Busy Philipps reveals she was diagnosed with ADHD when her daughter was

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

(CNN) — For years, Busy Philipps says she felt like her brain was “in a spin cycle.” Even when life was fine externally, she felt “chaos constantly within.”

“I was unable to prioritize tasks, I was having really great ideas and thoughts and not completing them,” Philipps told CNN in an interview this week.

Then at a doctor’s appointment for her now 15-year-old, Birdie, Philipps, 44, discovered she had ADHD along with her daughter. She went to get her own evaluation and began treatment for ADHD as an adult.

“I mean, I know that it’s not an unusual experience, especially for women,” she said. “The percentage of women that are newly diagnosed, especially with ADHD has almost doubled in the last couple of years. We think we have to do it all or are we told that it’s your job is to do it all and hold it inside at the detriment of your own mental health and well-being.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.” Individuals diagnosed with ADHD may experience “poor work or school performance, low self-esteem, and other problems.”

Philipps said that with the right medication, a non-stimulant that works for her, she’s been able to feel more organized and is no longer double-booking or triple-booking dates. It’s also helped how she views her mental health.

“At least in my own personal experience, like you really internalize things and you feel bad about yourself and you think there’s something wrong with you,” she said. “Every other mom can keep it straight. Every other person arrives at the birthday party on the right day at the right time. What’s wrong with me?”

She continued, “There’s just sort of more of an ease in being able to prioritize, being able to identify what needs attention and what can be put on hold. It’s such a relief.”

The diagnosis has also helped Philipps’ career flourish. She’s stars in “Girls5eva,” which has found new life on Netflix after being canceled by Peacock. Her new weekly talk show, “Busy This Week,” is set to debut May 8 on QVC+.

“We are the queens of getting a second chance, you know?” Philipps said of “Girls5eva.” “And maybe a third, hopefully, and maybe a fourth. We have loved doing this show the last, almost four years now, and we always really felt like we were waiting for the audience to find us.”

She said she’s been looking for another variation of a talk show since “Busy Tonight” was canceled in 2019.

“We really started to try to figure out like how and where and what it could look like to partner with somebody different or to do it in a different way,” Philipps said. “Was it direct to people’s inboxes? Was it living on a website? And ultimately the QVC partnership came together so perfectly, they were looking to make original content. And their audience and our audience are very much aligned.”

“Busy This Week” premieres May 8 on QVC+.

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