ADHD, Autism and Catastrophising: Why Your Mind Jumps to the Worst Case
By Robert Rackley MSc MIACP
Neurodivergent Psychotherapist | ADHD & Autism Specialist
An email arrives asking whether you are available for a quick conversation. There is no explanation of what it is about.
Before you have replied, your mind has supplied one. You have made a mistake. Someone is unhappy. There will be consequences, and you will not know how to manage them.
The conversation has not happened, but you are already feeling the impact of the outcome you fear.
This is one way catastrophising can appear in everyday life. An uncertain situation becomes a chain of increasingly frightening predictions. The worst possibility begins to feel like the most likely one.
What catastrophising means
Catastrophising involves predicting a very negative outcome, magnifying its consequences or underestimating your ability to respond. It is a pattern that can occur with anxiety and other difficulties. It is not exclusive to ADHD or autism, and it is not a defining feature of either.
The Centre for Clinical Interventions’ resources on thinking styles describe catastrophising as one pattern considered in cognitive behavioural therapy.
Recognising the pattern should help us become curious about what is happening. It should not become another way to criticise ourselves for having a frightening thought.
How it can appear in ordinary situations
You notice an error in a document. Your mind moves from “I need to correct that” to “They will think I cannot do my job.”
A letter arrives from an organisation. Before opening it, you imagine a problem you cannot afford or resolve.
You miss a call from somebody close to you. Your mind moves immediately to an emergency.
These are illustrative situations, not signs that establish a diagnosis. What matters is the movement from limited information to a feared conclusion, and how much distress or disruption follows.
Sometimes there is a genuine problem. The difficulty is that your mind may have already added several further outcomes that have not occurred.
Why a neurodivergent person’s context matters
Some people have repeatedly experienced consequences for forgotten tasks, misunderstood instructions or communication differences. A worry about another mistake may have a history behind it.
Unclear expectations can add further pressure. When you do not know what a meeting involves or what somebody expects, preparing can become difficult. My article on waiting for certainty explores a related difficulty: feeling unable to move forward without more information.
This does not mean a particular diagnosis causes every frightening prediction. Anxiety, previous experiences, current stress and the actual situation all deserve attention.
It also matters whether the person is dealing with discrimination, an unsafe relationship, financial insecurity or an inaccessible service. Those concerns need to be taken seriously. Support may involve practical action or changes to the environment, alongside help with worry.
Planning and catastrophising can feel similar
Both can begin with “What if?”
Useful planning helps you identify an action. You check the appointment time, ask what the meeting concerns or write down what you need to bring.
Catastrophising can keep expanding the imagined problem without bringing you closer to a useful response. Each possibility leads to another, and you may finish feeling less able to cope.
The Centre for Clinical Interventions’ worry resources distinguish problem-solving from worry and include practical material on uncertainty.
One helpful question is: “Has this thinking given me a next step, or am I going through the same frightening possibilities again?”
Start with what would help you think.
When you are already distressed, a long debate with your thoughts may become another demand. You might first need a quieter space, a pause, written information or time to process.
Choose what is comfortable and available. You do not have to force a breathing exercise or another technique that adds discomfort.
Once there is a little more room to think, the following questions may help.
Separate the event from the prediction
Write two short statements.
What happened: “I received an email asking to speak tomorrow.”
What I fear it means: “I have done something wrong and will lose my job.”
You are feeling afraid, but the feared outcome has not been confirmed. Writing the statements separately can help you notice the gap.
Ask what is known and what is missing
What does the message actually say? Is there evidence of a problem? Would one clarification help?
You might ask: “Could you let me know what you would like to discuss so I can prepare?” Clear information can be an appropriate support need.
If you notice yourself repeatedly checking the same information, my article on ADHD and double-checking explores why reassurance may bring only temporary relief.
Look for a balanced statement you can believe
“Everything will be fine” may feel unconvincing. A more grounded statement could be: “I do not know what this is about yet. If there is a problem, I can hear the details and decide what support I need.”
You are leaving room for several possible outcomes, including your ability to respond. You do not need to guarantee a positive result.
Identify one action within your control
Open the letter with somebody you trust. Correct the mistake. Ask for the agenda. Write down your questions before making the call.
If there is no useful action available until tomorrow, note when you can return to it. That may not remove the worry, but it gives you an agreed point to revisit the situation.
How other people can help
“You’re overthinking” offers very little direction. Clear information is often more useful.
Instead of sending “We need to talk,” explain the topic when you can. If feedback is needed, describe the specific issue and allow time for questions. Avoid promising an outcome you cannot know.
You can also ask: “Would it help to look at what we know, or do you need a few minutes first?”
Feeling understood can make it easier to explore a prediction. Dismissing the concern may leave the person trying harder to explain why they are afraid.
When therapy may help
If feared outcomes repeatedly affect sleep, work, relationships or your ability to manage ordinary tasks, therapy can help you explore the pattern and its context.
My adapted CBT approach can include written examples, manageable steps and time to process. The aim is to understand the worry, consider the evidence and build responses that fit your needs.
You can take a concern seriously without treating every feared outcome as settled. Sometimes the next step is to gather information. Sometimes it is to seek support. Sometimes it is to allow a question to remain unanswered for a while.
Therapy training and speaking
I provide ADHD and autism therapy in Limerick and online for adults experiencing anxiety, self-doubt, emotional overwhelm and other mental health difficulties alongside neurodivergence.
I also deliver neurodivergence training and speaking for organisations. You can contact me about therapy or training.
About the author
Robert Rackley MSc MIACP is a neurodivergent psychotherapist based in Limerick, Ireland, specialising in ADHD, autism and neurodivergent mental health. His work combines professional training with lived experience of ADHD.
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