ADHD affects how your brain manages attention, impulses, and energy. But here’s the truth most people miss: ADHD isn’t a deficit of attention—it’s a difference in how your brain regulates it.
This comprehensive guide explains what ADHD actually is, how it affects professionals and entrepreneurs in the UK, and why understanding your brain is the first step toward building strategies that work.
What Is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects approximately 4% of adults in the UK. It influences how the brain processes dopamine and norepinephrine—the chemicals responsible for motivation, focus, and reward.
ADHD isn’t about being lazy, careless, or unintelligent. It’s a genuine neurological difference that affects executive function—the brain’s management system.
The Three Presentations of ADHD
Predominantly Inattentive (formerly ADD)
- Difficulty sustaining focus on tasks that aren’t inherently interesting
- Frequently losing items, missing appointments, or forgetting commitments
- Appearing “in your own world” or daydreaming
- Struggling to follow through on instructions or finish projects
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive
- Feeling restless, fidgeting, or needing to move constantly
- Talking excessively or interrupting conversations
- Making impulsive decisions without considering consequences
- Difficulty waiting your turn or being patient
Combined Presentation
Most adults with ADHD have a combination of both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive traits. The mix varies from person to person, and symptoms can shift over time.
Executive Function: The Real Challenge
Executive function is your brain’s CEO—it handles planning, prioritising, time management, emotional regulation, and working memory. With ADHD, this system works differently.
Key Executive Functions Affected by ADHD
Working Memory
The ability to hold information in mind while using it. This is why you might walk into a room and forget why, or lose track of what someone just said mid-conversation.
Time Blindness
A genuine difficulty perceiving how time passes. Five minutes can feel like an hour, and an hour can vanish in what feels like moments. This isn’t poor time management—it’s a neurological difference in time perception.
Emotional Regulation
ADHD affects the brain’s ability to manage emotional responses. Frustration, excitement, and disappointment can feel more intense and harder to control.
Task Initiation
The ability to start tasks, especially ones that don’t provide immediate reward or interest. This is why procrastination is so common with ADHD—it’s not laziness, it’s a brain struggling to generate the activation energy needed to begin.
Cognitive Flexibility
Shifting between tasks or adapting when plans change. ADHD can make transitions feel jarring and overwhelming.
ADHD Strengths: The Other Side
ADHD isn’t all challenges. Many traits that cause difficulties in traditional environments become genuine advantages in the right context.
Common ADHD Strengths
- Hyperfocus: When genuinely interested, you can concentrate with extraordinary intensity for extended periods
- Creativity: ADHD brains make unusual connections between ideas, leading to innovative thinking
- Crisis Performance: Many people with ADHD thrive under pressure when adrenaline kicks in
- Energy and Enthusiasm: Passion for projects can be infectious and drive teams forward
- Entrepreneurial Thinking: Risk tolerance, quick thinking, and ability to see opportunities others miss
- Resilience: Years of overcoming challenges builds genuine mental toughness
Common ADHD Myths—Debunked
“ADHD is just an excuse for laziness”
ADHD is a recognised medical condition with documented neurological differences. Brain imaging shows genuine structural and functional variations in ADHD brains.
“Adults can’t have ADHD—it’s a childhood condition”
ADHD doesn’t disappear at 18. While symptoms may change over time, the core neurological difference persists throughout life.
“You can focus on video games, so you can’t have ADHD”
ADHD affects interest-based attention. Activities with immediate feedback and built-in rewards (like games) can trigger hyperfocus. This doesn’t mean attention is controllable—it means the brain responds differently to different stimuli.
“Medication is the only treatment”
While medication helps many people, coaching, environmental modifications, and strategy development are equally important parts of ADHD management.
Getting Support in the UK
If you suspect you have ADHD, several pathways exist for assessment and support.
NHS Assessment
Speak with your GP about a referral to adult ADHD services. Wait times vary significantly by region—typically 12-24 months in many areas.
Private Assessment
Private psychiatrists can assess ADHD with shorter wait times (usually weeks rather than months). Costs typically range from £500-£1,200 for a full assessment.
Right to Choose
Under the NHS Right to Choose, you can request referral to an approved private provider with NHS funding. This can significantly reduce wait times while remaining free at point of use.
ADHD Coaching
Coaching focuses on practical strategies rather than diagnosis or medication. A specialist ADHD coach helps you develop systems that work with your brain, not against it.
At PhilanthroPeak, we offer ADHD business coaching specifically designed for professionals and entrepreneurs who want to harness their ADHD as a strength.
Next Steps
Understanding your ADHD is the foundation—but knowledge alone doesn’t create change. The next step is building practical strategies that work for your unique brain.
Explore our guides on:
- ADHD at Work – Strategies for focus and productivity in professional settings
- ADHD Business Coaching – Building a business that works with your ADHD
- The ADHD Business Compass – Our 12-week programme for ADHD entrepreneurs
Ready to work with your ADHD, not against it?
Book a free discovery call to explore how coaching can help you thrive.
