Could ADHD actually be a superpower for some athletes?

Anna Medaris

30 September 2024 at 6:14 am·15-min read

woman running on neon background — Could ADHD actually be a superpower for athletes?Paul Bradbury

Before Molly Seidel was a legendary Olympic medal–winning marathoner, she was a high school student in Wisconsin just trying to make it through pre-calculus (the equivalent of algebra and trigonometry in the UK).

She passed the class, Seidel remembers, thanks to her teacher, who let her walk around while he taught. 'He knew that my brain works better when I’m moving,' says Seidel, 29, now a professional runner with Puma based in Arizona.

What her teacher didn’t know, though, was that Seidel had attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder typically characterised by hyperactivity, compulsive behaviors, and difficulty paying attention. In fact, over the years, no one—not Seidel, and not her parents, coaches, teammates, friends, or doctors—knew she had ADHD. It wasn’t until February 2022 that a therapist with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee picked up on some signs.

'I thought, I can’t have ADHD, I’m not like that,' Seidel says.

Up to that point, her life had been marked by major accolades in sports. She’d already become a multiple-time NCAA Division I cross-country and track champion, sailed to bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (becoming only the third American woman in history to medal in the marathon), and set the American women’s record at the New York City Marathon in 2021. Reddit fans called her “America’s distance sweetheart,” and fellow professional athletes called her a hero.

ADHD hadn’t been holding her back at all—in fact, it seemed to help propel her forward.

'If I had been diagnosed with ADHD when I was a kid and immediately put on medication,' Seidel says, 'I don't think I'd be an Olympic athlete.' That’s because, for a while, her sport was her medicine. 'When I started running, I immediately was like, "Wow, this is something that makes my brain work in a way that I never thought it could work."'

These days, experts are starting to understand that the disorder is a brain difference that can give rise to frustrating symptoms but also notable strengths. And that can be especially true for athletes. Like the evolutionary 'hunters' of society, people with ADHD are 'very good at quickly context-switching, routing big bursts of energy to go after a goal and hyperfocusing on it,' says Mimi Winsberg, MD, a psychiatrist in San Francisco and chief medical officer of the online mental health practice Brightside Health. 'It’s not so much an attention deficit as it is selective attention.'

blurred athlete — Terje Rakke - Getty Images

Seidel is not alone in her ADHD-accented athletic prowess. Olympic GOATs like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles are on the roster too. In fact, high-level athletics seems to attract people with ADHD, with one research review finding the prevalence may be at least 8 percent in college and elite athletes compared with about 2.5 percent in the general adult population.

The actual estimate of ADHD in athletes may be even higher, since many studies capture only those who openly take medication for their condition. Plenty more, like Olympic gold medal–winning shot putter Michelle Carter, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, have never used meds. And others, like Seidel, excelled in their sport long before learning they had ADHD.

'In my world,' Carter says, 'ADHD is kind of normal.'

Of course, ADHD isn’t all positive. It can exist on a spectrum, manifesting differently in female athletes who may channel their hyperactivity and intense perfectionism via high-performance sports. However, what good is hyperfocus if you can’t get to practice on time? How valuable is extra energy if it drives you toward injury and burnout? Can you ever reach your full potential if you’re also grappling with depression, a substance use disorder, or another mental illness—conditions that frequently co-occur with ADHD?

For many athletes, it’s hard to know where their personality ends and their disorder begins. But those like Seidel and Carter don’t feel the need to find out.

'I’ve thought about what kind of person I would be without ADHD so many times,' says Carter, 38, who’s now retired from professional sports and runs the mentorship program You Throw Girl. 'My path is different, but I wouldn’t change it because I just think that it’s part of my creativity and it’s part of my personality—I think it adds that flair to my life.'

Spotting ADHD in female athletes

ADHD is technically characterised by inattention (trouble staying on task), hyperactivity (fidgeting, a racing brain), and impulsivity (risky behaviors or an inability to delay gratification) that negatively interfere with daily life. It’s an executive dysfunction disorder, which means it comes with differences in the brain—likely in the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate attention and emotion. The ADHD brain also seems to have impaired neurotransmitter activity, including norepinephrine and dopamine, which play roles in stress, motivation, and reward-seeking behavior.

But many experts believe it’s poorly named: An ADHD brain can actually hyperfocus on tasks and actions—so long as it finds the object of its attention interesting. 'If I’m not interested in it, it’s just not happening,' Seidel says. 'But if I am, I’m spending hours on it.'

ADHD also often manifests differently in women (read: not the typical rambunctious, disruptive, rowdy boy in class that most of us think of). Of the three subtypes—inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and mixed—women are thought to be more likely to fall into that first category. And this often looks like disorganisation, depression, perfectionism, or procrastination.

