ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast ADHD and Anxiety: Understanding the Overlap and How We Can Help Ourselves
Jan 1, 2026
In this insightful discussion, Dr. Russell Ramsay, a clinical psychologist renowned for his expertise in ADHD and anxiety, explores the essential connection between the two. He explains how ADHD can act as an 'uncertainty generator' that intensifies anxious thoughts, particularly in women. The conversation dives into the role of anxiety as an adaptive alarm system, the surprising ways stimulants may help, and practical tools like emotional labeling and distanced self-talk to manage anxiety effectively, fostering self-compassion and resilience.
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ADHD As An Uncertainty Generator
- ADHD generates uncertainty which fuels anxiety through repeated lived experiences of unpredictability.
- This intolerance of uncertainty explains why anxiety co-occurs so commonly with adult ADHD.
Everyday Examples Build Anxiety Memory
- People with ADHD report real incidents like missing presentations or tickets, creating chronic uncertainty.
- These lived examples build the emotional memory that fuels future anxiety and mistrust.
Treat Routines Like Exposure Exercises
- Use ADHD coping strategies like planners and task breakdowns as exposure exercises to reduce avoidance.
- Start tasks earlier and practice the routines to desensitise anxiety and improve reliability.
