Sophia Laforteza Gets Candid About Living with ADHD

On May 25, Sophia Laforteza of KATSEYE connected with her supporters through a livestream on the fan platform Weverse. One of the comments read “ADHD queen,” which prompted her to open up about her diagnosis and the challenges that come with it.

“Yes, you guys. I have ADHD—like, diagnosed with ADHD,” Sophia said. “I don’t think people know how difficult having ADHD is. It really is difficult.”

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects brain development and functioning. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of attention, but rather that it is “harder for you to control your attention or direct it to certain tasks.”

In Sophia’s case, she described experiencing “a lot of internal restlessness,” adding that it contributes to difficulty sleeping and occasional trouble focusing. She continued, “The thing about ADHD is that it can either make you hyperfocus or it can make you just see everything at once, and you just get so overwhelmed.”

She shared that one of the challenges she faces is reading, as her condition makes it difficult to “absorb the words.” She also considers herself forgetful, which pushes her to work harder during KATSEYE’s rehearsals.

The global girl group member was clinically diagnosed about two years ago and has since been receiving medical support, saying she sees a psychiatrist and a psychologist, and often speaks with a therapist.

“It took a lot for me to even accept that it was something that I had […] but I really just had to accept that it was something that was chemical. It’s not anything about the person that I am,” she candidly said. “I’m not lazy, I’m not unmotivated by anything, I’m not restricting myself personally. It’s just—it really is chemical, and that’s why it’s good to talk to professionals.”