{"id":7,"date":"2024-01-26T15:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T15:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/adhd-oxon\/?page_id=7"},"modified":"2025-12-22T16:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T16:48:03","slug":"what-is-it","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/what-is-it\/","title":{"rendered":"About ADHD"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition which is understood\u00a0to affect 3-4% of the adult population.<\/p>\n

\n

Understanding ADHD<\/h2>\n

To learn about ADHD, please see our Performance Mindset<\/a> microsite.<\/p>\n

This resource aims to provide a clear understanding of ADHD for adults.<\/p>\n

It begins with an explanation of what ADHD is, the process of assessment for adults, and the various interventions available for managing the condition.<\/p>\n

Learn about ADHD<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How can it impact people?<\/h2>\n

ADHD affects an individual’s behaviour and can be evident through a variety of traits and symptoms.<\/p>\n

Some traits associated with ADHD are strengths which can be harnessed to the individual’s advantage – such as being able to ‘think outside of the box’, being a problem-solver, or being ambitious and entrepreneurial.<\/p>\n

Other traits can be more challenging and problematic for the individual. The most common problematic traits include significant symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.<\/p>\n

These symptoms will have been evident since early childhood.<\/p>\n

Inattention<\/h2>\n

Difficulties with inattention may include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Being very easily distracting and struggling to concentrate<\/li>\n
  • Difficulties staying organised<\/li>\n
  • Finding it hard to manage time effectively<\/li>\n
  • Failing to meet deadlines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Hyperactivity<\/h2>\n

    Difficulties with hyperactivity may include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Feeling restless all the time time<\/li>\n
    • Difficulties staying still<\/li>\n
    • Struggling to wait your turn<\/li>\n
    • Being impatient with others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Impulsivity<\/h2>\n

      Difficulties with impulsivity may include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Saying or doing things rashly and without thinking about the consequences<\/li>\n
      • Unpredictable actions and behaviour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Recognising ADHD<\/h2>\n

        ADHD affects people in different ways and not everyone will display all the symptoms (or display symptoms in the same way).<\/p>\n

        Some people may receive an ADHD diagnosis as a child. Childhood behaviours may persist into adulthood but they may also change or diminish over time.<\/p>\n

        Some people learn to manage and mask their symptoms of ADHD through coping strategies over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition which is understood\u00a0to affect 3-4% of the adult population. How can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/oxon-adult-adhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}