” she continued. “But my ADHD has taught me that the most magical things happen when you break free from those expectations.”
Paris says ADHD has allowed her to 'break boundaries and stay ahead of the curve.'
The reason Paris sees ADHD as “a superpower” is because of what she has been able to achieve thanks to the way her brain works. “My brain doesn’t follow a straight line — it zigzags and explores uncharted territory, allowing me to break boundaries and stay ahead of the curve,” she explained, adding that she can “anticipate trends” and “connect with people on a deeper level” because of ADHD.
Additionally, she believes that her ability to “hyper-focus on things I am passionate about” is “one of the most powerful gifts of the disorder.” “Because my brain thrives on newness, on bold ideas, and on innovation, I see the world as full of possibilities, and I’ve learned to embrace that energy,” she explained.
