Grimes Discloses ADHD and Autism Diagnoses and Explains Why She’s Relieved She Didn’t Know Earlier

Grimes was recently diagnosed with both ADHD and autism, the singer revealed in a lengthy X post sharing her thoughts on childhood learning disabilities.

While calling out what she sees as a social media “subculture” of “extreme infohazards” posing as helpful online mental health resources, the “Oblivion” artist wrote, “Got diagnosed w adhd/ autism this year and realized I’m prob dyslexic which is why I can’t spell at all without spellcheck.”

“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,” she continued. “I could have written off certain things that were very hard for me but I’m glad I over came them.”

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Noting that she thinks too many people are “self-diagnosing” mental health conditions, Grimes added, “My adhd symptoms were infinitely worse when I wasn’t an avid reader. An adhd account trying to pathologize one of the best things a child can do to help with adhd (and also become an auto didact and knowledgeable person etc etc) is so dark … I think the nature of this uninformed social media mental health subculture is rly a big concern.”

The Mayo Clinic defines ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, as a condition marked by difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviors, while autism spectrum disorder is listed as a condition “related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others.”

The American Psychiatric Association estimates that 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults have ADHD, while the CDC says that about 1 in 36 children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder.

Grimes hasn’t released an album since 2020’s Miss Anthropocene, which reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. She has, however, dropped a string of singles and collaborations in the years since, including her most recent track “Idgaf” — a recovered unreleased demo that the Canadian musician finally added to streaming services in February.

Around the same time as the new track dropped, Grimes once again addressed how ex partner Elon Musk brought their 4-year-old son, X, with him to the White House earlier that month. “I would really like people to stop posting images of my kid everywhere,” she told TIME in a Feb. 24 feature of the highly publicized ordeal. “I think fame is something you should consent to. Obviously, things will just be what they are.”

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