The Mel Robbins Podcast - The ADHD Doctor: How to Focus, Stop Procrastinating, Manage Your Emotions, & Feel in Control

If you have ever been told that you are too emotional, sensitive, anxious, hormonal, disorganized, or simply not trying hard enough, this episode is for you. There’s a chance, according to Mel’s expert guest today, that like Mel, that the root cause of what you’re struggling with is actually ADHD. Today, Dr. Sasha Hamdani, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and leading expert on ADHD, gives you the full and comprehensive explanation you deserve. She shares that ADHD is not just about attention. It can affect your emotions, motivation, energy, sleep, appetite, relationships, and ability to handle the demands of everyday life. And these symptoms often get completely missed in women and girls. Mel gets deeply personal about being diagnosed at 47, the anxiety she experienced for decades that was due to untreated ADHD, and the emotional overwhelm she never realized was connected to ADHD. Dr. Hamdani explains why ADHD is mistaken for anxiety, depression, OCD, burnout, or hormonal issues (this is why so many people spend years believing there is something wrong with them!). This is the ultimate guide to adult ADHD. In this episode, you’ll learn: -Why ADHD is not just attention and focus; it’s also about regulating your mood, sleep, motivation, and energy. -Why ADHD is so often missed in women and girls -Why anxiety, depression, OCD, burnout, and ADHD are often confused (even by medical professionals) -Why criticism feels so overwhelming for anyone with ADHD -Why perfectionism, overworking, and people pleasing can be signs of ADHD -What is happening inside the ADHD brain -Why ADHD is not always a “superpower” -The four critical steps to take if you think you or someone you love may have ADHD -The medication, therapy, coaching, tools, and systems that may help ease symptoms of ADHD -What you can start doing while you wait for professional support -The difference between the way ADHD can look externally and how it can feel internally -How hormonal changes during puberty, postpartum, and perimenopause can intensify ADHD symptoms This is an episode about understanding your brain, recognizing lifelong patterns, and learning what kind of support may be available to you. Mel also wants to tell you: Try the 23g protein shot I drink every single morning Join 2 million readers loving my weekly newsletter - full of tips, tools, and inspiration The Let Them Theory: read the book everyone’s talking about Watch the episodes on YouTube Connect with me on Instagram Follow the show’s Instagram for clips, behind the scenes, and more Find some daily positivity on my TikTok Want zero ads? Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free Disclaimer

Duration: 1h 21m
Broadcast on: 20 Aug 2026
Audio Format: other

If you have ever been told that you are too emotional, sensitive, anxious, hormonal, disorganized, or simply not trying hard enough, this episode is for you.

There’s a chance, according to Mel’s expert guest today, that like Mel, that the root cause of what you’re struggling with is actually ADHD.

Today, Dr. Sasha Hamdani, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and leading expert on ADHD, gives you the full and comprehensive explanation you deserve.

She shares that ADHD is not just about attention. It can affect your emotions, motivation, energy, sleep, appetite, relationships, and ability to handle the demands of everyday life.

And these symptoms often get completely missed in women and girls.

Mel gets deeply personal about being diagnosed at 47, the anxiety she experienced for decades that was due to untreated ADHD, and the emotional overwhelm she never realized was connected to ADHD.

Dr. Hamdani explains why ADHD is mistaken for anxiety, depression, OCD, burnout, or hormonal issues (this is why so many people spend years believing there is something wrong with them!).

This is the ultimate guide to adult ADHD.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-Why ADHD is not just attention and focus; it’s also about regulating your mood, sleep, motivation, and energy.

-Why ADHD is so often missed in women and girls

-Why anxiety, depression, OCD, burnout, and ADHD are often confused (even by medical professionals)

-Why criticism feels so overwhelming for anyone with ADHD

-Why perfectionism, overworking, and people pleasing can be signs of ADHD

-What is happening inside the ADHD brain

-Why ADHD is not always a “superpower”

-The four critical steps to take if you think you or someone you love may have ADHD

-The medication, therapy, coaching, tools, and systems that may help ease symptoms of ADHD

-What you can start doing while you wait for professional support

-The difference between the way ADHD can look externally and how it can feel internally

-How hormonal changes during puberty, postpartum, and perimenopause can intensify ADHD symptoms

This is an episode about understanding your brain, recognizing lifelong patterns, and learning what kind of support may be available to you.

Mel also wants to tell you:

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Hey, it's your friend Mal, and welcome to the Mal Robbins Podcast. I just finished a conversation that every person deserves to hear. Have you ever been told that you're anxious, depressed, hormonal, too sensitive, disorganized, not trying hard enough? This conversation may just change how you understand yourself or someone you love. I'm still in just complete shock at how new this information was, even for someone like me who has been digging deep into the topic of ADHD with medical experts for 10 years. For 47 years, I struggled with my focus, my emotions, don't even get me started on my emotions. I was diagnosed with anxiety, I struggled with depression, I never made a deadline, I had trouble starting projects, I know I needed to do, and then I was diagnosed with ADHD. And suddenly, I could see all these patterns that I'd been blaming myself for for my entire life. Today, we're talking about ADHD with one of the most renowned medical doctors and psychiatrists who has been studying ADHD and is here with new information, at least this was brand new for me, about the way that ADHD impacts you. Because if you think ADHD is just about attention, let me tell you, Dr. Sasha Hamdani is going to tell you, that's only a third of the picture. She's going to explain why ADHD is usually missed, especially in women and girls, just like me, and how it overlaps with emotional struggles like anxiety, depression, OCD, hormones, emotional sensitivity, and burnout. And this is not about diagnosing you, it's not about being sensational, I'm so excited for this episode to get out and to be out there for you as a free resource and for it to spread around the world. Because when you hear her explain this huge cluster of symptoms that ADHD patients and her clinical practice all struggle with, you will see yourself, and you will finally stop saying what's wrong with me, and start getting the support you deserve. When I think of fall, I think of a couple of things. I think of the first school drop off, the first sweater weather day, the first chilly evening around the fire pit, and our sponsor LL Bean. For over a hundred years, LL Bean has been part of these traditions, crunching leaves and manemade bean boots, cheering from the sidelines and scotch plaid flannel, and walking the dog in a rugged field coat. Go grab the layers you love and the people you love and get outside. Visit LL Bean.com to shop the fall collection. LL Bean, be an outsider. The Mel Robbins podcast is brought to you by Expedia. I love Expedia because I love traveling, and here's the thing, you may be holding off on booking a trip right now. As you think you need the whole plan to come together, but guess what? You don't. With Expedia's bundle and save, the more you book, the more you can save. Get up to 30% off every time you add something, and then you add more later. Expedia, the one place you go to go places. Sign in to save on select bookings. The Mel Robbins podcast is proudly sponsored by Amiga Insurance, our exclusive insurance partner. You know when someone finishes your sentence because they already understood what you needed? That's what working with Amiga feels like. They don't guess.

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