ADHD diagnosis 'changed my life'

Holly Harris said girls often tried to mask their symptoms of ADHD

A woman who said she had anxiety and depression in her schooldays has described how getting a diagnosis of ADHD "changed her life".

Holly Harris, 23, from Jersey, said she was told she had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when she was 19 years old.

Speaking during ADHD awareness month, Ms Harris said getting a diagnosis was a revelation for her.

"It's like you finally feel like there's not something wrong with me. It's more this is what I have and now I have the tools and the services that can help me progress."

The journalism and criminology graduate, who also volunteers at the archives with Jersey Heritage, described how she was "stressed and burnt out" before her diagnosis.

She said: "I suffered so much from anxiety and depression. I had fatigue burnout - where you get overstimulated and just crash.

"There was something holding me back in a sense."

She said she now managed her symptoms "by hanging out with my friends and family, being surrounded by people that I'm closer to and I know who know me".

'A growing tribe'

She said: "If I need to talk about stuff, then they're there to listen" and medication had helped her "to focus" and to "feel calmer".

"My brain feels clear. Before I was on medication it was like there was a million things going through my mind every second."

Rachel Boss, founder of the non-profit organisation ADHD Jersey, said: "Having an ADHD awareness month highlights what it's like living with ADHD.

"I didn't get a diagnosis until my late 40s and we've got a lot of people saying the same thing.

"There's a celebration within that, but also grief in the time you've lost.

"Reach out and email us for support. We are a growing tribe and it's so cathartic to be in a room with people that actually understand you."