Since attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one such problem that is easily associated with children, many adults also have the condition. Much more than that, there are famous people with ADHD who not only dominate their fields but also seem unstoppable.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the prevalence of mental illness among adults is 4.4%. More so, in adults who were not diagnosed with the disorder in childhood, they are likely to go undiagnosed.
As the name suggests, the main symptoms of this disorder include difficulty paying attention and staying focused, as well as having difficulty controlling mood or behavior as well as having energy slumps. Due to these symptoms, it is easy to assume that a person may not be able to reach their full potential if they have this disorder. However, there are many celebrities who have the condition and have always achieved the best places in their careers.
Here are some famous people with ADHD
1. Michael Phelps
Phelps isn’t just one of the greatest swimmers, he’s still also the most decorated Olympian with 28 gold medals to his name. That said, he also had issues while growing up due to ADHD, which remained even into adulthood.
Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD since he was 9 years old, which made it extremely difficult for him to cope with his studies. Following this, he revealed that a teacher told him that he would achieve nothing and not even be successful.
The retired swimmer was able to channel his strength to swim in the opposite direction to his teacher.
2. Simone Biles
Even before she turned 20, Simone Biles had already won 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 bronze medal, 14 world championships and the Pacific championships. However, her life had never been rosier with a father who had abandoned his family and struggled with drug addiction and a mother who was also a drug and alcohol addict, leaving her unable to care for her three children. As a result, she was adopted and raised by her maternal grandparents from the age of 6.
Beyond that, it was leaked by Russian hackers who looked into the records of the World Anti-Doping Agency where she tested positive for Ritalin, an ADHD drug. The gymnast revealed she’s not ashamed to let people know she has ADHD or takes medication for it. Following the incident, USA Gymnastics released a statement noting that there was no violation as she had permission to take the drug.
3. Adam Levine
He might be one of your favorite singers, but AdamLevine is also one of the famous ADHD sufferers who are just plain unstoppable. Like most others, he was found to have had this disorder since he was 5 years old and he continued to battle it even into adulthood.
Frontman Maroon 5 revealed that as a child it was very difficult for him to do his homework or concentrate due to his condition. As an adult, the question of staying focused and completing tasks is always relevant. He sometimes has a lot of ideas but still can’t document them. Sometimes even writing or recording songs could seem like a big challenge for him.
4. Justin Timberlake
There’s also Not a Bad Thing Singer and actor Justin Timberlake has yet to quit famous people with ADHD. For the Grammy-winning singer, he struggled with ADHD mixed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Trouord), which is a psychiatric disorder that has obsessive thoughts and compulsions or rituals as some of the symptoms.
Timberlake revealed that while it can be very complicated, you have to find a way to live with it. The Friends With Benefits star, however, hasn’t spoken much about how it’s affected her career.
5. Karina Smirnoff
Karina Smirnoff is an American National Professional Ballroom Dancing Champion, World Trophy Champion, as well as Asian Open Champion. On top of that, she also won the Dutch Open and the US National Professional Champions on several occasions before becoming the first woman to advance to the UK professional final up to three times with three different partners.
With a long list of accomplishments to show for, Karina Smirnoff is also one of the famous people with ADHD. The dancer was able to channel most of the energy from the mess into the dance, and somehow it pays off.
6. Ty Pennington
Pennington has done everything from modeling to acting, writing, TV hosting, artwork, carpentry, and more. What he was able to accomplish is always a surprise when you learn that the famous television host suffers from ADHD.
As he grew up, Pennington was so hyperactive that he could distract the whole class. When his mother, who was studying to be a child psychologist, went to her school to test the worst child, she introduced her son whom she observed through the window. He had undressed and distracted everyone.
To calm himself down, he continued to take small doses of antihistamines that had been given to him since childhood to make him drowsy.
Interestingly, it was because of this mess that he decided to put his energy into his many hobbies which all paid off.
7. Solange Knowles
Singer and actress, Solange Knowles also battles ADHD. When she was first diagnosed with the disorder, Knowles didn’t believe the doctor, as she thought it was just another thing made up to get people to pay money for drugs. And so she went to another one who made a similar diagnosis.
More than the doctors diagnosis, she also realized that she had so much energy even when she was sober and it was hard for her to focus on a lot of things or finish what she started. Not too long ago, she revealed that she can now see the symptoms of many people in the music industry, people with memory loss who started something but didn’t finish.
8. Paris Hilton
In a 2007 interview with Larry King, ParisHilton revealed that she had been on medication since childhood as a result of attention deficit disorder. She said that like everyone else, she always had a hard time paying attention to things. She has been diagnosed with this disorder since she was 12 years old.
When she was imprisoned, the feeling of being trapped made things worse for her, but she quickly adjusted. Professionally, the mess doesn’t affect her music, acting, writing, business, or the many other things she’s involved in.
9. Jim Carrey
Carrey is not the actor who wouldn’t play any role you cast him. The Canadian actor, comedian, director and painter is very popular for his high energy roles in movies.
That said, the actor has battled depression and ADHD since back to school. The actor mask was known to disrupt classes. He has been treated for this disorder since childhood and has used his acting and comedy to let off some of the energy.
10. Howie Mandel
Mandel has accomplished so much as an actor, comedian, TV host and more. The longest-serving judge or host on America’s Got Talent, he also hosts Deal or No Deal. Looking at all of his accomplishments, Howie is completely unstoppable. That said, it hasn’t been a rosy journey for him, as he battles both ADHD and OCD.
The first time he revealed he had OCD was on an impulsive talk show, which later devastated him.
A staunch mental health advocate, Mandel had the question given he was a child even though at the time there was no name for the condition. As a result of this, it was until adulthood that he was diagnosed with the problem that he has known all his life.
As a result of the obsessive-compulsive disorder he suffers from, he does not shake people down and does not like to come into contact with them for fear of germs. More so, he finds it very difficult to stay still or even listen for a long time. One of the hardest things for him is reading scripts or writing.
The support of his parents when he was a child and that of his wife are some of the things that have kept him going, as well as the medication he has always taken. His wife and children all had to go to therapy because of his disorder.