Sorcha Jones

PEOPLE are living with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for years without realising, an adult mental health expert has warned.

Sorcha Jones, a psychotherapist from Gospel Oak, was diagnosed in 2018 after her son was assessed for the condition.

“I thought: my gosh, I would have given exactly the same answers as he does,” she said.

Ms Jones now specialises in working with those who receive ADHD diagnoses as adults.

She said: “I think people often will read something – a first-hand account in a journal, and think: ‘I do that as well’.”

In the south-east of the country waiting times for an assessment are currently at an all-time high.

Those who suspect they have ADHD can assess themselves using reliable online adult screening tests, such as those offered by ADHD UK.

People with ADHD can experience heightened emotions and forgetfulness, as well as making impulsive purchases, Ms Jones said, adding:“A common one is where people feel like they’ve got a motor running all the time, and might find it difficult to focus.

“Inattention is part of it, but actually ADHD people can get really focused. We call that ‘hyper focus’. They can get really interested in something, and then drop it a few weeks later.”

“ADHD people first of all often don’t finish courses and don’t finish school or further education or their degree, they don’t get as qualified as they should do.

“They might not achieve as much in jobs, they get more stressed, so they take more sick time, they get paid lower, and they can have relationship problems.”

Ms Jones said of her own diagnosis: “It made sense of me being really bad at school. A common one with reports was ‘could try harder’.”

She said the condition is often more noticeable in boys than in girls.

“It’s to do with the way girls and boys are socialised,” Ms Jones said. “You can’t miss a boy who’s hyperactive, but the girls who are more dreamy or forgetful, who are cut off and staring out of the window – they don’t get seen.”

There are some things people with ADHD can do to live better with their symptoms on top of taking drugs to manage the condition.

“Find other people with ADHD, and be kind to yourself,” she said. “I have an ADHD box, where I keep all my cards and stuff I’ll need to take out with me in the same place.”

Some charities also run “accountability meetings”, where people with ADHD can share their goals for the day and check back in to see if these goals have been achieved.

She said: “It’s also about breaking complex tasks down into chunks. We do get stressed out over things, but as a neurodiverse group, we’re also really creative.”