Paris Hilton is opening up like never before about her mental health journey — and her candid revelations are striking a powerful chord. The 44-year-old socialite, entrepreneur, and reality TV icon has shared that she was first diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s, only to later discover she also experiences Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) — a condition that causes intense emotional reactions to real or perceived criticism or rejection.
Speaking on Dear Media’s podcast The Him and Her Show, Hilton offered an unfiltered look into her inner struggles. She described RSD as feeling like a relentless voice inside her mind, saying it’s comparable to having a “demon” that feeds negative self-talk. “Ninety-nine percent of people with ADHD suffer from RSD,” she explained. “Any thought of a negative perception — if you think someone is being rude or you feel something — you experience it like physical pain, even though it’s not real.”
Hilton revealed that this emotional sensitivity has followed her throughout her life and career. Reflecting on her rise to fame in the early 2000s, she admitted that navigating constant media scrutiny while dealing with undiagnosed ADHD and RSD was overwhelming. “I’ve been through so much in my life, especially everything I was going through with the media,” she shared. Now, she says she is “obsessed” with learning more about these conditions and raising awareness so others don’t feel alone.
Rather than allowing the diagnosis to define her limitations, Hilton is determined to reframe the narrative. “I want people to know it doesn’t have to hold them back. It can be a superpower that pushes them to chase their dreams,” she said. Her advocacy is deeply personal — especially after realizing that her ADHD went undiagnosed in childhood simply because society wasn’t talking about it at the time.
In a previous interview with PEOPLE, Hilton recalled struggling in school. “No one talked about ADHD when I was growing up. I constantly lost my homework, forgot things, and got in trouble with teachers,” she admitted. The lack of understanding affected her education and self-esteem, but it also fueled a drive to carve her own path.
Today, Hilton proudly embraces her neurodiversity as a strength. “I see it as my superpower. I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur I am today without it. That constant drive, always thinking ahead — it’s overwhelming at times, but it’s also what made me who I am,” she shared.
By speaking openly, Paris Hilton is transforming her personal struggles into a mission — breaking stigma, rewriting the narrative around ADHD and RSD, and encouraging others to embrace their minds rather than fear them.