𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐃, 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞

One part of ADHD that doesn’t get talked about enough is intrusive thoughts.

The mind replaying things. Becoming stuck. The “what if” spirals. Thoughts driven by fear, which feel upsetting precisely because they are unwanted.

Intrusive thoughts are often associated with OCD. The NHS describes OCD obsessions as “an unwanted, intrusive and often distressing thought, image or urge” that repeatedly enters someone’s mind, and notes that having intrusive thoughts does not mean a person will act on them.

Research also suggests that intrusive and worrisome thoughts can be more common in adults with ADHD. In one study, adults with ADHD reported “significantly higher ratings on all intrusive thoughts scales” and several worrisome thought scales compared with controls.

What people often need to hear is this:

𝑨 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆.

For many people, these intrusive thoughts are a quiet, private struggle. They are exhausting to carry, and easy to hide behind competence, humour, or keeping busy. That is why conversations about mental health need more room for nuance, honesty, and, critically, less shame.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, it feels worth saying plainly: some of the hardest struggles are the ones people feel least able to name. Let’s make a little more space for those conversations, not with judgement, but with understanding.