Sam Thompson says burnout left him on death’s door after medics
sam thompson said he thought he was “on death’s door” after being rushed to medics during a health scare tied to burnout from his ADHD. The 33-year-old said the episode happened a couple of years ago, but the fear it triggered has stayed with him.
“When I had it a couple of years ago, I thought I was dying. I was going to the doctor for everything, scans everywhere… I genuinely felt like I was on death’s door,” he said. Thompson added, “I spiral all the time… I don’t think I talk about that enough. Burnout is always going to be a part of my life — it doesn’t fully go away.”
Burnout and repeated scans
“I know how it feels just before it happens… I can tell a couple of days beforehand when it’s really going to hit,” he said. That is the most practical warning in the story: Thompson says he can sense the pattern before the crash, which is a very different picture from a one-off scare.
The former Made In Chelsea star has already spoken publicly about neurodiversity. He opened up about his autism diagnosis in 2024, released an Instagram post about his ADHD diagnosis that same year, and later described how hard school felt before people started understanding neurodiversity.
2024 disclosures
“You got diagnosed with ADHD in your late twenties but something still doesn't add up...” he said in a 2024 Instagram video. He also recalled, “I remember looking down at my textbook once and I cried into my textbook because the words won't go in.”
Those earlier disclosures make this latest account less like a single scare and more like a longer pattern of strain. Thompson has now tied the health episode to burnout, fear, and the kind of spiraling he says he does not talk about enough.
You, Me and ADHD
Thompson is set to release a children’s book titled You, Me and ADHD, and the book is out now. For readers following his public comments, the book and the interview point in the same direction: he is not treating ADHD as a one-note talking point, but as something that shapes day-to-day functioning and can tip into medical concern.
That makes his warning useful beyond celebrity confession. If he says he can feel burnout “a couple of days beforehand,” then the story is not just about what happened during one scare — it is about recognizing the lead-up before he reaches the point where medics get involved.
