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Lewis HowesADHD Expert: How To Hack Your Brain For Better Focus | Dr. Sasha Hamdani
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At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
ADHD, misdiagnosis, and rejection sensitivity through the lens of regulation
- Dr. Sasha Hamdani explains that ADHD and the outdated term ADD refer to the same condition, now described through inattentive, hyperactive, and combined presentations.
- She argues ADHD is primarily genetic and distinct from trauma-related focus fragmentation, emphasizing the importance of ruling out other medical and psychological causes before diagnosing.
- She describes ADHD less as an “attention deficit” and more as a regulation challenge that can include emotion, motivation, energy, and attention—areas that are not always captured by observable diagnostic criteria.
- She highlights a common misdiagnosis loop where emotional dysregulation is labeled as anxiety or depression, leading some patients to cycle through multiple antidepressants before ADHD is considered.
- She unpacks rejection sensitivity and emotional overwhelm as brain-based processes and shares practical approaches to support regulation, including movement and supportive, curious communication rather than telling someone to “calm down.”
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasADHD symptoms can look like other problems, so clinicians must “diagnose out” alternatives.
She says many things can fragment focus—such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, thyroid conditions, and hormones—so a key part of diagnosis is ruling out other causes and looking for consistent patterns over time.
The episode frames ADHD as primarily genetic, with trauma as a separate (but overlapping) driver of focus issues.
She states ADHD is primarily genetic, while trauma can create similar attention and behavior difficulties without being “truly ADHD,” distinguishing ADHD as a distinct longitudinal pattern.
ADD and ADHD are described as the same condition under modern terminology.
She explains “ADD” is an outdated term and says ADHD is categorized into inattentive, hyperactive, and combined presentations, with inattentive often resembling the old “ADD” label.
ADHD is presented as a regulation issue, not simply an attention issue.
She argues the name ADHD doesn’t capture what’s happening, describing it as a broader regulation problem involving attention, motivation, energy, and emotion—not just focus and hyperactivity.
Diagnostic criteria gaps can push people—especially adults—into years of the wrong treatment pathway.
She describes a misdiagnosis cycle where emotional dysregulation gets labeled as anxiety/depression, leading to repeated antidepressant trials and delays in evaluating ADHD.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesThere's so many things that fragment focus. Trauma can fragment focus. PTSD, anxiety can fragment focus. So many things that impact focus, impact behavior, but that's not truly ADHD.
— Dr. Sasha Hamdani
First of all, I hate the name, so Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I don't think that encapsulates everything. I think it's confusing. Secondly, I think that it's really, instead of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I think it's truly a regulation issue.
— Dr. Sasha Hamdani
I mean, look at, if you look at the, like, average age of diagnosis, for males, six to eight. For females, 35.
— Dr. Sasha Hamdani
That was the first time, Lewis, that I was like, my emotional status directly impacts my functional status. If I am emotional and emotionally overwhelmed, I can't do these things.
— Dr. Sasha Hamdani
Greatness is truly understanding and being able to work with your brain.
— Dr. Sasha Hamdani
SPEAKERS
Dr. Sasha Hamdani
guestBoard-certified psychiatrist, best-selling author, and ADHD specialist.
Lewis Howes
hostPodcast host and interviewer on the Lewis Howes channel.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
