Is It My ADHD?

Right up to the age of 37, I wondered: what is wrong with me? Why do I always feel like I am other, I am different, I am an outsider? Considering I am a white, non-disabled, cis-gendered, heterosexual person, this was not an othering shaped by our intolerant society; In every sense of the word, I am privileged. But I am also just plain wrong. I was self-conscious about something nobody could see....

Relationships are bound to be impacted by ADHD, and if you’re living with your partner and they’re therefore privy to your most private moments, it can be a lot. We’ve explored the world of dating, but how does ADHD affect long-term relationships? People with ADHD might be spontaneous, passionate, intuitive, fun and creative, but inevitably other traits might come into play, such as conflict seeki...

Relationships are bound to be impacted by ADHD, and if you’re living with your partner and they’re therefore privy to your most private moments, it can be a lot. We’ve explored the world of dating, but how does ADHD affect long-term relationships? People with ADHD might be spontaneous, passionate, intuitive, fun and creative, but inevitably other traits might come into play, such as conflict seeki...

Welcome to the second episode in our deep dive into learned helplessness with stylist, editor and author of Style & Substance, Bay Garnett. We talk about unlearning learned helplessness, how she’s learning to plan and think a few steps ahead since she was diagnosed, and feels more able to try new things she previously thought she would never be able to master. She reveals how she shows up as her a...

Today I speak to the stylist, editor, podcaster and author of Style & Substance, Bay Garnett, just one year on from her ADHD diagnosis. While we amble through our shared memories and her career as a stylist, we also dive deep into the issues of learned helplessness with someone for whom the discovery is still quite fresh. The concept of Learned Helplessness was established by American psychologist...

In the first of this 2-parter on autism and ADHD, we established how to two differ, what symptoms they share, and what it feels like to have both, with Char Bailey, the Director of People for Birmingham Pride, writer for DIVA and tireless autism advocate. In this second episode on ASD and ADHD, Char shares the biggest challenges she faces on a daily basis, familial relationships and accountability...

The prevalence of ASD is higher in patients with ADHD than in the general population. That said, the research into the dual-diagnosis is still fairly scant (it’s only been recognised as such for about a decade), and of course having both can complicate the identification and treatment of either condition. Both ADHD and ASD can cause heightened sensory issues, defiant behaviours, emotional dysregul...

‘People with ADHD will burn out more quickly, because it takes them more effort and mental work to do what could be seen as to be done effortlessly by other people. If we’re serious about this, we need to support people during the build-up rather than just see them when it’s too late and they’re in full burnout.’ Dr Mohamed Abdelghani   Today, I’m joined by fashion academic and the author of ‘Now...

In this episode, we turn the tables slightly and I become the interviewee because I’ve got some home truths to share. I’ve been withholding slightly, and it’s time to be honest. So, I feel very lucky that Stacey Heale – author of ‘Now is Not the Time for Flowers’ – is joining me as the host of a two-episode special where I come clean.    The theme is burnout, something I know many of you have expe...

In this mini episode Grace has an update for listeners. Books I’ve been reading: The Mini ADHD Coach by Alice Gendron Scatter Brain by Shaparak Khorsandi Earthed by Rebecca Schiller  Dancing on Eggshells by John Waite Please note, your first port of call if you think you might have ADHD should be your GP. In the meantime, you can find more information here:  The ADHD Foundation  Learn more about y...

Whilst it’s true that many people with ADHD are misdiagnosed with depression, it’s important to remember that depression is one of the most common comorbidities of ADHD. The two can absolutely exist in combination, and there is a lot of conjecture that until we tackle ADHD, depression can’t be properly treated. But as Gemma Styles points out, depression doesn’t just disappear the minute you’ve rec...

‘What’s the anxiety and what is ADHD?’ I have spent much of the past two years since I was diagnosed trying to work this out. Am I feeling hyper vigilant? Am I over stimulated? Because before being diagnosed with ADHD I had spent years working hard to try and address my anxiety, sometimes successfully but often to no avail whatsoever. Women in particular are often diagnosed with anxiety when they...

