The Neurodivergent Experience

Episode: Hot Topic: The Danger of Unsupported ADHD
Hosts: Jordan James & Simon Scott
Date: January 30, 2026

Episode Overview

This hard-hitting episode of The Neurodivergent Experience, hosted by Jordan James and Simon Scott, confronts the mounting crisis around ADHD assessment access in the UK—specifically focusing on the NHS’s tightening restrictions, the dire consequences for undiagnosed and unsupported ADHD, and the tragic, all-too-human cost of bureaucratic neglect. Drawing from personal stories and a recent Guardian article, the hosts explore how inadequate systems and misinformed gatekeeping fail neurodivergent people, culminating in profound mental health impacts and, in heartbreaking cases, loss of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

NHS Restrictions on ADHD Assessment ([03:49]–[05:58])

• NHS Limiting ADHD Assessments:
  Jordan introduces the main story: many NHS Integrated Care Boards are capping the number of ADHD assessments available in 2025–2026 to cut costs, despite historically long waitlists and increasing demand.
• Transparency Issues:
  Simon notes that many GPs and patients are not even informed of these new limits. Most restrictions have been implemented without any patient or provider consultation.
• Quote from ADHD UK:
  Simon reads a statement by ADHD UK’s CEO:

  "The NHS should be ashamed of itself for such secrecy and hiding the fact that they are depriving people of this vital type of care." [04:50]

Consequences of Delayed or Denied Assessments ([05:58]–[13:16])

• Impact on Daily Life:
  Both hosts share personal experiences of struggling through school and work without a diagnosis, being unfairly labelled as “lazy, disruptive, or aggressive.”
• The Importance of Diagnosis:
  Jordan:

  “The only reason I got the adjustments is because I had a piece of paper saying ADHD, autism. That’s the only reason I got it.” [06:25]

  • Having formal documentation is often required for workplace or school accommodations.
• Long Wait Times:
  Simon highlights that average waits for assessments can be over eight years for children and restart for adults, leading to essentially decade-long delays.

  “You could be 10 years old and go from 10 to 18 waiting for an appointment, but then you hit that barrier where it starts again, and they say, ‘now you’re an adult, go on a different list.’” [08:31]

The Need for Medication and Accommodations ([08:38]–[12:07])

• Life-changing Effects of Proper Support:
  Both Jordan and Simon passionately describe how appropriate ADHD meds (e.g., methylphenidate) allowed them to function, feel regulated, and less overwhelmed by thoughts.
  • Jordan:

    “It was a huge game changer... It’s made me hate myself less. It’s made me more of a patient human. It’s made me feel like I’m not completely mental sometimes.” [09:09]

• Barriers Preventing Access:
  Anxiety, fear of not being taken seriously, and paralyzing executive function issues often stop neurodivergent people from even starting the assessment process.
  • Simon:

    “We don’t understand why we can’t do something, we just can’t do it... sometimes they’re unbeknownst to us.” [12:14]

Misconceptions and Systemic Neglect ([13:16]–[20:08])

• Defaulting to See Disability as a Drain:
  The hosts express anger toward the government’s framing of disability support as “wasteful spending,” when early interventions could enable many to work and thrive, returning much more to society.
  • Jordan:

    “If they spent the money on getting us the support we need... they would make more money back in taxes... There is so much potential out there within the neurodivergent community that is being completely overlooked...” [14:18]

• Accommodations Are Legitimate & Necessary:
  Both highlight the analogy of physical disability—adjustments are a right, not a luxury.
• Benefits Barriers:
  Even with a formal diagnosis, navigating disability benefits is incredibly difficult; many who could benefit go unsupported.
  • Simon:

    “Even with the paper that says disabled, we still can’t bloody get any help or money.” [18:28]

ADHD as a Life-Threatening Condition ([20:08]–[24:23])

• Debunking Medical Minimization:
  Jordan relays being told that ADHD meds aren’t subsidized because “ADHD isn’t life-threatening,” calling this “bollocks.”
  • Notes the association of untreated ADHD with a host of dangers: self-hatred, impulsive risks, and profound mental health crises.

