[ANOther]

First of all, apologies for the anonymous post. If you read on you'll hopefully understand why:

I'm a qualified pilot with my own aircraft. Flying is my passion, and I hope to continue for several decades more. I like to think I have good airmanship and make sound decisions, no-one I've flown with to date has raised any concerns in this regard. I'm currently flying under a CAA medical self declaration.

One of my children has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, and I've realised that I share a lot of the same traits. This has been an eye-opener in many ways, and I've realised that symptoms of ADHD may well impact certain areas of my life, specifically my job. If I'm correct, appropriate treatment may help me do my job better, and enjoy it more. On the flip side, ADHD appears to be a condition that has to be notified to the CAA, and an assessment made by an AME before issuing a medical. Moreover, it appears that any medication for ADHD would automatically result in a medical being refused.

To be clear, I'm absolutely certain that my flying isn't impacted by ADHD. The condition, if I do have it, also comes with an enhanced ability to focus on certain tasks, and one of the things I love about flying is that it requires total focus.

So the problem is: If I pursue a diagnosis and it ends up being positive, I may be able to do my job better but I also put myself at risk of being grounded. If I end up taking medication (which is the most common way to treat ADHD) I'm definitely grounded. And the very act of being diagnosed would appear to be a point of no return.

I'd rather struggle a bit more at work (my career is not unsuccessful) than risk being unable to fly, so I'm thinking it's probably unwise to pursue a diagnosis; then I can honestly say I never knew.

Is anyone able to share any relevant experience, knowledge or advice?

[russp]

You're flying on a PMD so unless you decide you want to do any flying that requires a class 2 or above and discussion about medicals is moot because you dont need one so there is no requirement to inform the CAA. The PMD for sub 2000Kg only requires that you are not taking medication for a psychological condition. A diagnosis does not invalidate your PMD .. only being prescribed (and taking? .. not sure of the exact wording) medication does that. So as I read the regs there is no downside in your getting diagnosed - you can then discuss any treatment with your doctor / medical professional who should be able to take into account your desire not to take medication and possibly offer alternative treatment. Your only danger is that said doctor advises that you shouldn't be flying but unless your condition is significantly more severe than you are stating I cant see why they should do that. The current consultation on PMD's is suggesting removing the requirement not to be taking medication for for a psychological condition so by the time you are crossing the bridge of deciding whether to accept treatment involving medication it may be a non issue.

[Aerotech Flyer]

I'd rather struggle a bit more at work (my career is not unsuccessful) than risk being unable to fly, so I'm thinking it's probably unwise to pursue a diagnosis; then I can honestly say I never knew.
Is anyone able to share any relevant experience, knowledge or advice?

I've quoted part of your post above and to that end, I think you have more than adequately answered your own question, in my opinion.

Also, for the removal of any doubt, I can assure you that both yourself and myself do not have ADHD, because according to the CAA guidance on ADHD:

"An individual with ongoing ADHD will not (by definition) be able to complete pilot training."

Thus by the process of successfully completing our licences we have proved in the CAA's eyes (by definition) that we cannot be suffering from the condition.

Safe now in that knowledge and thus not in need of medication and of losing your medical, we can still discuss your worry that you may have some traits and symptoms of ADHD which might be affecting your work and life in general.

The good news is that there are many strategies and recommendations, which can mitigate against the negative effects of ADHD without the need for medication.

For example, current research regards many of the problems of ADHD to stem from issues with the brain's "executive function" and this can impact the way an individual monitors time and carries out task planning. Once aware of this limitation, using external assistance from positioning of clocks (analogue), use of alarms and the use of paper or digital schedules and to do lists can improve the areas of significant problems and alleviate the anxiety and often resultant avoidance and procrastination that can result. As you can see, this doesn't really affect one's flying, more one's personal life. However, as you mentioned the trait of focus in ADHD and more likely hyperfocus as it is often referred, here you should be aware that this trait could be an issue, not in the positive sense of concentrating, but more in the potentially dangerous situation of becoming over focussed on a distraction such as a minor issue with the GPS and becoming unaware of height monitoring or of look out etc. This is what normal people would regard simply as an airmanship issue, but for those people with ADHD "traits" it illustrates how being aware of where the limitations lie, is where the mitigation needs to be applied and in this sense it is almost as if TEM (Threat & Error Management) is being applied to the traits of ADHD.
That all being said, remember that as we are licenced pilots we cannot have ADHD, by definition, according to the CAA. Ironically, one of the other issues of ADHD, is dopamine and serotonin regulation, which can effect your mood and leads some people to self-medicate with alcohol, recreational drugs and risk taking behaviour. I say ironically, because one of the good recommendations for ADHD is a regular fitness regime, which can provide that natural endorphin release to provide the same compensation and regulation of mood instead of using drugs. And guess where else you find that fabulous endorphin release, how about flying, where that wonderful calming high feeling comes from actually being high on a barometric scale!
Anyway, I've said enough and you can ignore all I've written above, because I have no experience of ADHD myself, since I have been safely flying for nearly forty years, so by the CAA's definition I cannot possibly be suffering from the condition, but I might just have a few traits,......
All the best and good luck,
AF

[Flyin'Dutch']

Self diagnosis is seldom helpful for many conditions but maybe even less so for matters affecting the mind.

Having a diagnostic label applied of ADHD later in life is seldom helpful as therapeutic options are limited, and rarely is the use of medication warranted in adults. Most kids have theirs stopped at 18-20.

