Prescriptions for health condition soar since pandemic causing medicine shortage – and social media is to blame

Unfortunately, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD but they can refer you for a specialist assessment.

Be warned, 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 the person has been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months. 

There must also be evidence symptoms have been present since childhood - it’s thought that 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 also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of ‘being different’.

 has information on considering diagnostic pathways and can offer support

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.

However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing.

Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: “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.”

So how can ADHD manifest in someone’s life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs:

1. Time blindness - losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early
2. Lack of organisation - a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines
3. Hyperfocus - becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours
4. Procrastination - feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks
5. Heightened emotions - emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once
6. Being a 'yes man' - agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when you're already busy (a desire to please)
7. Impatience - interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly-chatty
8. Restlessness - tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside
9. Easily distracted - by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts