Fahadh Faasil reveals he was clinically diagnosed with ADHD at 41

Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil in a still from the Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu film 'Pushpa'.

Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil, who was recently seen in Aavesham, recently confessed publicly about his mental health at the inauguration of a school in Kothamangalam. The actor said he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder aka ADHD at 41. He revealed it while inaugurating the Peace Valley School, which rehabilitates children with special needs. Fahadh offered all his support for the facility.

A regional media outlet reported the actor as saying, “While walking through the premises of the school, I enquired whether it’s easy to cure ADHD. I was told, if diagnosed in childhood, it is possible. I asked whether it could be cured if diagnosed at 41. That’s when I was clinically diagnosed with ADHD.”

Fahadh Faasil’s ADHD diagnosis is recent since he turned 41 on August 8 last year.

The exact cause of ADHD is not known, but several factors are believed to contribute. The symptoms of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, hyperfocus and impulsivity. Those with the condition also think in a nonlinear manner often, which helps them to be creative. Many actors have confessed in the past that they were diagnosed with ADHD.

The US’ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that many people experience some inattention, unfocused motor activity, and impulsivity, but for people with ADHD, these behaviours are more severe, occur more often, interfere with or reduce the quality of how they function socially, at school, or in a job. They avoid tasks that require sustained mental effort, such as homework, or for teens and older adults, preparing reports, completing forms, or reviewing lengthy papers.

Ryan Goslin, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, Channing Tatum, Jim Carrey, Sushant Singh Rajput and Emma Watson are a few of the well-known artists who have opened up about their struggles with ADHD.

If the diagnosis of ADHD happens late in life like in the case of Fahadh Faasil, a multifaceted approach combining medical, psychological, and lifestyle strategies is employed to handle it.

The Aavesham actor is known for such films as Annayum Rasoolum, Bangalore Days, Kumbalangi Nights, Super Deluxe, Malik, C U Soon, Maamannan, Pushpa. He will be next seen opposite Allu Arjun in the much-awaited Telugu film Pushpa 2: The Rule, the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise (2021). Fahadh's upcoming line-up in Malayalam includes Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira, Karate Chandran and a Jeethu Joseph directorial. In Tamil, the actor has Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan, and Mareesan with Vadivelu, and in Telugu, he will be seen in Oxygen and Don’t Trouble The Trouble.