DISTRACTED? It's Time to Talk All Things ADHD

Meet Katherine Johnson – Expert Advisor on our current exhibition DISTRACTION and researcher at the University of Melbourne's Attention Dynamics Lab. She’s here to tackle some of our burning questions about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Pledge Drive For Attention by Laura Allcorn with Gloria Mark and Sci Curious in DISTRACTION, 2025. Photo credit: Astrid Mulder

ADHD seems to be having a cultural moment right now. Everyone is questioning 'do I have ADHD?' and lots of people have been unofficially diagnosed by their TikTok algorithm, which serves up video after video on signs to look out for, symptoms in women etc. As an Expert Advisor on the topic, how do you feel about people digitally diagnosing themselves?

I am very happy that people have a much greater awareness of the symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), especially for girls and women, and adults generally. It has historically been seen as a disorder associated with children, and in boys particularly. Research and patient experience are telling us that men and women experience the symptoms of ADHD at similar rates in adulthood and that girls and women may be masking some of their symptoms. The problems that girls and women may be experiencing may not then be recognised, and they are then missing the opportunity for an assessment that might lead to a diagnosis and treatment. If you are recognising the symptoms of ADHD in yourself, speak with your GP about it as the first step.

When we think about ADHD, one of the first things to come to mind is getting distracted? How accurate is this?

Yes, this is very accurate. Inattention, or losing your attention and getting distracted, is an important symptom for two of the three presentations of ADHD. The three presentations are the Inattentive type, the Hyperactive-Impulsive type, and the Inattentive and Hyperactive-Impulsive type. Inattentive symptoms include difficulties with paying close attention to detail, making careless mistakes, troubles with sustaining attention and avoiding tasks that require sustained attention.

These days, it feels like our attention is constantly under siege—from the constant cacophony of group chat notifications to the blurring lines between home and work life. Do you think this always-on culture makes it harder for people with ADHD to focus?

Yes. Definitely. It actually makes it hard for everyone to focus, but for people with dysregulated attention then these distractions are highly problematic. I am so delighted by the Distraction exhibition, as it explores these distractions, the cacophony, the noise, the pulls on our attention, in such interesting ways. It is not unreasonable to speculate that - with the advent of smart phones and the behavioural conditioning that comes with the social media applications on the phones, people are experiencing more and more overload of their attention systems and are starting to worry about why they are struggling to regulate their attention.

ADHD is often framed as a deficit of attention, executive function and impulse control. What are the strengths or adaptive advantages associated with ADHD that you feel are often overlooked?

ADHD is defined as someone experiencing clinically significant difficulties with their attention control, and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. There are many strengths associated with people with ADHD, which are not part of the psychiatric diagnosis. ADHD is associated with energy and cognitive dynamism, thinking divergently, being able to hyperfocus on one thing, not suffering from conformity in thinking, and being adventurous (Sedgwick, Merwood, and Asherson, 2019).

Where would you point our visitors who are interested in learning more about your research?

Here is my Attention Dynamics lab website.