---
title: Simone Biles says ADHD is “nothing to be ashamed of”
description: She won four gold medals at the Rio Olympics. Now Simone Biles is opening up about ADHD. See her tweets about having ADHD and taking ADHD medication.
slug: simone-biles-says-adhd-is-nothing-to-be-ashamed-of
author: The Understood Team
published: '2019-10-16T12:13:59.591Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/4lqtIK8aTZoPqaQDuA4dmg/bde3414528e8d86efd9ba50992337c2f/Celebrity_Thumbnail_20.png
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/simone-biles-says-adhd-is-nothing-to-be-ashamed-of
lang: en
---

# Simone Biles says ADHD is “nothing to be ashamed of”

Simone Biles charmed the world at the 2016 Rio Olympics as she won four gold medals in gymnastics. Now, she’s talking about something personal. She has [ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-adhd) (also known as ADD) and takes [medication](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-adhd-medication-works) for it.

Biles opened up about ADHD after hackers published her confidential medical records. They also released records of other athletes like tennis player Serena Williams.

Biles didn’t break any Olympic rules by taking ADHD medication. That was confirmed in a statement by USA Gymnastics. Travis T. Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, also weighed in. He said Biles “has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication.”

Composed as ever, Biles seems to be taking it all in stride. She’s also using this opportunity to tell people she’s not ashamed of her ADHD.

<blockquote
 class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Having ADHD, and 
taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of nothing that 
I&#39;m afraid to let people know.</p>&mdash; Simone Biles
 (@Simone_Biles) <a 
href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles/status/775785767855611905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September
 13, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" 
charset="utf-8"></script>

Her words are important because they can help reduce stigma around ADHD. They may also make her a role model for kids with ADHD and learning differences. By speaking out, she’s showing the power of [staying motivated](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/motivation-kids-learning-differences) and [finding strengths](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/kids-activities-strengths).

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