Busy Philipps received an ADHD diagnosis after taking her now 15-year-old daughter Birdie for an ADHD evaluation.
“My older daughter was having some problems at school and we took her for a check-up. And in the truest sense of the word in the review my ex-husband, Marc [Silverstein]”We looked at each other because everything the doctor asked Birdie and talked about, I thought, ‘But this is me. This is what I have,” Philipps, 44, said exclusively Us weekly on Wednesday, May 1st.
Before she received her diagnosis, Philipps felt like “something was wrong” with her.
“And then finding out, oh no, no, wait, I have ADHD. There are ways to deal with it, there are medications. It changed my life,” she said.
Philipps described some of the symptoms she faced before taking medication.
Busy Philipps, Birdie Silverstein.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images“I found it really difficult to complete tasks. I had a lot of big ideas and not much execution. I was often behind on calls or double-booking things and canceling people. It makes you feel bad because you feel like you’re messing up,” she shared. “I would forget or mix up the play dates. I would mess up the kids’ schedule and my schedule. And the fact is, as women, as mothers, as parents… we need to get a million things straight.”
The actress, who shares Birdie and daughter Cricket, 10, with Silverstein, 52, admitted her struggles “affected my self-esteem” because she felt “I wasn’t as in control as the other people around me.” around.” .”
Things began to change for Philipps after she received her diagnosis.
“It’s really no coincidence that the last years of my career were the best and most productive. And I did so many more things that I’ve wanted to do for so long, but somehow I lacked the resources, the ability and just the awareness,” she said.
Your truth! The busy Philipps is known for speaking her mind when it comes to career, motherhood, marriage and more. The actress certainly doesn’t hold back, which makes her all the more relatable to fans going through similar situations. “I assess what is appropriate and what is necessary, and I always laugh when people […]
Philipps shared that the medication she takes, a non-stimulant called Qelbree, has “really helped” her.
“My leadership skills have improved tremendously, and I am also much more aware and able to prioritize,” she said. “I think that’s a big part of it too: When everything feels kind of jumbled, it’s hard to know how to prioritize things in your brain.”
Philipps shares her story in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and Women’s Health Month. She noted that it is “common” for women to receive an ADHD diagnosis later in life.
“It somehow presents itself a little differently [in women]. I wasn’t a kid who was always running around. “I internalized the chaos a lot more,” she said. “I think that’s why… the more we talk about it, the more diagnoses are made, because women in particular are like, ‘Wait a minute.’ Hold. It’s me.'”
Although Philipps was diagnosed around the same time as Birdie, she noted that she “wouldn’t say [ADHD] was something that bonded the couple together.
“She is a different person and her own experience is her own experience,” Philipps explained. “My daughter is so funny. I mean, they both are, but Birdie is always like, “Ugh, you’re making it all about yourself.” And I have to be fair, I put her ADHD diagnosis a little bit ahead of me because I was like, ‘But I have it also!'”
Philipps added that Birdie is doing “really well” after being diagnosed with epilepsy following a seizure in December 2023.
“She’s on medication, she’s under medical treatment and so far she’s doing so well,” she said. “She handled it really well.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi