‘Shopping is a nightmare’: how ADHD affects people’s spending habits

Research commissioned by Monzo and conducted by YouGov found that those living with ADHD are four times more likely to frequently impulse-spend. Photograph: Simon Belcher/Alamy

For most of us, popping to the supermarket is a mundane chore but for Hannah Crawford it’s a task that can fill her with dread. “A supermarket is a nightmare,” says the 24-year-old, who describes going to buy food as “like being a three-year-old in a sweet shop”.

Crawford says it can be an overwhelming, frustrating and exhausting experience. One of the main challenges is “getting out without spending twice as much as you intended”, she says, which means making meticulous lists and resisting the constant urge to impulse-buy.