Rebecca Bourke

Reviewed by Rebecca Bourke, IACP accredited counsellor, February 2026

One of the things that people might seek ADHD therapy for, is a harsh inner critic. This is true for neuroptypical people as well, but the extra element for ADHD is that there is often a harsh inner abelist critic.

An inner critic is a used phrase in psychotherapy to describe some of the ways that we have learned to talk to ourselves. Someone with a harsh inner critic might call themselves “useless” other cruel names when they fail to meet their own impossible standards in some way.

I talked about masking, our conscious attempts to appear neurotypical during social interactions,in a previous post. Alyssa Garrett, Clinical Psychologist, contrasts the inner neurotypicality adviser with the inner abelist critic:

The inner abelist critic criticises us for our neurodivergent traits.

One of the goals of therapy for people with ADHD can be to better understand this abelist critic, to talk back to them, and to learn not to take everything they say to heart.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or counselling.