ADHD: attention disorders

What ADHD is

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, behavioural regulation and executive functions (NICE NG87). From outside, many of its difficulties are mistaken for lack of interest, laziness or lack of willpower, but they have nothing to do with wanting or not wanting to do things.

Executive functions are the processes that let us organise ourselves to reach a goal: starting a task, keeping attention, organising time, prioritising, controlling impulses, regulating emotions and finishing what we started. A person with ADHD can know perfectly well what they need to do and still find it very hard to start, organise or sustain what it takes to do it.

Not everyone with ADHD is hyperactive. Some mainly have difficulties with attention and organisation and can go unnoticed for years; that is why people still talk about "ADD", although today it is considered part of ADHD with different presentations. In teenagers, hyperactivity may not look like movement but like inner restlessness or a mind that "never stops". And in adults it often becomes more obvious as responsibilities grow.

Nor is it simply "having a short attention span". Many people can focus intensely on something that interests them, is new or urgent, yet find it enormously hard to sustain effort on a long task with no immediate reward. It is not something they choose.

How it can show up

• You struggle to keep your attention in class, meetings or long conversations, especially if the topic does not grab you.
• You forget dates, appointments, assignments or where you left things, however hard you try.
• You leave tasks until the last minute: "I'll start now", "in five minutes"… and end up doing everything under pressure.
• You start projects full of motivation and find it hard to finish them.
• You misjudge how long things will take, and deadlines creep up on you.
• You interrupt, speak or act impulsively, and find it hard to wait.
• Frustration hits you very fast and it is hard to calm down after an argument.
• You have spent years hearing "you're a mess" or "you could if you wanted to", and have come to believe it.

What can help

Turning big tasks into small actions. "Study" or "prepare for the exam" are too broad. "Open my notes, pick a topic and read two pages" is a concrete action. The clearer the first step, the lower the barrier to starting.

Getting organisation out of your head. Relying on memory does not always work. Calendars, alarms, visual lists, reminders or written routines help, as long as the tool reduces mental load rather than adding more work.

Small goals and time you can see. Instead of "I have to study today", something like "for the next 25 minutes I'll do exercises 1 to 4". Timers, work blocks and scheduled breaks make time visible when it is hard to sense.

Designing your surroundings. Leaving your phone outside your workspace, cutting notifications, working with just one task open and having your materials ready. It is not about demanding perfect focus, but about making focus easier.

Recognising progress. When someone has spent years associating tasks with failure or criticism, acknowledging that they started, finished a part or used a new strategy helps rebuild confidence.

What therapy does. At We Are Psycho we help you understand how your attention works, build strategies that fit your life and work on emotional regulation and self-esteem, which have often taken a knock after years of hearing that you do not try. Having difficulties with executive functions does not make you lazy or incapable: it means some tasks need different strategies. If you are looking for a psychologist who specialises in ADHD, here is how we work.

Assessment and diagnosis in adults. At We Are Psycho we carry out the diagnostic assessment of ADHD in adults, to understand what is going on and tell it apart from other possible causes of these difficulties, such as anxiety or stress.

What it does not do. Our team is made up of psychologists, so we do not prescribe medication. According to clinical guidelines, treatment can combine psychological interventions and, where indicated, medication assessed and prescribed by medical staff (NICE NG87). Therapy can support that treatment.

When to ask for help

Everyone gets distracted or procrastinates sometimes. It may be worth seeking help when these difficulties go back a long way, show up in different areas (studies, work, home, relationships) and are affecting your daily life or how you see yourself.

Diagnosis is made by a professional with specific training in ADHD (NICE NG87). If you are an adult, we can carry out the diagnostic assessment at We Are Psycho; for a child or teenager, we will point you towards where to seek an assessment. And if you already have a diagnosis, therapy can help you manage what is hard right now.

If frustration or low mood have reached thoughts of hurting yourself, do not wait: call 024 (Línea 24h de atención a la conducta suicida). In immediate danger, call 112. We Are Psycho does not provide emergency care.

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  Sofia Falaschi

  General Health Psychologist

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• 

  Martí Rodriguez

  General Health Psychologist

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• 

  Patricia Guillén González

  General Health Psychologist

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Frequently asked questions

Is ADHD a lack of willpower?

No. It is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects executive functions, such as starting tasks, getting organised or regulating impulses. That is why telling someone to "try harder" rarely helps: what helps are strategies suited to how their attention works.

Can you have ADHD as an adult without knowing as a child?

Yes. ADHD begins in childhood, but many people, especially those with more attention difficulties than hyperactivity, are not identified until adolescence or adulthood, often when responsibilities grow.

Can We Are Psycho diagnose my ADHD?

If you are an adult, yes: we carry out the diagnostic assessment of ADHD in adults. What we do not do is prescribe medication, because our team is made up of psychologists; if medication could help, we will point you towards discussing it with your doctor.

How does therapy work at We Are Psycho?

It is online and confidential. You tell us what is going on, we suggest the psychologist who fits you best and you choose. If you have questions about how it works first, we explain it in a free 20-minute call, with no commitment.

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