Let’s Talk: ADHD

What is ADHD?

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)”. This is a neurological or psychological disorder.

There are 3 types of ADHD which are;

• Inattentive Type ADHD (likely to daydream)
• Hyperactive-Impulsive Type ADHD (likely to fidget)
• Combined Type ADHD (likely to do both)

What does ADHD mean for you?

Inattentive Type ADHD to me means that I have to implement a lot in to my day to counteract my symptoms, such as note taking, list writing, scheduling, timers and alarms.

My symptoms can present themselves as difficulty listening when spoken to or realising when people are speaking to me, difficulty withholding a response in conversations (can come across as interrupting), flicking between several tasks at once to stimulate my mind, forgetfulness and distraction.

Is there anything that your colleagues could do to support you in the workplace?

I’m lucky that my team are so understanding and used to the way I work now. They have gotten used to saying my name directly to me before speaking to me to make sure they have my attention which really helps as I don’t always realise I’m being spoken to. I often have to ask people to repeat things too as there could be 10 small things or 1 main thing that has interrupted my line of thinking within a couple of minutes which can be tough to explain. They repeat things to me without making me feel I’m inconveniencing them. Generally being open about my disorder and talking about it helps too as I’ve never wanted it to become stigmatised or people not know why I am the way I am.