Around 2.6m people are diagnosed with ADHD in the UK, alongside 1.74% of people in Liverpool.
the true number is likely to be considerably higher, because of the difficulties in diagnosis.
ADHD awareness month is targeted at those who feel they have been pushed aside – many people believing ADHD to be nothing more than misbehaviour in school.
But how to combat these stereotypes? Tony Lloyd, CEO of the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity, told MerseyNewsLive: “ADHD is listed as a behavioural disorder, when it isn’t. It’s a neurodevelopmental condition.
“Being hyperactive in a classroom, being forgetful – these stereotypes are driven by an unconscious bias. That we want to justify why some people are marginalised and considered different.”
There are problems that charities such as this want to highlight. One is the fact that girls are overlooked when it comes to ADHD.
Symptoms often present themselves visibly from a young age in boys who suffer, whereas girls do not display problems that are typically associated with ADHD.
Here’s how you can get involved in ADHD Awareness month:
- Educate yourself on symptoms, treatments, and diagnosis
- Help to spread awareness for ADHD charities such as the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity
- Use social media to share information and show support
- Donate to charities.
Tony Lloyd said: “It’s a really important message that we need to get across. People should never feel ashamed or stigmatised because they think differently or learn differently.
“We’ve got to embrace the fact that we’re all different.”
