I am writing to address Hadley Freeman’s recent comments suggesting that having ADHD is simply a matter of being “confused by life.”
As a clinician who has worked in mental health, primarily within the NHS, for 37 years, I take exception to this simplistic view. I was diagnosed with inattentive-type ADHD at 53, having previously served as both a lecturer and clinician. My diagnosis explained years of struggling with executive dysfunction, procrastination, time management issues, and severe mood swings—symptoms that often felt like early-onset dementia. It was a podcast that first explained the nature of inattentive ADHD that led me to seek a diagnosis.
This condition is not a choice or a cultural trend; it is a complex, neurobiological reality. There are over a thousand genes implicated in ADHD and over 70,000 published academic papers on the topic. For me, managing this condition means taking amphetamines daily to achieve focus and calm necessary for function. Despite these struggles, I have never claimed benefits and continue to work as a clinician.
I find it contradictory that Ms. Freeman, who speaks openly about her personal struggle with anorexia, seems to lack compassion for others facing a daily struggle with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Turning the reality of conditions like ADHD into a “culture war” or dismissing them as a “desire to belong to a group” is harmful and scientifically unfounded.
I am frankly exhausted by the need to constantly explain my genetic make-up or face shaming from those who profit from disavowing the reality of others’ lives.
Stephen Taylor RMN,NMP,
Cognitive Analytical Therapist,
Clinical Nurse Specialist,
Nightingale Scholar,
Independent Prescriber