Living with ADHD

The exact cause is unknown, but the mental health condition ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) affects millions of lives around the world. Symptoms include hyperactive behaviour and maintaining concentration.

It is an issue widely discussed on social media and across the Internet, and to understand its effect a little more, we brought people together who are living with it.

Two mothers in Kenya and the UK share their experiences of bringing up children with the condition. They describe the resulting challenges, as well as the creativity that can also accompany the disorder.

For Sylvia in Nairobi, an official diagnosis for one of her sons helped explain his behaviour. She told us: “Before it was ‘why are you not listening?’ ‘Do I have to say things 10 times?’ So as a parent, before you know what the issue is, it’s very frustrating to say the least. We’re humans at the end of the day, you love your child, but it pushes your buttons.”

Host James Reynolds also hears from two couples living with ADHD in Nigeria and the United States.

One of them is rapper Jude MI Abaga in Lagos. He explained: “It really affected me and my time in college in the States. But it helped me when I moved back to Nigeria, I ended up having a successful music career and in that way it’s sort of like a gift and a curse.”

A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.

(Photo: Jude MI Abaga and Eniola Mafe)