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).