Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson Revisiting the groundbreaking Berkeley Girls study
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Aug 28, 2025 
Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, a leading psychologist and head of the Berkeley Girls study, sheds light on the often-overlooked challenges girls with ADHD face. He discusses the devastating findings of the study, particularly regarding self-esteem and the stigma surrounding ADHD. The conversation also touches on the rising diagnoses among women and the need for better understanding and support. Listeners are urged to embrace their diagnoses for self-acceptance while addressing the systemic biases in ADHD research that have left girls underserved.
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Combined Type Carries Greatest Risk
- ADHD presents as inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, or combined types with distinct risks.
- BeGals found the combined type carried the highest rate of negative outcomes like self-harm and attempts.
Inattention Plus Impulsivity = 'Double Whammy'
- Inattention causes hidden suffering while impulsivity increases risk of acting on self-harm urges.
- Hinshaw calls the combination a "double whammy" that elevates NSSI and suicidality.
Birthday Cake Example Shows Social Cost
- Hinshaw shares concrete peer failures from impulsivity, like blowing out the wrong birthday cake candles.
- Such incidents erode peers' trust and fuel social rejection for girls with ADHD.
