Think of the word “diagnosis” and in all likelihood, you think of something bad. But my diagnosis – for ADHD – is one of the most important events in my life.
It gave me an explanation for why I struggled with things the rest of the world seemed to find so easy. I was given a way to understand myself and how I think. That understanding gave me control for the first time in my life. Most importantly, I had a way forward: to manage and make my life better.
Before my diagnosis, things were starting to fall apart. I was running my own business, had a young child at home and was increasing my involvement in politics. I struggled on by putting myself under pressure and ignoring things that did not seem to matter.
My wife Jackie was the person who urged me to get help and a professional opinion.
I was constantly letting her down and my work-life balance was a mess. I started a vicious spiral of negative thoughts and behaviours. When I vocalised my thoughts, calling myself stupid, Jackie pointed out the pattern of my behaviour and thought it might be ADHD.
At 35, I sought counselling which led to a psychiatric consultation. Let me be frank, the counselling was a waste of time. Asking a person with an attention problem to sit and talk patiently is at best counterproductive. It was the diagnosis of ADHD and with it a prescription that gave me the space and capacity to deal with the issues I had.
That is the catch with ADHD. Absolutely, there are many non-pharmaceutical therapies, but in order to apply yourself to them and adapt to them, you need to be able to concentrate and pay attention.
NICE [The National Institute For Health and Clinical Excellence] describes drug-therapy as the first line treatment for adults with ADHD and for school-age children with the most severe form of the condition.
I take a slow-release form of Ritalin. Let me bust the myth: rather than turning you into a zombie, it sharpens and focuses your attention.
If your brain was a car, having ADHD is comparable to your accelerator working well, but the steering keeps playing up. Stimulants help put you back in control.
The best way to deal with ADHD is a combination of taking medication, but also learning the techniques you need to manage your concentration and attention.
Some of those skills are simple things like keeping lists and strict daily and weekly routines. I have also taken up mindfulness meditation, which gives me an ability to step back and reflect. Medication makes all of these things possible.
My diagnosis was important to me not just because it led me to take steps to manage it, but also because it lets me see my strengths and abilities.
Many people with ADHD will tell you that they think it gives them the ability to think laterally and creatively. People with ADHD do not think in straight lines, they see the tangents and patterns.
The ability to look at things differently, ask awkward questions and feel uninhibited by received wisdom is an advantage in politics, not a hindrance.
The biggest hurdle people with ADHD face is the lack of understanding of the condition and its management. My experience shows that you can tackle it if you ask for help and accept treatment.
Some people dismiss ADHD or describe medication as a bad option or a sign of failure. The reality is people with ADHD can be successful and happy. If we keep stigmatising ADHD and the medication for it, we are creating new barriers for those with the condition.
Daniel Johnson is the Labour MSP for Edinburgh Southern. He revealed to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday how he was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel