Call the Midwife star Helen George has revealed she has ADHD - something she had spent her "whole life covering up".
The actress opened up about the disorder, why she waited four years to start taking medication and how she’s learning how to "function best so that [she] can mother best" while appearing on an episode of the podcast, I’m ADHD! No You’re Not.
Helen, who captured hearts playing Nurse Trixie on the BBC drama Call the Midwife, shared she was first diagnosed after the birth of her second daughter, Lark, in November 2021.
Why she felt comfortable sharing it now, and seeking treatment, Helen shared, “I think the idea of parenting challenges all of the very facets that ADHD has. And I think it wasn't really a thing that I realised until I sat down with a male friend who had ADHD."
The “lightbulb moment”, as she described it, that prompted her to discover her diagnosis further came during a conversation with a friend about ADHD and women being diagnosed later in life. “He was telling me all this, and then I suddenly went. ‘Oh… just like me. It's like the lightbulb moment that I needed.
“That was the thing that prompted me. And then I went and got a diagnosis from that. But before that, I hadn't ever considered that I had ADHD.”
She puts it down to her creative work that stopped her realising sooner.
"I just thought I'm an actress and everyone's crazy," she told the hosts, comedian Paul Whitehouse and neuroscience specialist Dr Mine Conkbayir. "There's a reason why there's a lot of actors who have ADHD... it's got the skills that you need."
Revealing where she’s at with now and her treatment, Helen has started taking medication and learning to take things as they come. She told Dr Mine, "It feels relatively new… and I'm now only really living with the consequences of finding it out."
"I don't think this world provides the necessary support that we need. So therefore, whilst it doesn't, I would like to take medication to see if that aids me. And if the world drastically changed overnight, then I would reconsider, I think.
“But as long as I've got to do a tax return and I've got to pay for things and you know, deal with the children, I think we all have to do those things. Do you know what I mean?"
Helen added, "It's learning about yourself and learning about what's gonna work for you and what's not, and effectively, then what's gonna work for your friends and your family."
"I've got to work out how you can function best so that you can mother best so that their lives can be the best that they can be. So it's a ripple of that without being self-indulgent. I think.”
ADHD - attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - is defined by the NHS as a condition where the brain works differently to most people. If you have ADHD, you may find yourself being inattentive, have high energy levels or show signs of impulsivity. Other symptoms could include forgetfulness, finding it hard to organise your time or feeling restless.
If you feel you may have ADHD symptoms that are affecting your personal or professional life, the NHS advises making an appointment with a GP to find out what support is available.
