// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Actor Simon Pegg reveals ADHD diagnosis: 'It's just who I am'
Shaun of the Dead and Mission: Impossible films star Simon Pegg has revealed he has been diagnosed with ADHD, which he said "confirmed a lot of stuff that I'd been wrestling with".
Pegg, 56, who also co-created and starred in films Hot Fuzz, The World's End, and TV series Spaced, said "there was a lot of build-up and suspicion, and it just took a while actually to get there."
Speaking on the podcast I'm ADHD! No You're Not, external on Thursday, he said he pursued a diagnosis as he "just wanted to know".
ADHD symptoms focus on three main areas - inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity plus lack of concentration.
Although many people may feel like they have some similar symptoms, genetics play an important role in ADHD and a full diagnosis is given to those who are negatively affected on a daily basis.
Pegg said he had previously been putting his symptoms down to "just character fault".
The actor and writer also spoke about his mental health, including having clinical depression and struggling to control his drinking, which he said he initially thought had "caused" his diagnosis.
"I felt like it was something that had come on in later life because I wasn't a naughty child.
"I've had bouts of depression in my adult life since 18 and I thought maybe it had come on with that.
"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."