Okay, so I’ve had most of these thoughts/interpretations for awhile but I was not expecting to morph into such a ginormous post
A few caveats before we begin.
1) Obviously due to the period drama setting, Father Brown would likely never be officially diagnosed as having ADHD, as the disorder as we know it today only started to be seriously studied in the 1970s. Furthermore as I mentioned before, I head canon him as having either the “primarily inattentive” (what used to be called/separately diagnosed as ADD) or the “combined” subtype of ADHD , which statistically fly under the radar more than those with more “hyperactive” symptoms.
2) I don’t think he is intentionally written and/or performed as ADHD-coded and I don’t expect canon will ever “confirm this.” A LOT of character types/ tropes in fiction have developed around characters that display neurodiverse symptoms that may not be immediately obvious to neurotypical content producers or consumers. In particular the “brilliant-but-lazy” and/or “charmingly eccentric” character shows up frequently in detective fiction. (Other examples: Hercule Poirot is pretty regularly interpreted as having OCD and Sherlock Holmes as having ADHD and/or autism spectrum disorder).
3) There’s a bit of discourse about the word “neurodiverse” and who should be “allowed” to claim it. Some people consider it a term that should be exclusively used to describe people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most experts believe that “neurodiversity” encompasses a much wider umbrella that also includes ADHD, OCD, Tourettes/tics, dyslexia, PTSD, various sensory and processing disorders, and more in addition to ASD.
For the purpose of this, we will be using the word in the broader, more inclusive sense that includes ADHD and other similar disorders. We will also be using terms such as “special interest,” “hyperfixation,” “comfort object,” “stim/stimming” , etc that are more commonly associated with ASD--but that are also present in many individuals with ADHD.
Now to the main event. (below the cut because it’s really long.) Also feel free to comment or add to this post.
Father Brown & ADHD (head canons, symptoms, and interpretations)
He is absent-minded and easily distracted, especially when it comes to mundane day-to-day tasks. I can’t even begin to count the number of times Mrs. M has to remind him to eat, sleep, clean, have something repaired, and/or do paperwork And it’s pretty strongly implied that the squad’s interventions (and especially Mrs. M) are just about the only thing keeping him on task.
Special mention has to go to the time where he just straight-up LEFT MASS in the middle of his homily, because he’d suddenly thought of a potential lead for the case and needed to investigate it immediately. (”The Jackdaw’s Revenge”)
Another special mention has to go to the sizable pile of overdue library books that he’s supposedly “been meaning to take back for ages” but kept forgetting. In this same scene, Mrs. M specifically refers to him as a “hoarder.” (“The Lepidopterist's Companion”)
He is fairly observant when hyperfocusing and tends to notice details and inconsistencies that others might not. He’s also very good at making surprising and unexpected “bigger picture” connections. He’s also more likely to consider multiple possible theories at once rather than focusing on the most likely, obvious one (as the inspectors do).
His permanent special interests are mysteries and theology. Interestingly, his theology interest extends beyond Christianity/Catholicism--as he is also very knowledgeable and curious about several other religions/denominations/ways of practicing faith, as well as atheism and more generalized spirituality. He was even willing to give Kalon’s “so -obviously-a-cult-and-not-even-a-cool-one” organization a fair shake at first.
In addition to his permanent special interests, he is also very curious in general about a lot of different things and will often develop brief-but-strong interests in something pertaining to the case of the week.
He stims primarily by riding his bike everywhere. The fact he loves his bike enough to name it (”Bucephalus” after Alexander the Great’s horse) suggests that it may also be a comfort object for him.
His other major stims are eating (more about that later) and touching his umbrella.
Speaking of his umbrella, a decent case could be made for it as a comfort object.” Father Brown takes it with him whenever he needs to leave St. Mary’s/the presbytery, even on occasions where he’s unlikely to encounter rain. The few times he is separated from his umbrella we are meant to see this a really big deal. His lending Flambeau his umbrella in “The Judgement of Man” is presented as a gesture of true kindness and friendship. When Father B. is forced to leave his umbrella behind in “The Whistle in the Dark,” Bunty immediately buys him a new one.
His two biggest vices are his tendency to overeat (especially his love for sweet things) and his interest in listening to the horse races. Fortunately, neither of these things has become a big problem as of yet (especially as he’s content to listen to the races without betting on them and has Mrs. M to stop him from eating too much sugary treats). However, it is worth noting that people with ADHD are especially susceptible to overeating, gambling, and other addiction problems, as they are constantly seeking stimulation.
His relationship with Rejection Sensitivity is somewhat unique. Because he has such a strong support system, he seems to handle personal rejection fairly well. However, his RSD still manifests in terms of redeeming others. He seems to hold himself personally accountable for every soul he is unable to save. This may explain why he is so tenacious when trying to getting people to confess and repent their wrongdoing. We see this particularly strongly with Katharine Corven (which was always a lost cause) and with Flambeau (who he’s had much more success).
Father Brown quickly forms strong bonds with other characters who are canonically identified as being neurodivergent. Examples of this include: Lucia Galloway (dyslexia) from “The Face of Death,” Jeremy (brain alterations due to a childhood automobile accident) and Sarah Mulgrew (ambiguous disorder but shows possible signs of PTSD and autism ) from “The Maddest of All,” and Arthur Malmont (ambiguous disorder but possibly autism and/or another developmental disorder) from “The Labyrinth of the Minotaur.”
In “The Maddest of All,” Father Brown is admitted to a mental institution as he is showing signs of “impulse-control disorder.” While he is largely exaggerating his symptoms so that he can be admitted and investigate, it makes sense for him to simply exaggerate symptoms and tendencies that already exist rather than completely “fake” a different type of disorder entirely. During his evaluation with the doctor, he even admits to overeating and kleptomanic tendencies--both habits that Fr. Brown partakes on a fairly regular basis even when he isn’t “faking.” (Granted the kleptomania is usually just clues for a case or deserts left unattended, but it’s still worth commenting on).
All it'd take is one flightShe keeps Moët et ChandonI thought of angels choking on their halosThe sun shone high those few summer daysSit enthroned in white grandeur but tired
Send me a ‘hi’ and I will put my playlist on shuffle, write down the first line of five songs and give it to you as a poem.
