Psychologist shares the telling signs you’re an adult with undiagnosed ADHD after Annie Lennox’s diagnosis at age 70

You’re never too old to learn something new about yourself—just ask Annie Lennox, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 70.

The Eurythmics star revealed that she had been diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental condition—which affects concentration, impulse control and activity levels—when she was a guest on BBC radio show Woman’s Hour last month.

The Scottish singer told presenter Nuala McGovern that she had ‘passed her diagnostic assessment with flying colours’. 

She said: ‘I’m a magpie, I observe things, I’m highly sensitive. And I found out that I am actually a bit neurodivergent. 

‘It’s explained a great deal to me about how my mind works and how other people with ADHD, how their mind works.’

Annie is one of thousands of women who have discovered later in life that they have been living with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

Over the past decade, there has been a huge increase in the amount of adult women who have been told they fit the criteria for the neurodivergent condition, which can cause both mental and physical impulsivity and restlessness. 

Much of what scientists know about ADHD comes from studies that have focused on men, but the disorder looks a lot different in women, meaning that many have been dismissed for their symptoms—which might include shyness, sensitivity to noise and emotional volatility.

Some studies have linked later diagnosis of the condition to premature death; some experts claim that as many as 80 percent of adults with ADHD develop a secondary mental health condition such as depression and anxiety.

Following Annie’s admission, the Daily Mail spoke to Dr Jenna Vyas-Lee, a clinical psychologist at London-based private mental health practice KOVE—which offers ADHD assessments—for tell-tale signs which could warrant further investigation. 

She said: ‘When somebody famous says something like that people can see that reflected in themselves.’

However, she added ‘two people can have the same diagnosis, but experience it completely differently’, so there aren’t ‘tell-tale’ signs of ADHD so to speak, which can make it difficult to diagnose.

This problem is even worse in women, she explained, as research has focused on ‘young men and boys’ which is ‘amazing for 10-year-old boys’, but provides little help for older women who have flown under their radar until later in life.

The key sign someone has lived with undiagnosed ADHD, she explained, is that they have experienced difficulties throughout their life, rather than them suddenly appearing in their 30s or 50s.

In women, she explained, ‘it is much more about emotional regulation’ which can impact relationships in your romantic life and at work—this can be the case for both people who have never seen a psychiatrist and who have lots of diagnoses.

They may also experience ‘internal hyperactivity’ which can look quite different to ‘your five-year-old swinging from a chandelier’. It could manifest as ‘constantly needing a snack at your desk at work,’ she explained.

Interestingly, she highlighted a paper that found the rate of people with ADHD having gastric band surgery—that helps people lose weight by making them feel fuller sooner—could be up to nearly 40 per cent.

She explained ‘there is a lack of understanding of what ADHD is’ as ‘many people think it is about overstimulation’ when the brain is actually understimulated, making it act like it’s ‘hungry’.

This can cause the brain to go looking for stimulation elsewhere through gaming, social media—or even sex, which can leave some people thinking they have a ‘sex addiction’, said Dr Vyas-Lee.

But this ‘brain hunger’ can lead others to hyperfocus on their career, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, she explained. 

However, it can also cause you to do things ‘people may have said is annoying’ at work or school, such as ‘tapping your foot all the time’.

If you think you might have ADHD, there are lots of small lifestyle tweaks you can make, even if you don’t have a diagnosis.

However, she added, ‘if you feel like your life is really impaired’ it could be worth seeking a diagnostic assessment, which starts with a referral from your GP.

Latest figures earlier this year revealed 549,000 people in England were waiting for an ADHD assessment at the end of March—up from 416,000 the previous year.

Of those waiting, around 304,000 had been waiting at least a year—and 144,000 for two years or more, as NHS services struggle to keep up with demand.

In light of long waiting times, Dr Vyas-Lee suggested considering Right to Choose which gives patients in England the right to request to be seen by a private provider.

This provider must have a commissioning contract with your relevant Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) or NHS England.

If you can afford to pay for a private provider yourself, Dr Vyas-Lee advises checking they use NICE guidelines for the assessment.

Similarly, she recommends checking the assessment is thorough to ensure it is reliable, for example ensuring ‘you’re not going to have a 20-minute assessment’.

Once diagnosed, people can either choose to explore medication options or try to make lifestyle adjustments to make their day-to-day existence less frenetic and overwhelming.