Katie Price has revealed she needs to be accompanied by an ‘appropriate adult’ to handle official paperwork after being diagnosed with ‘severe ADHD’.
The former glamour model, 46, opened up about her recent diagnosis on an episode of the We Need To Talk podcast with Paul C Brunson.
She revealed that her mum Amy had raised concerns over her ‘erratic behaviour’ and encouraged her to get tested for the condition.
Katie revealed that she was informed she had ‘severe ADHD’ and would require an ‘appropriate adult’ to accompany her during the handling of legal documents amidst her bankruptcy dispute.
‘I have to have an appropriate adult with stuff, if it’s court and stuff – because I can’t concentrate,’ she said.
‘People often ask me, “What’s that?” and I quickly explain. I can definitely read, but I tend to lose interest or get distracted easily, making it challenging for me to concentrate on filling out forms.’
Katie Price has revealed she needs to be accompanied by an ‘appropriate adult’ to handle official paperwork after being diagnosed with ‘severe ADHD ‘
She revealed that her mum Amy (centre) had raised concerns over her ‘erratic behaviour’ and encouraged her to get tested for the condition
Reflecting on her diagnosis from 18 months ago, she shared, ‘During my breakdown, I struggled to comprehend the contents of letters, so I would often set them aside without fully grasping their contents.’
‘You’re like, “Oh I’ll do it later. Put it off. Put it off. Put it off” because I didn’t really understand what was going on and that’s how the bankruptcy thing got into that.’
On her mum’s concerns, she said: ‘My mum kept saying to me, “You always…even when you’re sitting there, move around a lot, you’re quite erratic and you’re impulsive”.
‘And I said, “I don’t know mum, this is me” and she said, “There’s something not right about your brain”.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Katie opened up about her heartbreaking suicide attempt that left her with ‘a black eye’ as she discussed how she admitted herself into the Priory shortly after she noticed she was relying on drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism.
The TV personality began: ‘I tried to commit suicide and then I woke up. My phone was down the toilet. I had a black eye, Just didn’t want to be here anymore.
‘The lowest moment for me was when I took coke, self medicating on it because it blocked everything…This was about four years ago, I’d say.’
While most people who take cocaine get an intense high, it shut Katie down. This is typical of people who suffer from ADHD, and it was after her stay in the Priory that she had a formal diagnosis.
After being told she had ‘severe ADHD’, Katie said she was told she would need to have an ‘appropriate adult’ with her whenever managing legal paperwork
She continued: ‘It was the denial to my family. ‘Kate are you alright?’ [her family would ask] and I’d be like “yeah yeah I’m fine, I’m fine” and then I’m in bed depressed, didn’t want to get up, didn’t want to have a shower, not me.
‘When really when I did get up to go to work, people would be like, “are you alright?” and it was like inside I wanted to cry and go “no, I’m not’ but I had to put on the face.”’
In September 2021, Katie was arrested for drink-driving after flipping her uninsured BMW X5 on its side on a country lane near her home in West Sussex.
She admitted drink-driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at court, and immediately checked into The Priory following the arrest.
Katie was handed a 16-week suspended sentence and two-year ban at Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
Discussing her stay at The Priory, she explained: ‘I thought oh my god, I’ve got to do something, this isn’t me.
‘That’s why I don’t judge anyone or when they talk about mental health, because I think it is an actual, real, serious thing. If you want to help yourself, it doesn’t matter who’s around you, it doesn’t matter who says help yourself.’
Speaking on the latest episode of Paul C Brunson’s podcast, We Need To Talk, she spoke about her defining life moments and her healing journey
Katie continued: ‘You’ve got to want to do it yourself, and if you can’t do it for yourself, you’ll never get better. You have got to want to do it yourself, by taking accountability of the situation I was in and owning up to how I felt.
‘You’ve got to take accountability to people you’ve hurt, you know, your family, yes, you’ve got to own it and realise by getting through it, what doors have opened.
‘It’s like the sunshine. Look what opportunities you’ve got now. Why? Because your head’s better.
‘I’m not being dictated. I control what I do. No one’s controlling me. I know where I’m at. I’ve just been in control and communicating.’
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
