Dan McCoy better understood his mood swings, fear of rejection, and hyperfocus when he was diagnosed with ADHD last year. He got an ADHD evaluation after reading an article his brother wrote about being on the autism spectrum.
Dan is a comedy writer who’s won two Emmy awards for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also co-hosts the movie podcast, The Flop House. Dan explains how comedy writing can be exposure therapy for rejection, and how he’s coping with managing emotions.
Related resources
ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-coping-with-rejection
ADHD and mood swings
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-mood-swings
Dan’s podcast, The Flop House
https://www.flophousepodcast.com/
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:24 Dan’s recent ADHD diagnosis
03:55 Recognizing emotions and burnout from masking
06:40 The “Boom Bust” ADHD energy cycle
08:05 Would it have been helpful to have an ADHD diagnosis as a child?
11:26 Rejection sensitivity and comedy writing
15:32 Does ADHD make you funny?
19:34 Are people considerate of ADHD characteristics?
22:34 What is Dan working on?
For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood
https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/adhd-aha/adhd-rejection-sensitive-comedy-dan-mccoy
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