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Featured Image Credit: Random House.
Topics: News, Prince Harry, Mental Health
Charisa Bossinakis
Prince Harry has received an ADD ‘clinical diagnosis’ live-air from a world renowned therapist.
The royal sat down with Dr Gabor Maté, the Canadian therapist and author of The Myth of Normal, who revealed to the royal his diagnosis of during a live interview.
“Whether you like it or not, I have diagnosed you with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)," he said.
"You can agree or disagree.
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“I don’t see it as a disease. I see it as a normal response to abnormal stress.”
To which the prince replied: “OK – should I accept that or should I look into it?”
Maté replied: “You can do what you want with it.”
ADD is a neurological condition with people diagnosed with the disorder suffering from low attention spans, impulsive behaviours, hyperactivity, and more.
According to the National Institute of Health, around three per cent of adults have this condition.
The live on-air ‘intimate conversation’ has been dubbed as Prince Harry and Maté discussing ‘living with loss and the importance of personal healing’.
In an email to Postmedia, Maté said of the conversation: “In Spare, Prince Harry is very open about his mental health challenges, as I have been about my own in my books.
“Such a public conversation, I hope, will help encourage more openness around mental health and contribute to remove the stigma around what we call mental illness.
"I think a discussion of loss, trauma and healing is of interest to people at all levels of society."
The royal has been candid about his mental health struggles in the past.
In 2021, the Duke of Sussex presented the Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See, alongside Oprah Winfrey, focusing on past traumas and mental health challenges many prolific figures face.
In the docuseries, the prince himself was particularly honest about his mother's death and how he turned to drinking to ‘mask’ his grief.
He added that he had suffered from severe anxiety from 28 to 32.
“I was just all over the place mentally,” he said.
“Every time I put a suit on and tie on … having to do the role, and go, ‘right, game face’, look in the mirror and say, ‘let’s go’. Before I even left the house I was pouring with sweat. I was in fight or flight mode.”
He added: “I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling.”