Dopamine + Doubt: Untangling ADHD and OCD
Dopamine and Doubt is a podcast about the overlap between ADHD and OCD—and what happens when it’s hard to tell which one is driving the behavior.
Hosted by therapist Rachel Keefe, LCSW, the show explores ADHD and OCD symptoms including executive functioning difficulties, hyperfixation, reassurance seeking, intrusive thoughts, rumination, checking, avoidance, time blindness, and uncertainty.
Each short episode breaks down confusing or relatable experiences in plain language, with real-life examples and practical strategies. You’ll learn how ADHD and OCD can look similar, where they differ, and how to respond when your brain gets stuck trying to figure everything out.
Because the goal isn’t always to find the perfect answer. Sometimes, it’s learning to live with a little more uncertainty—and a little less doubt.
Episodes
12 episodes
Using AI As An ADHD Accommodation Without Feeding OCD
AI can feel like magic for an ADHD brain and like gasoline for OCD. I’m Rachel, a licensed clinical social worker who lives and works at the intersection of ADHD and OCD, and I’ve noticed the same tool can either support real-life functioning o...
ADHD Hyperfixation or OCD Reassurance Seeking Spiral: A Simple Framework
“One more article. One more Reddit thread. One more Google search.” If you’ve ever looked up and realized you’ve been researching the same question for way too long, you’re not alone and you’re not broken. I am talking about the ADHD and OCD ov...
ADHD Hyperfixation or OCD Reassurance Seeking? How Can You Tell?
You can spend hours researching the same question for two totally different reasons and your brain will swear they’re the same. Sometimes it’s ADHD hyperfixation: energized, fascinated, locked in because the topic is rewarding. Other times it’s...
The Checking Trap: When ADHD Accommodations Turn into OCD Compulsions
Checking can save you when you have ADHD, and it can also steal your life when OCD gets behind the wheel. Today I am breaking down a pattern I see constantly: the same outward behavior that supports executive function can also become a compulsi...
ADHD Time Blindness: Why My Schedule Was....Optimistic
Your calendar says you have plenty of time. Your body says you’re already behind. If you’ve ever planned a full “before lunch” lineup and then looked up to realize you scrolled your phone, got gas, and somehow lost the whole morning, we’re talk...
OCD Rumination: Why Can't I Stop Thinking About It?
Your mind can turn into a courtroom in seconds. One tiny moment from a conversation becomes “evidence,” and suddenly you’re replaying every word for days, hunting for certainty that you didn’t offend someone, miss something important, or reveal...
ADHD and OCD Avoidance: When it Isn't Just Procrastination
Avoidance can look identical on the outside while serving totally different needs on the inside, especially when ADHD and OCD overlap. I share a client tax story that shows how quickly the driver can switch and how the right intervention change...
We All Can Have ADHD and OCD Traits-So What Makes it a Disorder?
Have you ever heard someone say, "Everyone's a little ADHD," or "I'm so OCD," and wondered why those statements don't feel quite right?In this episode, we explore why so many ADHD and OCD experiences sound familiar-and why that doesn't m...
Stop trying harder- Understanding ADHD and executive function
Have you ever been told you just need to "try harder," "get organized," or "be more disciplined"-only to wonder why those strategies never seem to stick?In this episode, we unpack what executive function actually is and why ADHD is not a...
ERP: Learning to Live With Uncertainty
If you have ever felt trapped in a cycle of intrusive thoughts, anxiety, checking, reassurance seeking, or avoiding situations that feel uncomfortable, you may have heard of ERP. ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) is considered ...
ADHD and OCD: When They Look the Same but Aren't
ADHD and OCD can sometimes look surprisingly similar from the outside. Both can involve feeling stuck, needing systems, struggling with routines, overthinking, or repeating behaviors-but the reason behind those behaviors may be very different.&...
Why I Started Dopamine and Doubt
Why did I start Dopamine and Doubt?Welcome to the very first episode of Dopamine + Doubt! In this episode, I share the personal story behind the podcast, how discovering my own ADHD and OCD changed the way I understood myself, and why th...