Simon Pegg has revealed he has been diagnosed with ADHD after years of mental health struggles.
The Shaun of the Dead star opened up about suffering from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on the I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast.
Pegg, 56, said the diagnosis "confirmed a lot of stuff that I'd been wrestling with" having previously put various symptoms down to having a "character fault".
The actor and filmmaker has previously been open about having clinical depression and struggling to control his drinking, which he feared had caused some of the concentration problems he experiences.
"I felt like it was something that had come on in later life because I wasn't a naughty child," the Hot Fuzz star added. "I've had bouts of depression in my adult life since 18, and I thought maybe it had come on with that.
However, his diagnosis has made him realise there were always signs he had ADHD, which is highly genetic.
"Maybe over the years with therapy and medication - whatever - I've been treating the symptoms and not the cause of why I feel that way," Pegg explained. "I did feel different in a way I might not be able to put my finger on. Maybe everybody feels that way. I just assumed ADHD kids were kind of chaotic and difficult and didn't pay attention in school. But there were other things that I did do as a kid - fidget or whatever - that made me think, 'Oh no, maybe I've had this longer than I thought'."
The comedy star was prompted to seek a diagnosis due to his poor concentration when it comes to driving, which resulted in a minor accident while holidaying in Greece.
"I looked up on the phone 'Do people with ADHD get into more car accidents than people who don't have it' and the answer was yes," Pegg said. "And it's because of a lack of focus and ability to kind of totally focus. And that was the final straw that broke my ADHD camel's back. I need to speak to a psychiatrist and find out for sure if I have this thing."
