Kit Harington is sharing that he was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during a stay at a rehab clinic.
The actor, 37, discussed the diagnosis, as well as his experiences with alcoholism, social anxiety and mental health challenges — and particularly how he grappled with them while starring in Game of Thrones — on The Hidden 20%, a new, neurodivergence-focused podcast launching on Jan. 17.
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In an article published Saturday in U.K. newspaper, The Times, which previewed some of the conversation in the upcoming podcast episode, Harington revealed to The Hidden 20%, host Ben Branson that he had previously tried another rehabilitation program before he went to an American clinic, which is where he received his ADHD diagnosis,
“I realised that my life was hinging on this. Luckily it was the right place at the right time. I managed to forge a new life from there," the actor said in the podcast, per The Times.
He also discussed his previous experience in rehab, telling host Ben Branson, “I entered rehab drunk, sobered up in there and went, ‘F--- this, not you guys in a circle. No, thank you.’ And I left that pretty quick and said, ‘I’ll try to deal with this by myself,’ which didn’t work after about four years.”
The actor also said he struggles to stick to just one task or game, particularly while playing with his toddler son. While his son may be content playing a game with him in which a dragon is a stick, for example, he finds himself wanting to move on “because I’m restless."
Harington also revealed that he experiences challenges when it comes to juggling his parental responsibilities with his acting career.
"The practicality of getting down to my work at the moment [I am] finding quite tricky. I don’t multitask well,” he said. “If there’s more than one thing going on in my head I get overwhelmed. I get incredibly fretty, anxious.”
“My head’s all over the shop,” he added. “I can’t deal with it.”
Elsewhere in the upcoming episode, Harington reflected on how his mental health struggles worsened as he shot into stardom after GOT gained intense popularity, per The Times.
He was “trying to project this image of utter sophistication and coolness about what I was doing but genuinely being sort of terrified about everything,” he said.
The actor said he would spiral after seeing what people said about him and his eight-season stint as Jon Snow on the beloved series.
“That is a dangerous rabbit hole to fall down because you find all of the bad stuff that people are saying as well as the nice stuff,” he said, noting that he was particularly upset by “demeaning” comments, like those that referred to him as “Game of Thrones hunk Kit Harington.”
His off-screen struggles also worsened during this time, he said.
Harington, who had enjoyed drinking alone since his teen years — “because it took me out of myself, took me out of that headspace, took me out of that anxiety instantly” — said he had a “breakdown” after GOT wrapped.
But his “rock bottom moment” came when he was starring in a play, True West, in London’s West End in 2018 and 2019.
"It was during that play that I sort of collapsed and told people around me what was going on and finally took action," he said in the podcast, per The Times.
In 2019, ahead of Game of Thrones series finale airing, Harington's rep confirmed to PEOPLE that he had entered treatment to “work on some personal issues.”
Meanwhile, in 2021, the actor discussed his "mental health difficulties" and taking time out after GOT during an appearance on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show in August 2021.
"I went through, kind of, some mental health difficulties after Thrones and during the end of Thrones, to be honest. And I think it was directly to do with 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 took, sort of, a break after Thrones where, so, I don't want to work for a year [and] I want to really kind of concentrate on myself. I think I'm really happy I did that."
Now, following his time in rehab and ADHD diagnosis, he said his social anxiety has improved and he has new, healthier ways of coping — which are aided by Leslie, whom he wed in 2018.
When Harington goes into this “sort of freeze mode,” she often instructs him to shower, he said in the new podcast, per The Times. “And I go, ‘OK,’ because it’s like my brain short-circuits.”
After showering, which helps to reset his brain, he “can start the day again,” he said.
