Dr. Ryan Sultan - Podcast Appearances & Media

Dr. Ryan Sultan has appeared on leading ADHD podcasts including Hacking Your ADHD (evolutionary basis), ADHD reWired (why treat ADHD), and Your Anxiety Toolkit (ADHD vs anxiety), sharing research insights from his work at Columbia University.

Podcast: Hacking Your ADHD
Host: William Curb
Topic: Evolutionary Origins of ADHD
Duration: ~45 minutes

Episode Summary:

Dr. Sultan explores why ADHD traits persist across generations despite their challenges in modern society. He discusses the hunter-gatherer hypothesis, explaining how hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility may have been adaptive in ancestral environments. The episode covers mismatch theory—why traits that helped survival 10,000 years ago now create difficulties in modern classrooms and offices.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why ADHD traits have a strong genetic component (60-80% heritability)
• Survival advantages of hyperactivity in hunting and threat detection
• How rapid environmental scanning helped early humans
• Modern environmental mismatch vs. ancestral context
• Implications for treatment and understanding ADHD

🎧 Listen: Hacking Your ADHD - Evolutionary Basis | Spotify

Related Content: Read: Is ADHD Evolutionary? The Hunter-Gatherer Theory

Podcast: ADHD reWired
Host: Eric Tivers, LCSW
Episode: #461
Topic: The Case for Treating ADHD
Duration: ~60 minutes

Episode Summary:

In this comprehensive interview, Dr. Sultan addresses the critical question: "Why treat ADHD?" He discusses his research on untreated ADHD outcomes, including higher rates of accidents, arrests, academic failure, and unemployment. The episode explores the benefits of treatment, common misconceptions about ADHD medications, and why early intervention matters.

Key Topics Covered:

• Untreated ADHD outcomes: 4x higher accident risk, 2-3x higher arrest rates
• Swedish study findings: ADHD medications linked with safer real-world outcomes
• Quality of life improvements: Academic, occupational, and relationship benefits
• Medication safety: Addressing concerns about stimulant use
• Is ADHD overdiagnosed? Research on diagnostic accuracy and trends
• ADHD as a "gift" debate: Nuanced view on strengths vs. impairments

Notable Quote:

"People ask if ADHD is overdiagnosed, but the research shows the opposite—about 50% of adults with ADHD remain undiagnosed and untreated. We're not overtreating; we're undertreating a condition that significantly impacts quality of life."

🎧 Listen: ADHD reWired Episode 461 | Apple Podcasts

Related Research: Swedish Study: ADHD Medications and Real-World Outcomes

Podcast: Your Anxiety Toolkit
Host: Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
Episode: #381
Topic: Differentiating ADHD from Anxiety Disorders
Duration: ~50 minutes

Episode Summary:

Dr. Sultan addresses one of the most common diagnostic challenges in psychiatry: distinguishing ADHD from anxiety disorders. Both conditions can present with restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and task avoidance, leading to frequent misdiagnosis. He explains the key differences, comorbidity rates (50% of people with ADHD also have anxiety), and treatment implications.

Key Topics Covered:

• Overlapping symptoms: Why ADHD and anxiety look similar
• Key differences: Inattention patterns, worry content, task initiation
• Comorbidity: 50% of people with ADHD have co-occurring anxiety
• Diagnostic process: Developmental history, symptom onset, functional impairment
• Treatment differences: Stimulants for ADHD, SSRIs/therapy for anxiety
• What if you have both? Integrated treatment approaches

Clinical Pearl:

"A key difference: In anxiety, difficulty concentrating happens BECAUSE of worry and rumination. In ADHD, it's a core symptom present across all contexts, even when not anxious. The timeline matters too—ADHD symptoms start in childhood, while anxiety often develops later."

🎧 Listen: Your Anxiety Toolkit Episode 381

Related Content: ADHD Comorbidities Guide

Network: PIX11 (New York)
Topic: Adult ADHD Misconceptions
Occasion: ADHD Awareness Month
Date: December 2024

Segment Summary:

Dr. Sultan appeared on PIX11 to discuss common misconceptions about adult ADHD and explain the neuroscience behind attention differences. The segment addressed myths like "ADHD is just a childhood disorder" and "adults can't have ADHD if they did well in school."

🎥 Watch: View Full Transcript & Video

ADHD Topics:

• ADHD diagnosis and treatment
• Evolutionary basis of ADHD
• Adult ADHD and late diagnosis
• ADHD in women and girls
• ADHD medications: efficacy and safety
• ADHD paralysis and executive dysfunction
• Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
• ADHD burnout

Research & Clinical Topics:

• Youth substance use and cannabis research
• Digital therapeutics and mental health technology
• Psychiatric epidemiology
• Treatment outcomes research
• Antipsychotic prescribing patterns
• Medication safety in youth
• Mental health informatics
• Evidence-based psychiatry