LONDON: Simon Pegg, the British actor and writer known for the "Shaun of the Dead" and "Mission: Impossible" films, says he has been diagnosed with ADHD.
Pegg, 56, said the diagnosis "confirmed a lot of stuff that I'd been wrestling with." He spoke Thursday on the podcast "I'm ADHD! No You're Not," saying he pursued an assessment because he "just wanted to know."
The actor, who also co-created and starred in "Hot Fuzz," "The World's End" and the TV series "Spaced," said there was "a lot of build-up and suspicion, and it just took a while actually to get there."
ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is described by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a behavioral syndrome characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. The NHS estimates about 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, including those without a formal diagnosis.
Pegg said he had previously attributed his symptoms to "just character fault." He also discussed his mental health, including clinical depression and difficulty controlling his drinking, which he initially thought had caused his condition.
"I felt like it was something that had come on in later life because I wasn't a naughty child," Pegg said. "I've had bouts of depression in my adult life since 18 and I thought maybe it had come on with that."
He said he may have been "treating the symptoms and not the cause" through years of therapy and medication.
Pegg said he long assumed ADHD affected only children who were "chaotic and difficult and didn't pay attention in school." But he recognized other childhood behaviors, such as fidgeting, that made him reconsider.
Pegg said his wife has been supportive and "makes allowances for forgetfulness and lack of concentration."
He previously said his poor driving may be linked to undiagnosed ADHD. Pegg, who has several speeding convictions, told LBC last year that he reversed into a post while on vacation in Greece, prompting him to search for information about ADHD and car accidents.
"That was the final straw that broke my ADHD camel's back," he said.
Other celebrities diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood include Johnny Vegas, Sue Perkins, Ant McPartlin, Richard Bacon, Rory Bremner and Erin O'Connor.
