Grimes shares autism and ADHD diagnosis

Grimes is getting candid about her mental health.

On Saturday, the “Genesis” singer revealed that she was recently diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while offering her thoughts on social media’s tendency to spread misinformation about mental health issues.

“Got diagnosed w adhd/ autism this year and realized I’m prob dyslexic, which is why I can’t spell at all without spellcheck,” Grimes began her lengthy X post. “I feel like, had we known this when I was a child I would have worked so much less hard, been on drugs, and so many of the weird obsessions and motivations I had would have been seen as pathological.”

Grimes argued that had she gotten the diagnosis earlier, she may have “written off certain things that were very hard for me” and added “But I’m glad I overcame them.”

The singer’s post was in response to another X user who described “excessive reading in childhood” as “a sign of dissociation.”

Grimes claimed that her own ADHD symptoms were “infinitely worse when I wasn’t an avid reader” and criticized others for “trying to pathologize one of the best things a child can do to help with ADHD.”

Per the Center for Disease Control, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, with symptoms including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There are several treatment options, such as medications (stimulants and non-stimulants) and behavior therapy.

“I think the nature of this uninformed social media mental health subculture is rly a big concern,” Grimes wrote. “Some are great ofc but a lot of these seem like explicitly anti civilizational and geared towards making people worse.”

In a subsequent post, the singer reminded fans that she studied neuroscience at McGill University in Canada, and said she is especially interested in the issue of youth mental health diagnoses as a mother of three. (Grimes shares three kids with ex Elon Musk: sons X Æ A-Xii, 4, and Techno Mechanicus, 2, and daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, 3.)

“I have kids (and I did go to school for neuroscience btw) – so I am very interested in what’s going on, especially as I see my friend with older kids be again and again diagnosed with adhd and told they need stimulants,” she wrote. “No one my age had this. Despite the stimulants literacy is way down etc – it seems valuable to solve this problem.”

Per a 2022 study published by the National Institute of Health, ADHD has indeed seen increased diagnoses but this change is attributed to increased awareness of the disorder, particularly in marginalized groups where it was historically underdiagnosed.

Grimes previously opened up about her autism diagnosis in a 2023 X post, writing, “Someone told me recently the grimes audience is hot autistic women, and now that I’m a few months into knowing I’m autistic (and no longer resent the idea), I rly have to say this is the vibe.”