# Is “ring of fire” ADHD real? | Hyperfocus

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/missunderstood-the-adhd-in-women-channel-6934781/is-ring-of-fire-adhd-real-hyperfocus
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/missunderstood-the-adhd-in-women-channel-6934781/is-ring-of-fire-adhd-real-hyperfocus.md
Podcast: [The ADHD Channel for Women (formerly MissUnderstood)](https://stenobird.com/podcast/missunderstood-the-adhd-in-women-channel-6934781)
Published: 2026-04-02T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/missunderstood
Audio file: https://mgln.ai/e/1245/afp-935247-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/1a7154d3-8c76-4ded-a925-5975fa97f65a/episodes/016a5182-0052-4f68-8800-41d71a65eee9/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=1a7154d3-8c76-4ded-a925-5975fa97f65a&awEpisodeId=016a5182-0052-4f68-8800-41d71a65eee9&feed=60WJALk_
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Duration seconds: 1601

## Resource

Our team has been seeing something called “ring of fire” ADHD spreading across the internet. It’s a supposed subtype of ADHD promoted by Daniel Amen, a celebrity psychiatrist with clinics in multiple states and a huge online following. But in reporting this episode, we found that “ring of fire” ADHD isn’t recognized by mainstream science. Nor are brain scans approved by the FDA as a diagnostic tool for ADHD. Our guest today, clinical psychologist Roberto Olivardia, PhD, explains why he believes Dr. Amen’s approach is unethical — and how it may lead to real harm for patients seeking answers.

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