The Busy This Week host opens up about discovering she has ADHD...and how it's helped her have compassion for her younger self.
Busy Philipps on the Diagnosis That’s “So Intrinsically a Part of Who I Am”
Published on Jun. 13, 2025
Busy Philipps has always had a lot going on—and now, she finally knows why. The actor, writer, podcaster, and Busy This Week host was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult after recognizing the signs while helping her daughter navigate learning challenges. That moment of clarity changed everything.
As part of the “Ms. Represented” campaign with Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Busy spoke to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest to help other women recognize the signs that are often overlooked in girls and adult women. In this candid conversation, she gets real about how ADHD shaped her career, the treatment that helped her feel more grounded, and the surprisingly emotional experience of watching her daughter follow in her Hollywood footsteps.
The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: You’ve spoken openly about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. What were some of the signs that you now recognize in hindsight, and how did the diagnosis shift your understanding of yourself?
Busy Philipps: I feel really grateful that because of my platform and my podcast—and now getting to work with Qelbree—that I’m able to talk about just the fact that a lot of women have gone undiagnosed, misrepresented, and are now finding in their life that a lot of things make sense in retrospect. It wasn’t until we were trying to figure out what was going on with my own kid when she was just having some learning difficulties at school and in that process the doctor was going through the checklist with her—I think she was 11 at the time—all of a sudden, my ex-husband (he was my husband at the time) looked at me and I looked at him and it was like every single thing the doctor was saying, I was like, Yep, that’s me, that’s me, that’s me, that’s me. For years, I believed things about myself that now—post-ADHD diagnosis—I’m able to reframe in a much more compassionate way, first of all, but also just with the understanding that my brain works differently.
The Healthy: Women are notoriously underdiagnosed.
Busy Philipps: Boys are diagnosed with ADHD at twice the rate of girls. And that’s because of medical bias, first of all. And second, their symptoms tend to present a little bit more outwardly. That sort of typical thing you think of when you think of ADHD—hyperactivity, running around. And for me, that hyperactivity was always happening inside of my brain. So yeah, I mean, I feel like the diagnosis has really allowed me to have so much more compassion for my younger self, especially when I was a young mom and trying to juggle everything, really feeling overwhelmed all the time and feeling like it was easier for everyone else but not me.
The Healthy: What were some of the things on that checklist that felt validating?
Busy Philipps: One of the biggest things for me—and this was always a real issue in all of my relationships—was just how no matter what I would plan, when it was time to go, I would need 20 more minutes. So that kind of time mismanagement or inability to manage your time better. I used to double and triple book plans all the time, and then constantly felt like I was letting people down because I had forgotten that I told two friends we were meeting for dinner on the same night I had a thing at the school.
The Healthy: What would you say to other women who are possibly suspecting something similar?
Busy Philipps: A lot of women—friends of mine, people on Instagram, reaching out to me through the podcast—ask: “Who do I talk to? What doctor? How do I start?” You can ask your therapist to refer you to a doctor. And you can literally bring it up with your general practitioner and have them help you find the right doctor.
The Healthy: So tell us about the treatment and working with Qelbree.
Busy Philipps: There are lots of treatment options available for ADHD. And so you really do have to work with your doctor to find the one that works best for you. For me, once Qelbree came along… It’s a once-a-day medication that you can take in the morning or in the evening. I’m able to get it for three months at a time, so it was very easy for me, especially when I am traveling internationally going to see my daughter, which is crazy, I know. It helps me focus; it helps me keep these things sort of in order. Because it’s a different classification of drugs, I’m able to get more refills at once.
The Healthy: I think that’s the fear with a lot of people—that medication will exacerbate anxiety if it’s a stimulant medication.
Busy Philipps: And sleeping! I think for me, I’ve always had issues sleeping. I think a lot of women have issues sleeping. So for me, adding any more stimulant into my life wasn’t necessarily the best thing. But I tried different things, and Qelbree really has worked wonderfully for me.
The Healthy: You’re someone who’s always seemed full of energy and creativity. Looking back, how do you think ADHD affected your career? Between your podcast, acting, and writing, do you see it as a superpower—or was it a struggle?
Busy Philipps: I think it’s so intrinsically a part of who I am. And I would say yes—all of the things you’re saying that are the positives are definitely things that my ADHD plays a part in: my big thinking, my big dreams, 4,000 different ideas at once about what could be possible in any given scenario—creatively, in my career, with the kids. But then the flip side is the part where I feel really overwhelmed. Where I don’t know which project to prioritize or focus on. Where I don’t complete projects. And then on top of it, the piece that was chipping away at my self-esteem for so many years—feeling really bad about that. Feeling guilty. Feeling like I should be more productive, or I should be doing more, or I wasn’t keeping all the school stuff straight. Once I got the diagnosis and found treatment that works for me, I would just point to the fact that I’ve had the most productive years of my career—period. And I also think I’m kind of a better parent. I definitely think I’m a better friend.
The Healthy: That’s wonderful.
Busy Philipps: And the truth is, with the ADHD diagnosis and my treatment, I’ve realized which things I can say yes to, and which things maybe I’m like, “You know what? I’m going to hold off on that because I don’t have the bandwidth.” That relieves all this pressure, and I end up not feeling bad about myself. Which…none of us should be feeling bad about ourselves.
The Healthy: You do have a lot going on—working, traveling, visiting your daughter, your show. What are you most excited about right now?
Busy Philipps: I have some writing things that I’m working on that I’m really excited about. We’re wrapping up season two of Busy This Week for QVC+. It just premiered last week with Michelle Williams as our first guest. We’re wrapping up season two and that’ll air through the summer. It looks like I’m going to be doing a part in a friend’s horror movie. And I think Birdie’s [her daughter] going to be doing a part in the movie as well. I’m super excited for her. She got headshots taken. She recently decided that after high school—she’s going to be a senior next year—she wants to look at acting schools for college like NYU. It’s just so funny because I was the exact same age when I was like, “Mom, I have to get headshots. I’m already behind. I need to start working.” I’m proud of her having this realization. And she has such a good attitude about it. She’s like, “I know what people are going to say—I’m a nepo baby. Whatever. That’s fine. But I may as well try. Give it a shot.” And I’m like, you know what? That’s great. See how it goes.
The Healthy: Full circle in so many ways.
Busy Philipps: She went and got headshots taken by the people that took my headshots when I was 18. We put them side by side and they really look alike.
The Healthy: How special! Lastly, what’s one self-care habit you refuse to skip?
Busy Philipps: Facials. I’m a real stickler, every three weeks at least. I get facials a lot. People ask me about my skin and what I’ve done, and I’m very open: I’ve only done a little bit of Botox—I actually don’t really have any right now—but I’ve been getting facials religiously since I was a teenager. Part of that was because I was on camera as a teenager, with so much makeup and stuff, so I wanted to get my skin really clean. But I’m telling you—I think it’s the secret to having great skin and aging well. Facials and sunscreen.
For more wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
