What should you know about ADHD?

A person with ADHD may lose track of tasks, forget appointments, interrupt, act quickly without considering the result, or find it hard to start and finish routine work. Some people mainly experience inattentiveness; others have prominent hyperactivity and impulsivity, while many have a mixture. Difficulties can change with interest, structure, sleep, stress, and the demands of a situation.

Difficulty concentrating can have many explanations, including anxiety, poor sleep, medication effects, or another health condition. Feeling anxious or irritability may occur alongside ADHD, but neither symptom confirms the diagnosis. Assessment considers the overall pattern, its impact, and whether it was present during earlier development.

Keep a brief record of situations that cause difficulty: missed tasks, restlessness, impulsive decisions, sleep patterns, and strategies that help. Include examples from work, study, home, and relationships, and ask someone who knows you well whether they have noticed a consistent pattern.

Arrange a Mental Health Assessment with a qualified clinician if these difficulties interfere with functioning. The clinician may discuss your history, current symptoms, mood, sleep, physical health, medicines, and possible overlapping conditions. Support may include skills for planning, reminders, environmental changes, talking therapies, or prescribed medication, depending on the assessment.

Seek a prompt clinical appointment when problems with attention, impulsivity, or organisation are affecting safety, work, education, driving, finances, or relationships. Arrange urgent help if severe distress, thoughts of self-harm, loss of control, or a sudden major change in behaviour is present. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services and stay with the person if it is safe.

Ask: What other conditions or medicines could explain these symptoms? Which parts of my history are relevant to assessment? What support can I start while assessment is underway? How will we monitor sleep, mood, appetite, concentration, and day-to-day functioning?