Lisa Ling Diagnosed With ADD On 'Our America' Show

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American journalist Lisa Ling, 40, has ADD. Reuters

Here’s something most people might not know about Lisa Ling: The journalist has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. She was in the middle of filming “Our America With Lisa Ling” when she realized she was reporting on something familiar.

At the age of 40, the journalist decided to get tested and sought out the expertise of worldwide ADHD expert Dr. Craig Liden.

"As a journalist, when I'm immersed in a story, then I feel like I can laser-focus," Ling told Liden in the episode, according to the Huffington Post. "But if I'm not working, my mind goes in every direction but where it's supposed to go. I've been like that since I was a kid."

Dr. Liden went on to diagnose her with ADD.

"I have always had a bit of a difficult time focusing on things that aren't interesting to me, and I get really, really anxious before taking any kind of test or having any kind of evaluation," Ling said.

She recalled memories from when she was in elementary school and had trouble concentrating, problems that continued througout high school. "I could go through an entire period and not retain a sentence if I [wasn't] interested in the topic or the subject matter," she said.

The doctor explained that while Ling seemed to have a “biologically based problem,” medicine wouldn’t be the sole treatment for the journalist.

“We're going to help refine the strategies that you do have right now and develop some new ones to help you function at a much higher plane than even where you are right now,” he said.

He added, "It's sort of exciting to think where things could go.”

"Our America With Lisa Ling" airs Thursday at 10 p.m. EDT on OWN.

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