Interest in ADHD is rising, in both the wider culture and among therapy clients – with increasing numbers wishing to pursue, or to understand, a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet many therapists know very little about this brain-based condition, which also suffers from misleading publicity and a mis-directive name. In the first of two posts, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and ADHD specialist Phil Mollon outlines its core features, explaining how ADHD can lead to anxiety, procrastination, impulsiveness and emotional overwhelm, and cause much relational difficulty and suffering.