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Denise Welch Says She Underestimated ADHD After Breakdown Revealed Its Role

A 2022 diagnosis obtained through a workplace assessment reframed decades of postnatal depression for the Loose Women panellist.

Overview

  • Welch says a breakdown last year led to a second try at medication that clarified how ADHD had been running alongside her depression.
  • She was diagnosed in 2022 after Loose Women arranged an assessment following co-star Nadia Sawalha’s diagnosis and suspicions.
  • She has long described severe postnatal depression after the birth of her first child, musician Matty Healy, which she calls “the unwelcome visitor.”
  • She argues that greater investment in women’s health could reveal a strong link between ADHD and severe postnatal depression, presenting this as her view.
  • She has spoken about a cocaine dependency that began in her late thirties and says she has been clean for over a decade, noting ADHD medication eased urges to self-medicate.