A few years ago I was like, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ moments. My husband, Dr. Michael Mosley, and I were staying with friends and I had volunteered to make a chicken tagine supper as a thank you for their hospitality.
It was a beautiful summer day so we decided to go for an aperitif. In an effort to be organized, I took over their brand new open kitchen, did the prep and put on the rice in advance.
We were only on the road for about an hour, but when we got back I felt a wave of total panic. Menacing clouds of white smoke came from the downstairs windows. The pan is rising! I had not turned off the gas hob.
We ran inside and the smell of fire filled our nostrils. The blackened pan was quietly taken to the backyard while we opened all the windows and doors we could. Then we started waving towels in all directions to clear the smoke.
Then we sat in the garden, had a few more drinks and they never spoke of it again. But I was terrified and the next day I filled the room with diffusers to cover up the horrible smell. I shudder to think what could have happened if we had stayed away longer.
There are approximately 2.6 million people in the UK diagnosed with ADHD, of which 700,000 are children and 1.9 million are adults
Dr. Clare Bailey has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which means she is more easily distracted
Sheridan Smith, 42, says her ADHD diagnosis has ‘helped her understand a lot of things’
If you consider my career as a general practitioner, you may be surprised by my apparent carelessness. Especially if you cook at someone else’s home.
But is there an underlying reason for this accident? I have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which means I am more easily distracted. Like actress Sheridan Smith, who this week revealed that she too has ADHD, I didn’t realize I had it until middle age.
Ms Smith, who is 42, made her ADHD revelation during an interview with Vogue, saying it has ‘helped her understand a lot of things’. Comedian Johnny Vegas said something similar last year about his diagnosis at age 52. Others who have joined the dots in adulthood include Sue Perkins, Rory Bremner, Ant McPartlin and model Erin O’Connor.
One of the hallmarks of ADHD is that your attention is easily diverted elsewhere – which is why on more than one occasion I have left the kitchen, become engrossed in something and completely forgotten about the casserole in the oven.
Another is that you tend to look at something quickly and collect most of the evidence, but not necessarily all of it. So at our friends’ house, I had only glanced at the stove before heading outside, without noticing that the flame was still burning.
Many cases of ADHD are diagnosed in children between the ages of three and seven, but delayed diagnoses are becoming increasingly common.
There are approximately 2.6 million people diagnosed with ADHD in the UK, of which 700,000 are children and 1.9 million are adults. Since 2020, the number of adults contacting the ADHD Foundation to arrange an assessment has increased by 400 percent.
People with this condition often feel restless, have difficulty concentrating and may act impulsively. The exact cause is unknown, but it has been shown to run in families.
Research also suggests that there are differences in the brains of people with ADHD compared to people without ADHD. Interestingly, these brain abnormalities have been shown to return to normal with medication.
I first realized that I had some symptoms of ADHD about ten years ago. While, as Sheridan Smith suggests, there is relief when everything falls into place – ah, so that’s why I was stuck at school forever because I was late and had to retake my final exam – for many people with ADHD, the emotional The consequences of a largely misunderstood childhood can extend into adulthood.
Teachers always wrote in my reports, ‘Clare could do better if she would just pull her finger out.’ If only it were that easy! Another comment was that I should “keep my high party mood out of the classroom.” But no one has ever joined the points.
I was always the last to get my pencils out and rarely heard instructions. If a topic interested me, I could demonstrate a laser-like focus, but then I would be too engaged to hear the homework instructions at the end of class.
According to the experts, ADHD in girls is significantly underdiagnosed. The stereotypical image of ADHD is a boy bouncing around a classroom, but that’s not the whole picture. Girls are usually not as hyperactive as boys and suffer largely in silence. Without a diagnosis, they miss out on the understanding and treatment that could change their lives.
When I was a child, teachers had no understanding of the disorder. Looking back, my mother, a child psychiatrist herself, probably had it too. Not that we discussed this during her lifetime. She was either full-throated or very relaxed, and had a reputation for being late. To such an extent that friends invited her an hour before the due date and my father, also a doctor, was constantly tapping his foot.
So-called ‘time blindness’ is common with ADHD. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about making people wait, but she tried to schedule other tasks along the way, not realizing that it would make us late.
It was in my A-level year that my undiagnosed ADHD threatened to derail me. Finding it difficult to concentrate academically, my attention turned to my social life. I ended up with unimpressive science A-levels, including a couple of Ds.
It will come as no surprise that I had to retake my A-levels to go to medical school. At this point one of my teachers suggested that instead of repeatedly reading textbooks, which didn’t interest me, I should answer questions against the clock. This transition from passive to more active learning sparked my concentration in a new way.
What is often misunderstood is that an ADHD brain is more likely to be under than over stimulated. You only get into the zone if you are against it. That’s why people like me are drawn to careers like medicine, law and journalism – looming deadlines force us to go the extra mile. Without the stimulation of being under pressure, you are prone to procrastination.
It was at the Royal Free Hospital in London that I met Michael, where we were both studying medicine. Looking back, my ADHD didn’t exactly help the progression of true love. At first my lateness was not well received. For one of our early dates, I arrived an hour and a half late and discovered he was long gone. He wasn’t exactly angry, but I noticed!
From then on, Michael simply got up and left after waiting for what he thought was an appropriate amount of time, prompting me to do my very best to be at least close to being on time.
Fortunately, Michael is good-natured.
Apart from burnt food and being late, he has also endured quite a few delayed cups of tea and the fact that I always lose my handbag or keys at home.
I also had a David Cameron moment when I left our youngest child, then just a few months old, on the sidewalk in front of our house in a car seat (easy to do with four kids). It wasn’t until I sat down that I realized I had forgotten something.
On the other hand, ADHD made me empathize with a child’s fascination with small, everyday things. Novelty appeals to the ADHD brain. When something piques our interest, we become immersed. One time the kids and I became so fascinated by some butterflies that had just hatched that we were 20 minutes late for school.
Now that I’m 62, I’ve learned to notice when my impulsiveness threatens to get the best of me, but I can still behave eccentrically.
Once I saw a colorful chair in a shop window, hit the brakes and hastily parked so I could take a closer look. It wasn’t until I crossed the road that I thought, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ I got back in the car and felt a bit idiotic.
When I announced that I had ADHD, none of my friends or family were surprised. At that time the condition was much better known and I think they all already suspected it.
Although adults can be prescribed stimulant medications, I have never had the urge to take anything. I’ve found it easier to deal with it as I’ve gotten older. And to be honest, I appreciate the creativity, fun, and curiosity that comes with ADHD. Let’s just say: there is never a dull moment.
If you would like to find out more about ADHD and in particular have a child who might have it or have difficulty settling and concentrating, visit parentingmatters.co.uk/blogs/dpp-page