ADHD Awareness Month

This month is ADHD awareness month, a chance to highlight a condition that has long been misunderstood. There are many myths surrounding ADHD, which often cause delays in diagnosis and accessing treatment.

It’s a condition that is surrounded in stigma, with some even suggesting it doesn’t exist. That’s why ADHD awareness month looks to debunk those myths and encourage more people to speak out about their experience. ADHD stands for ‘attention deficit hyperactivity disorder’. People with ADHD can often seem restless, have trouble concentrating and can act on impulse. Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child’s circumstances change, such as when they start school. ADHD can improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed at a young age continue to experience problems.

Many children are not identified in school or cannot access assessment quick enough due the health authorities being overwhelmed, which leads to their challenges escalating and them being seen as naughty and disruptive. This leads to long term mental health problems, not being able to access employment with the worst-case scenario being that they will end up in the Criminal Justice System. Despite around 1.5 million adults in the UK having the condition, only 120,000 are formally diagnosed according to ADHD Action. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding about the condition that leads to damaging stereotypes, and misinformation. For example, many people wrongly think that only boys get ADHD, as young girls tend to be less hyperactive than boys. As a result, girls are less likely be referred for an evaluation of ADHD and often go untreated.

Aston spoke to Dr Annie Clements, founder and CEO of Autism and ADHD.