ADHD stands for ‘attention deficit hyperactivity disorder’. It is a type of condition known as a neurodevelopmental condition.
Neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD affect the way your brain develops and works. This can impact your behaviour and the way you experience the world around you.
Around one in 20 young people have ADHD. It is not a mental health condition or a learning disability. But, some people with ADHD might experience mental health conditions as well, such as an anxiety disorder.
If you have ADHD, your brain might work differently to other people’s. You may struggle with ‘executive functioning’ - these are the tasks we do that help us to manage everyday situations, such as getting organised or setting priorities. If you have ADHD, the way your brain controls your concentration, activity levels and impulses is a bit different, so you may find these types of tasks more challenging. This is a form of neurodiversity (a term used to describe the fact that everyone’s brain works differently).
Symptoms tend to start very early in life, before the age of six. It is common for children with ADHD to get a diagnosis at this age, but you can be diagnosed at any stage in your life. In fact, you might not realise you have ADHD until you’re much older or an adult. Symptoms for ADHD can be different for everyone. They can depend on your age, sex, gender identity and whether you have any other neurodevelopmental conditions.
ADHD can also be genetic so can run in families, but the cause is mostly unknown.