Women and girls also tend to be socialised to 'mask' chaotic inner thoughts and impulses with more 'put together' demeanours. So, it’s no surprise that girls and women are frequently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed when it comes to ADHD, research shows. Sometimes, women don’t even recognise it themselves.

'In school, I was doing five things at once, but because I got good grades and I wasn’t causing trouble, I was just passed along,' says Allysa Seely, a Paralympic gold medalist in triathlon who was diagnosed with ADHD about five years ago, around age 30.

Seely, now 35, won gold in both the Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, and as of May 31, was waiting to learn if she made the 2024 Paris team. After her ADHD diagnosis (a surprise result of routine meetings with a psychologist), this was her reaction: 'That can’t be right—only little boys have that.'

But as she learned more about how ADHD presents in girls and women, a lot of things clicked into place. For example, she has long felt a sort of 'buzzing,' as she describes it, in her body and mind, and has little patience for chitchat. For Seely, 'recovery' means foam-rolling while crocheting and listening to an audiobook at double speed.

Seely says her ADHD also presented as a near-irrational need for structure (the disorder often disrupts the cognitive skills involved in planning, decision-making, and sequencing tasks needed to achieve a goal). 'I want 10 million things going on, but sometimes I have 10 million things going on and if one thing changes, I cannot rearrange the day,' she says. 'If something falls apart, everything falls apart.'

Harnessing ADHD’s unique strengths is key

ADHD and athletics seem to go hand in hand. A driving decision that may seem impulsive on the highway can be quick thinking on the basketball court. An aloof demeanour at the office can translate to being 'in the zone' in the pool. And hyperactivity in a classroom can be pure fuel in the ice rink.

Alli Matlesky, a 33-year-old executive assistant at a non-profit organisation, started running during the pandemic to release her pent-up energy and ended up training for her first triathlon in just eight weeks. She annihilated her goal time—and was diagnosed with ADHD.

'Triathlon gave me an energy outlet and something to focus on and strive for because, at the time, I was struggling with what I know now is ADHD,' Matlesky says.

Similarly, when Seidel is marathon training, she’s running upwards of 130 miles a week. 'I’m either preparing to run or running, and for most people, that would sound like hell on earth,' she says. 'But there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.'

woman running — Westend61 - Getty Images

People with ADHD also tend to find that moving their bodies can calm their racing minds. Michael Phelps, who was diagnosed with ADHD in sixth grade, explained the phenomenon in one of his books: 'I could go fast in the pool, it turned out, in part because being in the pool slowed down my mind. In the water, I felt, for the first time, in control.'

Seely can relate. While her teammates tend to be pretty relaxed during training, they stiffen with anxiety on race day. She’s the opposite.

'That’s when I feel like I operate the best—it’s like everything is high stress, high stakes, and I’m just like, "All right, let’s do this,"' she says. 'It’s this feeling of zen—almost how other people describe meditating. I never get that meditating. But if I’m running till I’m going to puke? Somehow, I’ve found it.'

The ADHD brain’s impulsive tendencies can also benefit athletes, says Scott Kollins, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and former chief medical officer at Akili, a digital medicine company that created the first and only FDA-approved video game, EndeavorRx, to treat ADHD. 'You have people who are willing to do things others wouldn’t, take some risks, whether it’s with their time or pushing themselves harder,' Kollins says.

If you’re, say, an Olympic diver tasked with somersaulting off a springboard in front of hundreds of fans, it’s helpful to have a brain that doesn’t look too long before you leap.

People with ADHD also often thrive under pressure. Some crave the rush of adrenaline and, on the flip side, sometimes can’t get much done without it. When Matlesky was in college, she’d write papers while baking brownies, cramming to beat the buzzer. These days, that manifests as signing up for a triathlon every two to three months.

But the ultimate superpower for elite athletes with ADHD may be the ability to hyperfocus on something they’re excited about. When they’re 'locked in,' a free-throw shooter won’t falter at fans’ jeers, a shot-putter won’t get psyched out that a lifetime of training comes down to a half second, an endurance racer won’t let daily temptations derail their training.

'ADHD honestly does feel like [a superpower] a little bit, especially in something like the marathon, because you’re having to focus on a really intense thing for a long time,' Seidel said. 'I feel like I’m able to lock in in a way that I don’t know I could without ADHD.'

Finding a balance is critical

That same superpower can also be someone’s kryptonite. Excess energy can lead to injury and burnout. Hyperfocusing on one thing (making it to the championship game, the Olympics, or that big PB) can mean neglecting another (keeping up with uni assignments, making sure the house is clean, paying your bills on time). Knee-jerk emotional reactions can get you in trouble with referees, coaches, or teammates. The list goes on.

