A breakup, an intense reaction, and the ADHD questions surrounding it all (Danielle Elliot’s story)
A breakup, an intense reaction, and the ADHD questions surrounding it all (Danielle Elliot’s story)  
Podcast: ADHD Aha!
Published On: Tue Apr 29 2025
Description: Danielle Elliot was considering breaking up with her partner...and then he broke up with her first. Danielle had a “big, out of character” reaction: By 4am that night she was packed and ready to leave. The whole experience left her feeling unsettled. Why had she reacted that way? That sparked a deep dive into rejection sensitivity and ADHD.Danielle is a health and science journalist who’s now asking a bigger question: Why are so many women being diagnosed with ADHD — and why now?She explores this in Understood.org’s new limited-series podcast, Climbing the Walls. Listen to Danielle’s personal story here — then check out Climbing the Walls on your podcast platform of choice. Related resourcesListen to the Climbing the Walls podcastADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)ADHD breakups: Impulsive texts and overthinking regrets, from Sorry, I Missed ThisTimestamps(01:26) Danielle’s pandemic diagnosis after a strong reaction to a break up(08:26) Danielle’s need to travel(12:15) Danielle’s relationship with relationships, and rejection(16:02) Hosting Understood.org’s Climbing the Walls podcastFor a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at adhdaha@understood.org, or record a message for us here.  ADHD Unstuck is a free, self-guided activity from Understood.org and Northwestern University designed to help women with ADHD boost their mood and take small, practical steps to get unstuck. In about 10 minutes, learn why mood spirals happen and get a personalized action plan of quick wins and science-backed strategies that work with your brain. Give it a try at Understood.org/GetUnstuck.Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.