Agnosis explains ways so chaotic

o them both and hey were both so elpful with xplaining how many people deal with diagnosis and oming to terms with the condition. There are so many misconceptions. It’s ften thought ADHD nly affects children. That ’s to do with bad parenting. Men are three times as likely to be iagnosed as women and black boys with symptoms are often written off as ad, lazy or rude. Adults with ADHD re nine times as likely to end up in rison and twice as likely to be fired, campaign group #attentionuk says. The problem for diagnosing ADHD is that there is no biological test and there are different types. People can spend hours focussing on the things they like, that gives their dopamine-starved brains a good feeling and spend no time on the things that don’t interest them, like work. Neglecting whole areas of your life is a common theme. Michelle says: “Around 80% of adults with ADHD suffer from mental health problems and it carries a tenfold risk of suicide. It’s totally unacceptable that so many GPS and mental health professionals refuse to accept ADHD even exists in adults.” More shocking is the waiting times postcode lottery, sometimes several years or even no service.

ADHD is stigmatised, misunderstood, yet highly treatable. If this was any other condition, there would be a public outcry. My life is now better and I have the tools to try to limit the impact of ADHD, not just on me, but on those around me.

Angus Walker is an ITV News correspondent. He shares the stage with Rory Bremner at the ADHD Foundation conference in Liverpool on November 8 and 9.