How Jessica McCabe turned 'How to ADHD' into a trusted online resource

From organizing her own thoughts to working with researchers, the creator shares how her channel has evolved over the past decade

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage and meet the Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices.

VidCon is a premier global convention for content creators, influencers, digital media brands, and fans. The event features creator panels, networking opportunities, live entertainment, meet-and-greets, and discussions on trends shaping the creator economy.

Jessica McCabe didn't start her channel, "How to ADHD," with the goal of becoming one of YouTube's leading mental health creators. She started it because she needed somewhere she wouldn't lose her own notes.

At VidCon 2026, McCabe sat down with Mashable reporter Bethany Allard to discuss how that personal project evolved into a trusted resource for millions of people living with ADHD. She shares how her research process has changed over the years, why she works with researchers to ensure every video is evidence-based, how she built a team around the channel, and what she's learned about balancing authenticity with the responsibility of creating mental health content.

Watch the full conversation above.

Topics YouTube Creators VidCon

Bethany Allard

Lead Shopping Reporter

Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she's covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she's now done for three years at Mashable.

Crystal Bell

Digital Culture Editor

Crystal Bell is the Digital Culture Editor at Mashable, where she leads coverage of the creator economy, internet culture, and digital life. Her work focuses on the people, platforms, and communities shaping modern entertainment, from YouTube creators and livestreamers to fandoms, social media trends, and the evolving relationship between technology and culture. She also oversees the Mashable 101, the publication's annual list recognizing the internet's most influential creators.

Previously, she was the entertainment director at MTV News, where she helped expand the brand's coverage of fan culture, K-pop, and the internet's most passionate communities. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, PAPER, NYLON, ELLE, Glamour, NME, W, The FADER, and elsewhere on the internet.

She's exceptionally fluent in fandom and will gladly make you a K-pop playlist and/or provide anime recommendations upon request. Crystal lives in New York City with her two black cats, Howl and Sophie.