Kit Harington Says He Was Diagnosed with ADHD in Rehab: I ‘Managed to Forge a New Life’

Kit Harington shares that he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) while in rehab.

The actor, 37, discussed the diagnosis, as well as his experiences with alcoholism, social anxiety and mental health challenges — and specifically how he dealt with them while starring in Game of Thrones — on The Hidden 20%, a new neurodivergence-focused podcast launching January 17.

In an article published on Saturday in a British newspaper, Timewhich featured some of the conversations in an upcoming episode of the podcast, Harington revealed The hidden 20%, host Ben Branson that he previously tried another rehabilitation program before going to an American clinic where he was diagnosed with ADHD,

“I realized that my life depended on it. Fortunately, it was the right place at the right time. From there I was able to forge a new life,” said the actor in the podcast, per Time.

He also spoke about his previous experience in rehab, telling host Ben Branson: “I walked into rehab drunk, sobered up there and said, ‘F— this, not you in the circle. No Thanks.’ And I left it pretty quickly and said, ‘I’m going to try to work it out on my own,’ which didn’t work after about four years.”

Kit Harington and Rose Leslie Relationship Timeline

While it was not indicated during the podcast whether Harington revealed the date of his rehab stint that led to his ADHD diagnosis, the actor said he is now a good father to his two children (a son, 2½, and a daughter, 6 months, who he shares with his wife and I HAVE A Costar Rose Leslie) because he’s now sober and “present” — though the challenges stem from his ADHD.

ADHD, which is “characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health, makes it challenging for an actor to focus on just one person while occupying a room, he said.

“My head wants to go to all the other things in the room at once,” he told Branson.

Kit Harington.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

The actor also said that he struggles to stick to just one task or game, especially while playing with his young son. While his son may be content to play a game with him where the dragon is, for example, a stick, he wants to move on “because I’m restless”.

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Harington also revealed that he faces challenges when it comes to juggling parenthood and his acting career.

“The practicality of getting down to work right now [I am] finding it quite tricky. I don’t multitask well,” he said. “If I have more than one thing running through my head, I get overwhelmed. I get incredibly nervous, anxious.”

“My head is all over the shop,” he added. “I can’t handle it.”

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Elsewhere in the upcoming episode, Harington reflected on how his mental health issues worsened as he rose to stardom after I HAVE A gained intense popularity, per Time.

He was “trying to project this image of complete sophistication and coolness about what I was doing, but he was genuinely terrified about everything,” he said.

The actor said he will retire after seeing what people are saying about him and his eight seasons as Jon Snow on the beloved series.

“This is a dangerous rabbit hole to fall down because you find all the bad things people say, but also nice things,” he said, noting that he was particularly upset by “demeaning” comments, such as those that referred to him as “Game of Thrones a Kit Harington piece.”

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington in ‘Game of Thrones’. HBO

His off-screen struggles also worsened during that time, he said.

Harington, who has enjoyed drinking alone since his teenage years – “because it got me out of myself, got me out of that headspace, got me out of that anxiety right away” – said he suffered a “breakdown” after I HAVE A wrapped.

But his “bottom moment” came when he acted in a play, The true Westin London’s West End in 2018 and 2019.

“During that play, I kind of broke down and told the people around me what was going on and I finally did something,” he said on the podcast, per Time.

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In 2019 ahead Game of Thrones airing of the series finale, Harington’s rep confirmed to PEOPLE that he entered treatment to “work on some personal issues.”

Meanwhile, in 2021, the actor discussed his “mental health struggles” and coming out after I HAVE A during the performance at SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show in August 2021.

“I went through some mental health difficulties after that Thrones and during the end Thrones, to be honest. And I think that was directly related to the nature of the show and what I’ve been doing for years,” Harington told host Jess Cagle at the time.

He added: “I think I kind of took a break after that Thrones where, therefore, I do not want to work for a year [and] I want to focus on myself. I think I’m really happy that I did.”

Rose Leslie and Kit Harington.

Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Now, after spending time in rehab and being diagnosed with ADHD, he said his social anxiety has improved and he has new, healthier ways to cope — helped by Leslie, whom he married in 2018.

When Harington goes into that “kind of freeze,” she often instructs him to take a shower, he said in a new podcast, per Time. “And I say ‘OK’ because it’s like there’s a short circuit in my brain.”

After a shower, which helps reset his brain, “he can start his day again,” he said.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education