'Lightbulb moments helped me make sense of my life': Telford police officer opens up about his ADHD

PC Ryan Davies has been working for West Mercia Police for 12 years and only had a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder confirmed in April this year.

"I was diagnosed with combined ADHD," said the 34-year-old.

"It was it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis because it answered so many questions for me and for my family.

"We had many lightbulb moments and it's helped me make sense of my life so far."

The symptoms of ADHD can be categorised into two types of behavioural problems: inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing); and hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

PC Davies said: "I think having ADHD and working in an emergency services role is indeed a real positive - I have already attained so many transferrable skills, through my own lived experiences and managing my life with undiagnosed ADHD - ADHD symptoms can result in me feeling like I'm spinning multiple plates and front line policing requires you to have that skillset in an abundance."

The officer has started prescribed ADHD medication to ensure that his symptoms are 'as controlled as possible'.

His career at West Mercia Police began back in 2012 where he started out as a custody detention officer working in Telford, Shrewsbury and Kidderminster custody blocks. He qualified as a police officer in 2019.

Since then he has been in front line policing and was posted to Malinsgate, in Telford, to work on Response Team E.

In October 2023 he joined the Safer Neighbourhood Team and is currently based in Wellington.

"It is one of the most demanding careers you can choose, in terms of being physically, mentally and emotionally tested," he said.

"Every day we deal with complex and sensitive cases that require clear reasoning and evidence gathering - it is particularly dynamic.

"I was quickly exposed to the volume of call-outs to people who are struggling with their mental health, many of whom were in mental health crisis.

"This taught me that the job isn't just about law enforcement, you also need to build quality relationships and be the reassuring and caring face that every victim and witness needs.

"This leads me to being open and honest and to share my own mental health journey.

"I was diagnosed in April 2024, so I guess you could say I'm late to the party, being 34 years old, especially given that ADHD is usually diagnosed in childhood."

He found his journey to diagnosis initially both frustrating and protracted.

"I, together with my family, knew I was experiencing symptoms that we thought mirrored what we believed to be ADHD," he said.

"But we also kept second guessing and questioning; was it just my personality or my learnt behaviours?

"But one thing I did know was I needed answers to explain so many of my challenging symptoms.

"After four months of waiting I was informed that I was on a very long waiting list and to essentially have patience and wait.

"With the symptoms I was experiencing, I knew a very long wait could be detrimental for me.

"Each day I was balancing all the responsibilities of being a husband, a father, a police officer and a home owner - to name but a few - and the ADHD symptoms were becoming more and more confusing and more and more challenging.

So the PC and his wife opted for the Right To Choose NHS England pathway.

"This important right means that, should you decide the waiting time for your ADHD assessment is too long then you can choose alternative providers," he said.

Now he knows he has ADHD and "working as a police officer and sharing this detail is still really quite new to me".

Now he believes that having ADHD and working in an emergency services role is a real positive.

"This is because I have already attained so many transferrable skills through my own lived experiences and managing my life with undiagnosed ADHD.

"For example, my ability to multitask and my ability to manage multiple situations at the same time, I think, comes naturally to me.

"ADHD symptoms can result in me feeling like I'm spinning multiple plates and front line policing requires you to have that skill set in an abundance, especially when you are at a scene of an incident, with so much going on and multiple people to deal with in very quick succession."

He adds that in his SNT role he has come face-to-face with people who are at their lowest point, often experiencing extreme mental health symptoms and many with suicidal thoughts.

"With my transferable skills I can communicate with them individually," he said.

"I show understanding and adaptive responses because I can very often relate to their stressors and/or struggles.

"I would never say I understand their pain but having gone through my own ADHD journey to diagnosis and now living with it, I feel more empathy with mental health symptoms and this empathy can help to de-escalate so many varied situations that we, as police officers, face daily.

"I guess living my own ADHD journey means I'm more relatable to so many of the public we serve.

"At the same time it has made me aware of what West Mercia have available for both the public and for my peers and colleagues who are also neuro-divergent.

"I can direct them to the relevant help and support or educate them about the pathways available."

The officer is also proudly a part of the West Mercia Autism and Neurodiversity Network and sees himself becoming a peer supporter.

"Going forwards I will reach out, in my role in SNT, to children and teenagers thinking about one day becoming a police officer.

"My personal experience tells me they might think they can't. Either because they have been diagnosed with ADHD, or worse, they are struggling with undiagnosed ADHD symptoms and not getting the support and understanding that they need.

"I'll be there to advocate - I've experienced the same symptoms and I know how isolating and intimidating it can feel, but look at me!

"It hasn't held me back, it's actually been the complete opposite.

"I've turned my life-long strategies of learning to live with ADHD into many transferable skills that I call upon everyday in policing.

"More and more people are being open and honest about their neurodiversity and so, working for West Mercia as a neuro-diverse officer, I felt it was important to show that you can absolutely succeed and flourish in a policing career.

"I've gone for 34 years coping, but a triggered event caused my coping mechanisms to dismantle.

"That's the struggle I faced and find myself having to continue to adapt. Having the diagnosis is a step in the right direction.

"It has given me rationale for my actions and a clearer path on how I can move forward now."