[Aerotech Flyer]

I would disagree with you on two fronts there, Frank.
Firstly you make a generalisation that self-diagnosis is seldom helpful, especially for matters affecting the mind, however ADHD is very unusual in that there is no specific test or conclusive procedure that provides the proof that a person has the condition. Everything rests on the opinion of the expert clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who judges that the life history and symptoms of the subject point to them having the condition. And as such if the condition negatively impacts their life to such an extent, it may be beneficial in the clinician's opinion to use medication to ease the symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Alternatively if the impact is not so severe, it may be that making recommendations and offering strategies in their approach to life can have a similar marked improvement without the possible side-effects and risks involved with taking medication. Like many problems in life, ADHD can been seen on a sliding scale which can vary between the minor niggles experienced by most people with regard to clumsiness, inattention, distractibility or inappropriate behaviours and moving further to its negative effects on relationships, job retention, susceptibility to addiction and life threatening accident involvement. With the increased awareness in this condition over the past 20 years, many people in adult life are now recognising the symptoms in themselves and have been able to improve their quality of life and their outcomes by taking straight forward changes without the need for medication. For those with severe conditions, it may need the medication even to allow the thought process to become clear enough for changes to be considered or approached.
The worry has been the over-prescription of medication, especially in the US to children where unfortunately the ADHD label has been misused as a blanket phrase for unruly behaviour.
However, where an adult believes they have self diagnosed later in life, they have nothing to lose in terms of the strategies recommended are totally non-harmful and yet may have a huge effect on their overall mental wellbeing.

And secondly, where you say that the label of ADHD is seldom helpful as there are few therapeutic options, I would say that because ADHD is not something that can be cured, namely it is not something that has resulted from external inputs and is simply due to the way people are internally wired (such as issues with executive function in the brain) it means the best approach may be to find the most suitable ways to adapt lifestyles and approaches to minimise its negative effects (with or without medication).
The big problem has been the "negative label" attached to ADHD, especially from the usual sources in the media who claim it doesn't exist or it is a modern excuse for moral failings or bad parenting etc.
It's the main reason that I have taken the effort to write back about it on this forum and I hope the original anonymous poster might reply with his own thoughts, because providing the symptoms are not that severe that one might need medication, then there are many useful options (strategies) for enabling a better quality of life and these include the joy and satisfaction from flying an aircraft too!

Finally, I am not trying to tread on your toes as an AME, Frank, I am only trying to widen the discussion to say much of ADHD's treatment can also lie outside of the standard medical realm and be helped by educational and organisational methods too. Hope that sort of makes sense....

[johnm]

I remember an old boss of mine criticising a few folks approach to things as "Ready, Fire, Aim!" I'm guessing there was bit of what we call ADHD around then.....

I can see that taking on things that demand a systematic approach, like flying, might be well be beneficial for those minimally affected and wholly impossible for those who suffer rather more...

[Flyin'Dutch']

@Aerotech Flyer No toes harmed!

Because there is no test which can be applied and the diagnosis is only made after an assessment by 'an expert clinical psychologist or psychiatrist' is self diagnosis fraught with pitfalls and difficulties.

Any interest and attention to increase self-awareness and leading from that reflection on behaviours and attitudes has to be beneficial to each and everyone of us and out fellow human beings. And strategies to improve these are rarely a bad plan, with or without having ADHD or any set of personality traits.

What the OP did ask is what the consequences were of getting a diagnosis of ADHD later in life were in relation to aviating, it is with that in mind I wrote the above, and remain of the view that pursuing a formal diagnosis is unlikely to be helpful.

[ANOther]

Thanks all - this discussion is really helpful, and has given me a lot more points to consider.

Couple of possible benefits I see from a diagnosis (bearing in mind that I'm comfortable with who I am, so I don't have any issues with labels or stigma):
- There are some things I find difficult, that I just assumed everyone else found difficult too. Understanding that there may be a reason, and I'm not just being "lazy" is enabling. I can stop beating myself up , and go looking for strategies. This obviously doesn't need a formal diagnosis; the knowledge that I may be on the ADHD spectrum is enough.
- Having a "label" does help me to look for advice in the right places - again, no formal diagnosis required. For instance thanks to @Aerotech Flyer I know that I may be at greater risk of being distracted by, and over-focussing on, the wrong thing
- This is a very personal one, and I've only just become conscious that it's a factor in my thinking: My child is not entirely comfortable with their diagnosis, but for reasons that elude me they do think the sun shines out of my a*se. Obtaining a formal diagnosis would help me to show them that it is is no obstacle to success, and indeed they're at an advantage over me at the same age because they actually know what's going on and can therefore do something about it.

I'm still in two minds about whether to seek a diagnosis; if I do, it'll most likely be for the latter reason, and I'll be reassured by the fact that the diagnosis alone doesn't compromise a PMD (thanks @russp for pointing that out). I might one day want a Class 2 medical in order to fly in Europe, and that's a factor against, but I could live with a risk of only being able to fly in the UK.

Not that surprisingly, I have found physical activity very helpful in the past, and that's definitely going to be a strategy in the future; unfortunately some of the factors related to my child's diagnosis have prevented me getting out and doing much exercise recently. I definitely function much better after a day on an airfield though, even if I didn't manage to fly. I guess we all share that trait!