ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class.
And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children.
10
10
10
10
However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing — a realisation that has led to a wave of new diagnoses.
TV presenter Ant McPartlin is among those who only discovered, as an adult, a side to himself he never truly understood.
The 49-year-old, currently hosting ITV’s I’m A Celebrity, revealed everything “made sense” after his ADHD diagnosis aged 43 following years of what he described as “popcorn thinking” — being able to jump between things easily.
“Professionally, it’s brilliant,” the telly favourite told The Sun.
“Personally, I’m all over the place.”
Singer Jessie J, 36, who was diagnosed after having her son Sky in 2023, said motherhood “exposed” her ADHD, but she now considers it her “superpower”.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Ben Fogle, 51, was diagnosed after experiencing a “mental health storm”, while Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington’s diagnosis came during a 2019 rehab stint for alcohol issues.
Along with dyslexia and autism, ADHD is considered a form of neurodiversity, with up to 15 per cent of the population thought to be neurodivergent.
Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais, senior lecturer in psychology at Queen Mary University of London, tells Sun Health: “Hyperactivity may be thought of as the ‘classic’ ADHD picture, like when someone is always on the go, has a lot of energy and feels like they have to be moving around all the time.
“But there are some symptoms of ADHD that tend to be less obvious. Often, these are to do with inattention, impulsivity, being forgetful and having poor time management.”
Emotional wellbeing
An estimated 2.6million people in the UK have ADHD, but that number is on the rise, particularly among adults.
Research by University College London found there was a 20-fold increase in diagnoses in UK adults between 2000 and 2018, and an almost 5,000 per cent rise in prescriptions for men aged 18 to 29. But why?
Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says it is a combination of increased awareness, decreased stigma and improved access to healthcare.
But he adds: “If it isn’t debilitating, it isn’t ADHD.”
In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD.
You might be thinking, ‘I’m always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work — I must have ADHD’. But it’s not as simple as that.
Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: “The key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a person’s daily life.
“Genuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life—work, relationships and emotional wellbeing, whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.”
ADHD UK’s Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: “Having ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.”
Dr Jessica adds: “Just because you occasionally can’t remember where you left your mobile phone, or you procrastinate about filing your taxes, it doesn’t mean you have ADHD.
“A lot of us have really busy lives! We are working or going to school, looking after kids or caring for other family members, trying to maintain organisation at work and at home — and this means we are carrying a really heavy load.”
She says it is when symptoms take a negative toll on your life and wellbeing that it warrants a formal assessment.
So how can ADHD manifest in someone’s life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs:
TIME BLINDNESS
DR Elena says: “Losing track of time or underestimating how long tasks will take is common. This can lead to frequent lateness or rushed efforts to meet deadlines.”
Henry adds: “Lots of people with ADHD struggle with tracking time and keeping focus to be on time.
“That shows itself as being chronically late or sometimes ridiculously early.
“Many people don’t realise that being chronically early — like arriving four hours early for a plane — may be a coping mechanism for ADHD traits.”
LACK OF ORGANISATION
A MESSY home or frequently misplacing items such as a phone, glasses or keys is also seen in many adults with ADHD.
“This can appear as a lack of care, but it is often rooted in difficulty managing executive functioning,” says Dr Elena.
“People might struggle to keep their surroundings tidy, misplace everyday items or forget deadlines.”
HYPERFOCUS
“WHILE many think of ADHD as an inability to concentrate, hyperfocus is another side of the coin,” Dr Elena says.
“Someone might become deeply engrossed in an activity, neglecting other responsibilities.”
This often means avoiding “boring” tasks, such as filling out forms, and prioritising enjoyable ones.
Henry says: “Being locked into something for hours is great if it’s important, but not so great if it isn’t.”
PROCRASTINATION
MANY adults with ADHD feel overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggle to determine what needs attention first.
“This leads to procrastination or a focus on less important tasks,” Dr Elena explains.
Difficulty organising the steps needed to complete a task, and poor time management, can also mean a person loses interest, leaving jobs unfinished, according to Dr Jessica.
HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS
ANOTHER core feature of ADHD is emotional struggle.
It can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once — you are overwhelmed by emotions.
