Depression. Suicide. The conversation we need to have. Whilst we focus on the link between ADHD and suicide, this campaign also aims to reduce suicide in the wider population by not leaving things unspoken whether ADHD or not.

10 September 2026 | World Suicide Prevention Day

We talk a lot about ADHD looks like.

Distractibility. Forgetfulness. Impulsivity. Hyperactivity. Losing your keys. Being late.

We talk much less about ADHD AND SUICIDE.

We talk much less about its darker side.

Depression. Overwhelm. Emotional pain. Shame. Isolation. And, for some people, suicidal thoughts and behavior.

This World Suicide Prevention Day, Hyperfocused! wants to help change that conversation.

Because understanding the risks associated with ADHD isn’t about frightening people or breaking taboos for the sake of it. In my time as a Samaritans volunteer and trainer I learned and taught that asking somebody about suicide does not in itself make someone more like to end their own life. For some it opens up an opportunity to talk about something they have hidden.

It’s about recognizing this — so that we can do something about it.

5,717

suicides were registered in England in 2024.

4,231 of them — 74% — were men.

Men aged 50–54 had the highest suicide rate of any male age group, at 26.8 per 100,000.

Behind every statistic is a person, and people who loved them.

Source: Samaritans, using Office for National Statistics data. These figures relate to deaths registered in 2024; registration can occur after the year in which the person died.

ADHD AND SUICIDE

Research suggests that people with ADHD may face a substantially increased risk of attempting suicide.

A large nationally representative Canadian study of 21,744 adults, including 529 adults with ADHD, found:

14% vs 2.7%

14% of adults with ADHD reported having attempted suicide during their lifetime, compared with 2.7% of adults without ADHD.

That’s more than five times the prevalence.

And one finding was particularly striking:

1 IN 4

Around one in four women with ADHD in this study reported having attempted suicide.

These figures shouldn’t be interpreted as meaning that one in four women with ADHD everywhere will attempt suicide. They come from one large Canadian study.

But they should make us pay attention.

ADHD Ireland published a study in 2022 which was alarming around the links between ADHD and suicide, more here.

WHY MIGHT ADHD INCREASE VULNERABILITY?

ADHD rarely exists neatly in isolation.

People with ADHD can also experience depression and anxiety, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, substance misuse and the cumulative effects of struggling for years without understanding why some aspects of life seem so difficult.

In the Canadian study, depression and anxiety accounted for a substantial proportion of the association between ADHD and previous suicide attempts. Additionally, we know that many people with ADHD are addicts which can lead to distress and despair whether alcohol, drugs, gambling, spending etc. People with ADHD lose their homes, relationships, jobs and feel like they have nothing to live for. Some people feel this even when on the surface they seem to have everything.

That’s important.

Because ADHD isn’t simply about being distracted.

And supporting somebody’s ADHD may mean paying attention to their whole mental health, not just their concentration. Indeed, how many people were told that they had depression for years and didn’t see improvement until their ADHD was finally recognized?

STILL HERE…

Growing older gets a bad press.

The gray hairs arrive.

Then the reading glasses.

Perhaps even hearing aids.

And suddenly you wonder when all of that happened.

But there’s another way of looking at growing older.

You got to grow older.

For somebody who has lived through depression, despair or thoughts of suicide, another birthday isn’t something to apologize for.

It’s something they got to have.

Another Christmas.

Another ridiculous family argument.

Another holiday.

Another laugh.

Another gray hair.

Another ordinary Tuesday.

Another chance for things to change.

That’s what ADHD:UNSPOKEN is about, helping them to still be here tomorrow.

Not pretending that everything is easy.

Not reducing suicide to an inspirational slogan.

Simply recognizing the value of still being here and helping others to talk about their deepest struggles.

START THE CONVERSATION

You don’t need to be a mental-health professional to notice that somebody isn’t themselves.

Ask.

Listen.

Don’t immediately try to fix everything.

And don’t be frightened of talking about suicide. Try variations on the question such as “have you thought of not being here anymore” or “do you sometimes lose hope?” etc.

Sometimes the most important conversation is the one we’re frightened to start.

If ADHD is part of someone’s story, don’t dismiss serious distress as “just their ADHD” and don’t tell them to get stronger meds.

And if somebody seems to be coping on the outside whether because of their sunny demeanor, don’t assume that tells you what’s happening inside. They may be masking consciously or otherwise.

Often when the volume turns down on the outside it goes up on the inside. Sometimes you really do need to watch the quiet ones too.

IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING

If any of this feels uncomfortably familiar, please don’t deal with it entirely on your own.

Talk to somebody you trust and consider contacting your GP or another healthcare professional.

If you need somebody to talk to in the United Kingdom, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123.

If you or somebody else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.

You don’t have to wait until things become unbearable before asking for help.

THIS 10 SEPTEMBER, START A CONVERSATION AND RAISE AWARENESS, NOW AND FOREVER.

Check on somebody.

Ask twice.

Listen properly.

Learn a little more about ADHD.

Share this page.

Get some apparel and accessories to get this out there.

And if you’re the person struggling:

please give somebody the opportunity to know.

We often find it cripplingly hard to ask for help but in not asking we deny others the chance to be helpful. And you probably know how good it makes you feel when you’ve done someone a good deed…right?

LET’S NOT LEAVE ADHD:UNSPOKEN – YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE.

Because ADHD isn’t just about attention.

Hyperfocused | World Suicide Prevention Day 2026

Sources

Fuller-Thomson E, Nahar Rivière R, Carrique L, Agbeyaka S. The Dark Side of ADHD: Factors Associated With Suicide Attempts Among Those With ADHD in a National Representative Canadian Sample. Archives of Suicide Research.

Samaritans. Latest suicide data — England 2024. Data sourced from the Office for National Statistics.

World Health Organization. World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 — Changing the narrative on suicide.