'Even if it [ADHD] might be advantageous in certain ways, it takes both a mental and physical toll on the person,' Dr. Winsberg says.

In fact, being a girl or woman with ADHD can have 'additional and unique harms', says Julia Schechter, PhD, a clinical psychologist and codirector of the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD. 'ADHD is so much more than just being late to some meetings or losing your keys. It can contribute to academic difficulties, relationship problems, problems at work, and financial difficulties.'

Many women with ADHD, particularly those without a diagnosis, can drown in internal and external shame and criticism, frustrated by their inability to be on time, control their emotions, or refrain from interrupting. It follows, then, that women with ADHD are at higher risk for anxiety and depression, self-harm, and eating disorders, research shows. One Canadian study from 2020 found a startling one in four women with ADHD have attempted suicide.

'We have to work much harder than somebody with a holistic brain to achieve the same thing, to not be labelled as a problem, a troublemaker, disruptive. And sometimes, a lot of those coping mechanisms are detrimental to our health and our well-being,' says Seely. 'There are definitely some great advantages, and there are also some very, very harsh drawbacks.'

Seidel, who, in addition to ADHD, has obsessive-compulsive disorder and is in recovery from an eating disorder, describes her experience like this: 'There’s a radio on at full blast, right behind your head at all times, and no matter what you do, it will never turn off. It can drive you crazy if you don’t really handle your shit.'

Often, it’s only when these athletes get sick, injured, or retire that the wheels come off. 'The mental health declines, the ADHD symptoms arise, and it can be pretty disastrous,' says Dusty Marie Narducci, MD, a physician in family and sports medicine who studies and treats athletes with ADHD.

That’s why proper diagnosis and management, either with or without medication, is key, says Dr. Narducci. 'When you get [the diagnosis] right,' she says, 'you change their life.'

While medication is helpful, it’s not for everyone—and some elite athletes are wary.

Stimulant medications such as Adderall and Ritalin, the most commonly prescribed medications for ADHD, can help. They work by increasing levels of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine, to improve a person with ADHD’s ability to pay attention.

'I called [Adderall] my "adult pills", because all of a sudden I just felt like a normal person,' says Seidel, who described the prescription as 'life-changing' in an Instagram post in 2022. 'For the first time, I felt like I was able to get the quiet, functioning brain in my day-to-day life that I could previously only achieve with intense physical activity,' she wrote.

But many athletes resist medication due to stigma around mental health conditions, bans against stimulants in competition without a therapeutic-use exemption, and a fear that in corralling their ADHD, they’ll dull their secret weapon, Dr. Narducci says.

There’s also debate in the medical community regarding potential side effects, like weight loss and heart issues, and about whether stimulant-based ADHD drugs could give athletes an unfair advantage. (Case in point: Despite having a therapeutic-use exemption, Simone Biles faced some heat after a media report exposed her ADHD diagnosis and Ritalin prescription. She responded: 'Taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of.') But the reality, Dr. Narducci says, is 'some of these meds can kind of flatten you out.'

In fact, that’s exactly why Seidel—who pulled out of a race in 2022 after her therapeutic-use exemption (which took months to process) wasn’t approved in time—stopped taking her medication. 'For me, I feel like it takes away a little bit of what allows me to get into that zone that I need to perform at a world-class level,' she says.

The good news: treatment options are increasing

Stimulants can be long- or short-acting and don’t necessarily need to be taken daily, Dr. Winsberg says, so some athletes use them to focus on life tasks like work or chores but avoid them ahead of competition.

Nonstimulant ADHD meds exist too, though they don’t tend to be as effective. Matlesky has had success on a form of Strattera, the brand name for atomoxetine, a nonstimulant ADHD treatment that increases noradrenaline (a neurotransmitter involved in attention) levels in the brain. With the drug and four weekly workouts, 'I can handle what’s thrown at me,' she says.

There are also nonpharmacological treatments, including psychotherapy, the Akili company's video game developed to treat ADHD, and neurofeedback therapy, which helps people train their brains to better focus by analysing brain wave data in real time.

Seidel swears by mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathwork. She’s a fan of near-daily naps—or at least how they make her feel afterward: less agitated, more calm. While quiet time and therapy are more tedious than medication, especially for the ADHD brain, the drug-free strategies work best for Seidel at the moment.

'There have been times where I’m just like, "I can’t do this anymore." It can be really, really hard,' she says. 'But then at other times, I’m like, "Man, this is what makes me me." It allows me to process things really quickly. It allows me to do the sport I love. It makes me feel like the fullest version of myself.'

Read now: How to practise self-compassion and become more confident

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