Professor Green has spoken candidly about the moment he finally uncovered the reason behind difficulties that had affected him for decades, admitting: "40 years of being me nearly killed me."
The rapper revealed that a single conversation with a psychiatrist completely transformed his understanding of his own life, enabling him to make sense of behaviours and challenges he had never been able to fully comprehend.
Diagnosis at 40 After Years of Struggle
Appearing on the No Parental Guidance podcast, the 42-year-old explained that receiving a diagnosis in his forties shifted his entire outlook, following years of holding himself responsible for experiences he simply couldn't account for.
He said: "I was 40 when I got my ADHD assessment and diagnosis. I was diagnosed combined. And 40 years of being me nearly killed me. I think like the cumulative and compounding effect of that being undiagnosed and therefore not even mismanaged, it was just unmanaged. And it just, it does, it accumulates, doesn't it?"
The London-born musician, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, shot to fame in 2010 with his debut album Alive Till I'm Dead. His first single, I Need You Tonight, climbed to number three in the UK charts.
Understanding Behaviour and Self-Forgiveness
Green explained that the diagnosis allowed him to contextualise experiences dating back to his childhood. While he had previously recognised certain aspects of his behaviour, he had never linked them to the way his brain functioned. Without any clarification, he said he had frequently been excessively self-critical and found that others could be just as harsh.
Receiving a diagnosis, however, did not serve as an excuse for his behaviour, but rather enabled him to treat himself with more compassion. He added: "You can then, I suppose, if you haven't already, which I definitely hadn't, you can try and be more forgiving of yourself."
The musician also described how understanding his ADHD has helped him clarify certain behaviours to those around him, including why he is constantly distracted by movement nearby and prefers not to sit with his back to a door.
Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis
During the interview, Professor Green disclosed that a year later he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Level 1 after his psychiatrist recommended he be assessed following his ADHD diagnosis.
"So, ASD level one, which it still feels weird to me because autism is such a varying spectrum," he said, noting that while his own experience differs from those with more severe support needs, "my experience has not been an easy one."
Reflecting on how his diagnoses altered his perception of himself, he said it initially made him recognise that many of the traits he had believed were unique to him were in fact common among people with ADHD. He said: "When I was diagnosed with it, I was like, oh my God, this is like paint by numbers. There's nothing unique about me. These aren't just, this is everyone with ADHD."
Life With a New Perspective
Professor Green explained that gaining an understanding of both conditions has provided him with a deeper appreciation of how they have influenced his choices, consistency and emotions throughout his life. He said: "I think now life is, for me, is just, or my experience of it, is a bit spiky and it's all or nothing. And it's just trying to stay a little bit more in the middle of that all or nothing and not going up with every up and not going down with every down."
