‘A demon in your mind’: Paris Hilton on the mental health issue she faces

Paris Hilton has compared her rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD) to having “a demon in your mind”.

The 44-year-old socialite and reality star was initially diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s before finding out she had RSD, which is an extreme emotional response to either real or perceived criticism or rejection.

She told Dear Media’s podcast The Him and Her Show: “It’s basically, like, any thought of a negative perception, if you think someone is being rude or you feel something… You will feel it like it’s physical pain and it’s not even real.

“It’s kind of just this, almost like a demon in your mind that is, like, saying negative self-talk to you.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there is a link between RSD and ADHD.

The Simple Life star noted that people with the condition feel negative emotions “on such a deep level”, and she’s had to learn when those feelings are “the RSD kicking in”.

She explained: “I’ve been through so many things in my life and especially in the 2000s, just everything I was going through with the media.

“I’m obsessed with learning more about it and spreading the message, because I want people to know that it doesn’t have to be something that holds them back in life; it could be something that they can harness as a superpower, to really go for their dreams in life.”

Paris noted that her late ADHD diagnosis came down to society not “talking about” the condition when she was a child, which had a knock-on effect on her education.

Now, the star wants to “reframe” discourse on the topic, adding: “I see this my superpower, and I wouldn’t be entrepreneur I am today without it.

“It was me, like, this drive, and always being in the future, and there’s, like, hard parts about it to it – very overwhelming.”

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