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In this episode we are delving deeper into parenting with ADHD, looking specifically at what happens when your child also has ADHD. I’ll be sharing this chat with Kate Moryousseff.  Back in series 1 I had a really interesting conversation with Dr Pragya Agarwal about parenting with ADHD. I have received more messages about that episode than any other, and I know it’s something that for many of us...

Today I’ll be exploring the fairly new label of Deficient Emotional Self Regulation - the idea that people with ADHD struggle to moderate emotional responses, and I’m sharing this chat with Azryah Harvey.  Emotional dysregulation is notably absent from the criteria for diagnosing ADHD and yet most experts agree it is one of the most common traits of ADHD.  Emotional regulation is after all a part...

Grief is another area where we’re often left to question, what is the adhd and what is the grief, or I suppose the neurotypical experience of grief. As we tend to process our emotions more intensely, grief can exacerbate adhd symptoms, but also the behaviours such as social withdrawal. A big loss can also be the tipping point for someone with undiagnosed ADHD, proving to be that extra factor that...

** This episode charts the experience of one woman (notably, a scientist) with titration, and is not a substitute for professional guidance or advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your dosage. ** When I was diagnosed in 2021, my psychiatrist immediately prescribed meds. I was initially reluctant because I was in denial to be honest, but then after a while I started to wo...

Today I’ll be talking about money with Clare Seal aka My Frugal Year. The way we earn, save and spend is inevitably affected by various ADHD traits. Impulsive spending, executive function issues when it comes to cash admin like tax returns, changing direct debits and filing expenses, forgetting to settle bills, neglecting to return the impulsively purchased haul. And budgets - that’s a struggle, i...

TW: mentions of depression and anxiety  In the episode, fashion writer, Camille Charriere and I are diving into the idea of oversharing, a hot topic amongst of a lot of those who live with ADHD.  Now, for me this plays into the idea that we’re often considered extra, or too much. Who is to say what is an over share vs some kind of standard share? I despise the idea there are things that should rem...

Today I'm talking about exercise and sport, with model and campaigner, Shareefa J.  ADHD is incredibly common amongst elite athletes, and yet for the majority of sufferers, it makes it doubly hard to perform. I was 37 when it was first suggested I might have ADHD, so I obviously went straight to Google to see what kind of company I was in. I landed on an article about how common ADHD is in elite a...

TW: mentions of suicidal ideation, self harm, anxiety, depression and OCD. Today, I’ll be exploring the ins and outs of socialising when you have ADHD, and how Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria might be making you go from riot to retreat mode in a flash. I’ll be sharing this chat with screenwriter and podcast host, Honey Ross.  There are so many dichotomies within an ADHD brain that it can feel as tho...

Trigger warning: mentions of suicidal thoughts, drug overdose and disordered eating   Today, we’re exploring late diagnosis and what happens next, with Penny Jarrett – aka @PennyBelle – who was diagnosed in 2017 and now offers coaching and mentoring to people with ADHD.  I get a lot of messages about late diagnosis – how does it work and what does it feel like afterwards? How do meds work and what...

Trigger Warnings: mentions of self-harm, disordered eating, depression, anxiety, suicide, alcohol abuse and addiction.  Today, writer and commentator, Kat Brown and I are going to explore the co-occurring conditions that so often arise with ADHD and ultimately tend to delay diagnosis.  Considering that ADHD is still not widely understood in healthcare and educational settings, it’s not wonder that...

In today’s episode I’m exploring the topic of education and learning with Vivienne Isebor.  In an ideal world, your school is the first environment in which your ADHD is identified, and that’s done with enough time to make the necessary adaptations so you can reach your full academic and creative potential as a child. Sadly, for girls, this isn’t often the case. We know that girls present differen...

In today’s episode, I’ll be exploring how ADHD affects your friendships, with blogger and activist, Kate Everall.  Friendship is the one area I really grieved when going through the diagnosis process - it was like holding up a mirror to how I’ve behaved in so many friendships which was really hard to accept. Friendships can be addled by several of the traits common in ADHD - the missing of social...