Addictions and ADHD: Breaking the Cycle of Gambling, Sex, Gaming & More (W/ Todd Love, Psy.D.)
The webinar hosted by Attitude Magazine featured Dr. Todd Love, a licensed therapist specializing in adult ADHD and behavioral addictions. He outlined how ADHD frequently co‑occurs with non‑substance addictions—gambling, sex, internet use, gaming and social media—affecting roughly one‑quarter to two‑fifths of those with these disorders. Love presented epidemiological data and neurobiological mechanisms, emphasizing that the ADHD brain’s mesolimbic dopamine pathway is hypersensitive to reward cues while prefrontal executive control is underactive. This imbalance creates a “too much limbic, not enough cortical brake” scenario, driving novelty‑seeking, impulsivity, and the pursuit of dopamine spikes from addictive behaviors. He highlighted genetic overlaps between ADHD and addiction, and explained how tolerance (escalating risk) and withdrawal (negative mood states) appear in behavioral contexts. A pivotal point was the 2011 ASAM redefinition of addiction as a single brain‑reward disorder, legitimizing behavioral addictions alongside substances. Love cited Dr. Nora Volkow’s work linking dopamine dysregulation to both ADHD and binge‑eating, suggesting future classification of certain compulsive eating patterns as addictions. He also warned against conflating withdrawal with detox, clarifying that mood disturbances, irritability and insomnia can follow abrupt cessation of a “behavioral drug.” For clinicians and the broader ADHD market, these insights underscore the need for integrated treatment protocols that address both executive function deficits and reward‑system hyperactivity. Targeted pharmacologic and behavioral interventions—such as stimulant therapy, cognitive‑behavioral strategies, and structured routine building—can mitigate the cycle of compulsive gambling, gaming, and sexual behaviors, ultimately reducing healthcare costs and improving quality of life for millions of adults with ADHD.
Helping Teens with ADHD and RSD Improve Emotional Regulation (W/ Sharon Saline, Psy.D.)
The webinar, titled “Big Kids, Big Emotions,” featured clinical psychologist Dr. Sharon Selene discussing how teens with ADHD experience heightened emotional volatility, especially when faced with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).\n\nSelene explained that the pre‑frontal cortex, the brain region responsible for...
Some Kind of Wonderful: How Music Affects the ADHD Brain (W/ Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D.)
The webinar titled “Some Kind of Wonderful: How Music Affects the ADHD Brain,” hosted by Attitude and featuring Harvard‑trained clinical psychologist Dr. Roberto Olivardia, explored the intersection of music and attention‑deficit hyperactivity disorder. Olivardia, who lives with ADHD himself, framed...