Ex Home and Away star Harley Bonner claims ADHD is being overdiagnosed as a wave of celebs come out with the condition – and suggests treating low attention spans with meditation and social media detoxes
Among the Australian celebrities that have admitted to having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are Abbie Chatfield, Em Rusciano, and Clementine Ford.
And on Wednesday, Harley Bonner, 32, a former star of Home and Away, unleashed a stinging tirade against the “trend” of people self-diagnosing the illness.
The Melbourne native expressed his frustration with people “joking” claiming they have the neurodevelopmental disease in a video that was uploaded to Instagram.
There is a tendency for people to think they may have ADHD if they claim to have terrible focus. It might not be ADHD if you have poor focus, he said.
It’s possible that everything you do throughout the day, such as scrolling through Instagram and YouTube, shapes your mind to have a limited attention span.
It is not, in fact, ADHD. Some people may have it, but I can almost guarantee that the majority of those who claim to have it only struggle with attention because of what they do.
He continued by saying that regular meditation sessions had helped him sharpen his focus, and he advised anyone who had trouble paying attention to ‘throw aside the ADHD labels’ and work on changing their outlook.
After Channel Seven implemented a rule requiring all cast and crew to receive a full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, Bonner left Home and Away last year.
His raging tirade follows other prominent Australian celebrities who have disclosed they have the illness in recent years.
Abbie Chatfield claimed in May of last year that, at the age of 26, she had ‘finally’ received an ADHD diagnosis.
On her Hot Nights with Abbie radio show, the Bachelor star announced the news and said that she has been attempting to get a diagnosis for her symptoms for 18 months.
And in May 2021, comedian Em Rusciano revealed the symptoms she had been experiencing over the years and announced that she had been given the illness.
She later revealed she had autism, and when she indicated she might need to use a sensory section for autistic persons at a Harry Styles event because of her condition, she provoked criticism.
Other people who have disclosed having the disease include feminist author Clementine Ford and troubled MAFS bride Clare Verrall. They both did so in May and June of last year, respectively.
Actress Tammin Sursok and NRL WAG Tahlia Giumelli are two other celebrities who have lately disclosed having the condition.
The symptoms of ADHD, a mental health problem, include difficulty concentration, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the treatment for the adult disease is similar to that for ADHD in children and involves both medication and counseling.
Elsewhere, MAFS bride Clare Verrall revealed she had the condition in May last year and feminist author Clementine Ford (pictured) went public with her ADHD diagnosis in June
