Paris Hilton Grew Up Labeled Distracted & Difficult. Turns Out, It Was ADHD.

For many of us, Paris Hilton is synonymous with early-2000s pop culture. When she and Nicole Richie popped up on our screens in a little hit reality show called The Simple Life, they quickly became part of the zeitgeist. This status was only cemented with the hotel heiress’ iconic catchphrase “That’s hot” and the sparkly pink lifestyle empire she’s since spun. And be so for real: You still know every word to “Stars Are Blind.”

What you may not know is that Hilton, now 45, was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, something she feels called to speak about in case it helps even one woman who (like her) spent childhood being dubbed distracted, dramatic, or difficult. Roughly 15.5 million American adults have ADHD, and an estimated 50% of kids with it carry symptoms into adulthood. But so many of us grew up before anyone knew what to call it or how it even showed up in little girls.

So, life looks different for Hilton these days. A mom of two under 4, running 11:11 Media, DJing on the side, she makes it a point to speak up about ADHD whenever she can: in a song, in a documentary, and now in a campaign with Collegium Pharmaceutical, for whom she’s a paid spokesperson.

Scary Mommy caught Hilton right as back-to-school season kicked in, which brings a special breed of chaos for families managing ADHD. Here’s what she told us about what she’s watching for in her own kids, Phoenix and London, and what she’d say to the midlife mom reading this and recognizing herself in Hilton’s story.

Scary Mommy: You've said mornings were the hardest part of your day. What did a bad morning look like for you before your diagnosis?

Paris Hilton: Before, it always felt like mornings were chaotic … it was always really difficult to start the day, just getting up and having a million things happening. So it was always, like, really overwhelming before my diagnosis, for sure.

SM: You're a working mom of two under 4, running a company, being a global icon. What do mornings look like for you now?

PH: Mornings now are amazing. I feel so grateful for everything in my life; my babies are my world. And now that I've found a treatment plan that works for me, it's just been so helpful. My doctor prescribed me Jornay PM, and it's a medication that I take at night. It starts working 10 hours after I take it, so when I wake up in the morning, I am ready for my day, just being able to, like, put systems in place and be more organized and have more focus.

It’s definitely a lot to balance with everything in my life, but ever since I've started on this treatment plan, it's just been really incredible.

SM: People love labels, and will put a kid in a box before really understanding them. What did people decide about who you were before you were old enough or knew yourself enough to correct them? And what does that do to a kid?

PH: I always felt very misunderstood, and I think that people saw this girl who's distracted and, like, rebellious, and just constantly getting in trouble in school, not being able to focus. And putting all these labels on me just because my brain worked differently, because of my ADHD … I think when adults are repeatedly telling you who they think you are, you start internalizing it. It definitely took me years to unlearn some of those labels.

SM: It’s heartbreaking to think about how many kids grew up before there was the language to identify ADHD and the knowledge to treat it without stigma.

PH: It's so important that I talk about it, because I want others to feel less alone, and for parents to be supported, and for teachers to hopefully read what I say and maybe that will help change their classrooms as well. And just for kids to know that they're not alone, and there's nothing wrong with them; it's just the way that their brain works.

SM: Is there something you believed about yourself for all those pre-diagnosis years that the diagnosis just sort of deleted?

PH: It definitely changed a lot of the ways that I spoke to myself and thought of myself. It just made so much in my life make more sense and also just being able to embrace the good parts about it. I feel like for so long, people only focused on the negative parts of ADHD, but I really believe it's what gives me my sparkle and this creative mind, and taking risks and being someone who's been an innovator and doing things first. I wouldn't be the entrepreneur I am today without my ADHD.

So now I see it as, like, a positive thing, and I want others to be able to embrace their inner sparkle as well. That's another reason I really love spreading this message.

SM: As someone diagnosed as an adult, what are you potentially watching for in your own kids, and what would you do to help shape the experience better for them?

PH: I feel like because of growing up with it and feeling so misunderstood and underestimated for so long, I will know how to be there and support my children in every way possible — help them find their inner sparkle and what they're passionate about, and really nurture them, and put them in a school that's going to make them be the best version of themselves they could be.

I think it's just about really having that support system and letting them know that you're there for them.

SM: Has anyone in your life gotten diagnosed since you started talking about this?

PH: Yeah, a lot of people. A lot of my friends, a lot of fans, a lot of just moms out there ... It always makes me really happy and grateful to hear these stories of others who've been inspired by my story, and how it could just be so life-changing for somebody — especially for all these young kids growing up.

The other day, one of my husband’s best friends was saying his daughter is 7 years old, and she just found out she has ADHD. It was something she was so ashamed of, but when she watched my film and my song I wrote for my music video, “ADHD,” she now sees it as her inner sparkle. She's like, “Well, Paris and I both have ADHD!” And she thinks it's so cool.

So, to be able to, like, reframe it for these young kids is so incredibly meaningful to me.

SM: Love that. Well, back-to-school is such a hectic time, and a lot of parents might downplay symptoms as just transitional behavior. Any tips for knowing when it should be a bigger conversation about ADHD?

PH: Yeah, back-to-school can be stressful for everyone, every child, every parent, especially if you have ADHD and it's something that you're learning to manage. So I think it's important for parents to talk with their doctors and health professionals about it and what their child is experiencing, so they can get that diagnosis. And talking with their teachers, and just seeing exactly what's going on and how their child feels, so that they can be best supported to be able to manage everything.

SM: Is there a version of this for moms?

PH: I think it's really important just to be able to manage your symptoms. Speak to your doctor and see what treatment plan works for you the best, and really put systems in place.

I find it really helpful to just have everything organized the night before — like, you know, looking at the schedule, seeing, planning what the kids are gonna wear, what's happening the next day — so that you can always be prepared for every situation. Especially in the morning, that’s the time when it's really difficult getting the kids out of the house and going to school and not being late.

It’s really just being as organized as possible, and having different calendars and lists and things in specific areas. Even if it's your cell phone or car keys or house keys, having a specific area for things so that you're not losing things — you can just take away that stress in the morning.

SM: A lot of moms will see this and recognize themselves. What do you say to the woman who's 40 and now wondering if this is her?

PH: My advice would be to definitely speak to a doctor to figure out if it is ADHD, and what treatment plan would work for them. And to let them know that they're not alone, and they're not broken. Nothing's wrong with them; it's just the way that their brain is built.

This interview has been edited lightly for length and clarity.