What does it mean to be diagnosed with ADHD?

Owen Jones is a succesful Guardian journalist. He was central to the Jeremy Corbyn movement. He feels as though he has been held back by his ADHD, and obtained this diagnosis over a year ago (see his YouTube video). The charity ADHD UK was founded in 2020. It aims to help people like Owen Jones navigate their life with ADHD, and wants to reduce the stigma that some people attach to those with ADHD, build awareness, and undertake or fund research that will have a meaningful positive impact on those with ADHD. 

I’ve never sought a psychiatric diagnosis to explain my inadequacies or failures, or medication to treat them, although I did have twice-weekly psychotherapy for 3 years until my therapist retired. I do think psychiatry can be beneficial, although it can also cause harms. It worries me that people are being misled about the nature of ADHD (see eg. previous post). 

I’m not sure what Jones now thinks of his ADHD diagnosis and treatment after a year. Psychiatry has moved on from its modern origins in diagnosing madness (see eg. previous post). Incorporating neurodivergence over recent years has broadened its remit. Whether this has always been beneficial is at least an open question.