Dr Elena says: “These intense emotional reactions, sometimes to minor stresses, can affect personal and professional relationships.”
BEING A ‘YES MAN’
IF you constantly find yourself agreeing to new projects at work, or dinner dates with friends when you’re already busy, this could be a sign of ADHD.
Dr Elena says: “A desire to please or impulsively saying ‘yes’ to opportunities leads to overcommitment and burnout.”
IMPATIENCE
INTERRUPTING people mid-conversation is also common.
“This can come from feeling uncomfortable waiting for things,” Dr Jessica says.
“It can be painful to stand in a queue or you can want to finish other people’s sentences.”
Side-effects include frustration as well as being over-chatty.
Henry adds: “There’s this need to use your energy and to tell people what has popped into your brain, so you over-talk and over-share.”
RESTLESSNESS
HYPERACTIVITY can manifest in children as excessive physical movement.
But in adults, it can cause an “internal sense of restlessness”.
“This can prompt a need to tap, pace or fidget,” Dr Elena says.
“They may be able to sit still through a meeting to fit with social norms, but they may feel restless on the inside,” Dr Jessica says.
Henry describes actively trying to hold still as “almost painful”.
EASILY DISTRACTED
BEING easily distracted is another hallmark of ADHD — similar to Ant’s “popcorn thinking”.
“This can be external things — such as noises or other conversations,”
Dr Jessica says. This “noisy brain” can make it hard to get through a book.
Celebs reveal ups and downs
DOZENS of celebrities have opened up about their ADHD symptoms or diagnosis in recent years.
Their experiences highlight how vastly ADHD can present itself and impact life, with links to mental health issues, but also huge career successes.
ADRIAN CHILES
TV PRESENTER Adrian, 57, who was diagnosed in 2016, wrote: “Until I got a diagnosis, ADHD made my life heart-stoppingly, nerve-shreddingly difficult, as I veered wildly between the thrill of it all and the crippling anxiety and depression.
“It was unsustainably exhausting.”
10
BARRY KEOGHAN
IN 2020, Saltburn actor Barry, 32, discovered he has the condition.
He told Esquire magazine: “My mind used to be like a traffic jam, crazy, and then with the medication, it is like one car goes, then another car goes.
10
“It is something that should be recognised and talked about in adults.”
DENISE WELCH
LOOSE Women star Denise, 66, spoke out about her ADHD last year.
She told Hello mag: “If I don’t say what I think is important, I forget it.
10
“There’s a desperation in me that I need to get out what I want to say, which is a symptom. I’m exhausted.
“Even things I look forward to doing, I can’t be bothered.”
GEORGIA HARRISON
EX-LOVE Islander Georgia, 29, learned she had ADHD four years ago.
She told OK! mag: “I was clever, got mostly straight As and always intended to do well, but I had ADHD and didn’t know it.
10
“I found it hard to concentrate, I got in trouble for being loud, interrupting. I had the symptoms.”
JAMES HASKELL
AT the age of eight, ex-England rugby star and podcaster James, 39, was given his diagnosis.
He told inews: “If your mind isn’t chanelled, it can be your undoing.
10
“ADHD was essential to what I achieved. With the right help, it can help you achieve more than you would believe.”
OLIVIA ATTWOOD
PRESENTER Olivia, 33, was diagnosed in 2020.
She told Grazia mag: “My ADHD was causing anxiety, which was causing me to feel depressed.
10
“The way it was described to me is like having a computer with too many tabs open.
“It is like your brain is always going, like, a million miles an hour.”
HOW TO GET HELP
UNFORTUNATELY, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD – but they can refer you for a specialist assessment.
Be warned, though, the wait can be long.
Data suggests there are at least 196,000 adults on waiting lists across the UK.
And a BBC investigation found in many areas it would take at least eight years to clear the backlog.
For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, the NHS says their symptoms should have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as underachieving at work or having difficulties in relationships, and they should have been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months.
There must also be evidence that symptoms have been present since childhood, as it is thought the condition cannot develop for the first time in adults.
After a diagnosis, treatment can include psychological therapies, psychotherapy, social skills training and medication.
For many, a diagnosis can be a relief, but it may also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of “being different”.
ADHD UK (adhduk.co.uk) can offer support and information on considering diagnostic pathways.