Personal Story & The Human Toll ([25:28]–[41:40])

The Case of Ryan ([25:52]–[31:43])

• Ryan’s Story:
  Simon shares the Guardian’s account of Ryan, a gifted young man who died by suicide after trying, and failing, to break through NHS and GP bureaucracy to get appropriate ADHD care—even after receiving a private (and NHS-paid) diagnosis.
• Systemic Roadblocks:
  • Shared Care Agreements are voluntary—many GPs simply refuse to honor private or even NHS-provided diagnoses done externally, leaving patients in limbo.
  • Ryan’s story is heartbreakingly familiar: missed follow-ups, deregistration from his GP, unreturned messages, and no one taking ownership.
  • Lee, Ryan’s sister:

    “Ryan tried so hard to get help. He was brilliant. But he was left to fall through every crack and he deserved so...” [31:35]

Emotional Responses ([31:43]–[37:54])

• Impact on the Hosts:
  Both hosts are clearly moved—Jordan is brought to tears.
  • Jordan:

    “I’m literally fucking crying.” [31:43]

  • Simon relates intensely, saying without family support, “so easily could have been me.” [29:48]
• Reflection on Self-hatred and Mental Anguish:
  The hosts describe, in intimate detail, the suffocating, overwhelming “noise” in an unsupported ADHD mind, the years spent just trying to like themselves, and how lack of support is genuinely life-threatening.

Importance of Proper Recognition ([37:54]–[41:40])

• ADHD as Dangerous, Not Quirky:
  The hosts call for advocacy to move beyond comic stereotypes and insist on recognition of the real dangers:

  • Jordan:

    “ADHD can be life-threatening in many different ways... and mental anguish is just one.” [36:40]

• Story of Impulsive Behavior:
  Jordan shares a personal near-death experience jump—where lack of self-regulation nearly cost him his life—illustrating impulsivity as another real danger ([37:10]).

• Medication as an Equalizer:
  Both explain metaphorically how methylphenidate enables focus amid an internal cacophony, making self-regulation, and ultimately survival, possible.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the bureaucracy:

  “Maybe do a better job?” —Jordan [13:09]

• On misunderstood accommodations:

  “We just want a fishing rod, not a fish... and this is not true.” —Jordan [15:06]

• On Loss and Grief:

  “It costs a man his life.” —Jordan [29:43] “I just want to turn my brain off. I just need some quiet. I just need some peace. I’m never at peace.” —Simon [35:09]

• On accountability:

  “I fully put the blame on this man’s death at the hands of his GP.” —Jordan [39:17]

• On medical minimization:

  “They don’t take it seriously. And this is why it’s so important for any ADHD advocates to stop making ADHD out like it’s some sort of comic content when it is a serious, serious disability that can cost lives.” —Jordan [41:06]

Major Timestamps for Segments

• Hot Topic Introduction: [02:54]
• Breaking Down the NHS Cuts: [03:49]
• Personal Stories and Accommodations: [07:45]–[10:59]
• Barriers to Assessment: [10:59]–[13:16]
• The System as Disability Denier: [13:16]–[18:50]
• Cost of Inaction & Broader Impacts: [14:18], [15:39]
• ADHD is Life-threatening, Not Just “Annoying”: [20:08]
• Public Service Announcement: RTN Diagnostics: [22:19]
• The Story of Ryan (and the consequences): [25:52]–[31:43]
• Emotional Fallout and Grief: [31:43]–[35:04]
• Calls to Action and Final Thoughts: [39:32]–[41:40]

Conclusion

This episode stands as a searing indictment of systemic neglect towards neurodivergent people, the dangers posed by bureaucratic indifference, and the urgent need for genuine, accessible support for ADHD. Blending data, journalism, and lived experience, Jordan and Simon dismantle the “invisible” status of unsupported ADHD and highlight its devastating consequences, leaving listeners informed, moved, and, above all, called to demand better.

“We aren’t just stats on a spreadsheet, man. We’re human beings. Real—we live lives, we’re born, we live, we try to love, we try to make the best of what we’ve been given...” —Simon [40:37]