Jessica Lauren McCabe (born 5 November 1982) is an American actress, writer, and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

personality. She is best known as the host for the YouTube channel How to

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

as well as for roles in several independent films and television shows including the show ''

American Dreams ''American Dreams'' is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons & 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many ...

'' and the short film ''Lure''.

Early life

McCabe was born in in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She was diagnosed with ADHD at age 12. Shortly after, she began taking medication, including

Ritalin Methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta among others, is the most widely prescribed central nervous system (CNS) stimulant medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and, to a lesser extent ...

, and seeing a psychiatrist. McCabe struggled to complete community college and dropped out at age 21.

Career

Film, media and television

McCabe's on-screen career began as a guest star on the new Dragnet. She followed this up with roles in several independent films including ''Scorched'' before landing the role of Becky O'Connor in ''American Dreams''. She followed this up with a recurring role on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

drama '' Windfall''. She next appeared as "Courtney" in the independent short film ''Lure'', which played at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

as well as the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

and garnered her a win for best actress at the New York Indie Film Fest. Additional roles include the

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

television series '' Dark Blue'' as well as another role in ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

''. She made her screenwriting debut in the live action 3-D short film, ''Happy Ending'', in which she also stars. In 2022, she collaborated with

neuropsychologist Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...

and ADHD expert

Russell Barkley Russell Alan Barkley (born December 27, 1949) is a clinical psychologist who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the VCU Medical Center and an author of books on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Involved in research since 1973 ...

to produce an ADHD certification course.

YouTube (2016-pres.)

In January 2016, she started her YouTube channel How to ADHD. The channel is dedicated to all topics regarding

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

including tips on how to take advantage of the neurodivergent brain type as well as reviews on products such as fidget toys and journals. As of February 2022, the channel has over one million subscribers with its accompanying Patreon gaining over $15,700 a month. Her TEDx talk, which she gave in 2017 has over 6 million views as of July 2024. McCabe provides content regarding the various ways ADHD can be treated, and how those with the condition can live fulfilling lives. Videos featured on the channel cover a wide variety of topics pertaining to living with ADHD. On 2 January 2024, McCabe released a self-help book based on her YouTube channel which was published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

Filmography

References

External links

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How to ADHD
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCabe, Jessica American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses American women writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American actresses People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder American actors with disabilities American writers with disabilities 1980s births Actresses from Los Angeles YouTubers from Los Angeles