My ADHD diagnosis has allowed me to re-write my life story

I’ve spent my whole life feeling like a square peg, trying to fit in a round hole. Not anymore, writes Angela Barnes

‘ADHD is frustrating in many ways, but only really because we are trying to operate in a world that isn’t set up for us’ (Getty Images)

In May this year, at the age of 44, I became one of a growing army of women diagnosed with ADHD. The use of “army” there might seem threatening, but to be honest, the chances of us organising any sort of coordinated attack are remote, and lord only knows what I’ve done with the keys to the tank.

The reactions to my diagnosis have been varied, ranging from the person in the comedy industry who told me I was “lucky because it’s very fashionable at the moment”, as if i had told them I had a thigh gap or extreme right-wing views, to my Mum who said, “Oh yes, that makes a lot of sense.”

But another reaction, one I didn’t expect was people rolling their eyes and saying something like, “Ugh, everyone has ADHD these days.” Firstly, I’ve had it up to here with eyerolls. My whole life, “she’s lost her purse”, eye rolls. “She’s late because she got lost”, eye rolls. “She spent the night in A&E because she fell over again”, eye rolls. Now, when I finally have a reason for those things, what do you do? Roll your eyes at me and tell me I must be mistaken. No.