Paris Hilton talks about her experience with “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”

 

In a personal and bold move, Paris Hilton revealed a deep aspect of her journey with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), considering it her superpower, which contributed to shaping her personality and her multifaceted career. Hilton, 44 years old, who combines her roles: DJ, model, founder of the Parívie brand, TV star, writer, fashion designer, and founder of the modern media company (11:11), decided this time to literally open the doors of her home to the public, to show how she redesigned her daily spaces. To be more neurodiversity-friendly, for herself and her team members, many of whom have different neurological characteristics.

Since being diagnosed with ADHD in her twenties, Hilton has chosen to view this neurological difference as an advantage rather than a burden. She says: She would not have become the person she is today if it were not for this trait, considering that her different thinking style fuels her creativity and constantly pushes her to invent new ideas.

This belief led her to launch a three-part video series entitled “Inclusive by Design,” in collaboration with organizational design expert Sarah Greenberg and Dr. Andrew Kahn of Understood.org, a non-profit organization that supports people with learning disabilities, in addition to a partnership with Android and Media Impact, the non-profit arm of her company 11:11. The series documents how Hilton redesigned her closet, craft room, and home office in a way that takes into account the needs of people with the disorder. ADHD, and makes it easier for them to focus and organize.

Hilton explains that the motivation behind this transparency is her desire to share practical strategies that she has learned to manage her “disorder” in her personal and professional life, in the hope that this sharing will contribute to reducing the stigma associated with “ADHD” and making the concept of neurodiversity more approachable and understandable to people.

She believes that many people who think differently feel isolated, so she wanted to create a space where they feel seen and understood, and that they, like her, can embrace their difference and use it to their advantage instead of fighting it.

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Motherhood played a pivotal role in deepening this awareness for Paris Hilton, who became the mother of two children: “Phoenix Barron” (two years old) and “London Marilyn” (about two years old), with her husband, Carter Reum. She says: The experience of motherhood gave her a new goal, which is to raise her two children, and they feel that they are celebrated as they are, without pressure to conform to ready-made molds, or meet preconceived expectations. She believes that the path to this begins with her complete acceptance of herself, to be an honest role model for her two children in embracing difference and living it with confidence.

On a practical level, Hilton revealed small but influential details in the design of the spaces. Among them is what is known as the concept of object persistence in the mind, as it is difficult for some people with ADHD to remember the existence of objects. If it is not visible in front of them. For this reason, I used transparent drawers in the handicrafts room, which clearly show their contents. While in the wardrobe, I resorted to placing identification labels on non-glass drawers and cabinets, to make it easier to remember the location of each item. She says: Seeing things activates her visual memory and helps her brain build organizational connections over time.

Even the furniture was not absent from this approach. In her office, she chose a chair with flexible movement, which allows changing the position and reclining in different ways. Because sitting still for long periods may be stressful for those who suffer from “hyperactivity.”

These details, despite their apparent simplicity, make a difference in the ability to relax and concentrate, and provide a work environment that is less stressful and more inclusive of individual differences.

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As for the biggest common misunderstanding about “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,” Hilton sees it as ignoring its positive aspects. She points out that a large number of artists, actors, singers, creatives, and even scientists have been diagnosed with ADHD, and that society needs to celebrate these models, instead of limiting the discourse to the aspect of suffering only. For her, highlighting success stories is a source of inspiration for children and youth, and dispels the feeling of “shame” associated with neurological difference.

Hilton does not hide that, during her childhood and adolescence, she used to hide her symptoms or pretend that everything was fine, and she talked about her difficulty remembering schoolwork, her frequent exposure to accountability at school, and the accompanying internal feeling that there was something wrong with her.

This social mask, as she describes it, was psychologically exhausting, and over time she realized that hiding suffering did not eliminate it, but rather doubled its emotional cost. Today, after she has deepened her understanding of her experience and connected with others who share her diagnosis, she looks back on her past journey with compassion and says: She is doing what she is doing, now, for the sake of the child she once was.

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