Hot Topic: The Danger of Unsupported ADHD

Summary

The Neurodivergent Experience

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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]

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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]

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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.

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“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]

Transcript

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[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Oh, hot, hot.

[Jordan]

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. To the neuro spicy News, Hot topic.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

It's the news and it's feeling. Hot, hot, hot. Island in the sun. Hot, hot, hot. I am. I miss the sun so much. I'm so cold and miserable.

[Jordan]

What is this thing you speak of? We live in Mordor.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

I feel like I live in Mordor.

[Jordan]

Mordor. You have to say it like that ain't Mordor. It's. We don't need more doors is Mordor.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yeah. And now I've just got the.

[Jordan]

Thanks. Anyway, where's today's. Today's hot topic is the NHS limiting ADHD assessments again to save money despite soaring demand. Oh, and the consequences of this, the serious consequences?

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Jordan]

So, first of all, we'll go. We're going to get into what they're doing and then we'll talk in the second half about the consequences.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yes, sir. So this is article in the Guardian we came to see, to keep coming back to the Guardian, because it's not going, you know, assessments to save money. And you all deserve it. Daily Mail. So the NHS is restricting people's abilities to be assessed for ADHD in order to save money by not telling GPs or pay patients. Despite soaring demand for the service, more than half of the NHS's 42 integrated boards in England have imposed limits on how many people can be assessed for ADHD during 2025-2026. Freedom of Information responses show of the 22 ICBs who have imposed limits, 13 had not told GPs and 12 had not told informed patients awaiting an ADHD assessment. Wow. The charity ADHD uk, which obtained the figures, said the NHS lack of communication showed it was trying to hide the cruel curbs on assessments being widely used to help it cope with a squeeze on its budget. Quote here from Henry Shelford, who's ADHD UK's chief executive, has said waiting times for assessments are already horrendously long and it's shocking to see how the NHS is further rationing people's care to save money. It's cruel but increasingly widespread, we're seeing ICB curb patients access to ADHD assessments without telling GPs or patients that they are doing this, without having made any assessment of the consequences. 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. End quote.

[Jordan]

It's. It's just so nefarious, man. I mean, if. If there's one place where we shouldn't be trying to save money, where. There's several places, but mental health is one of them. And I'm not saying that being autistic and. Or ADHD is a mental health issue, but understanding that you are adhd, understanding what that means, and having the ability to understand yourself and feel like you're just not going completely crazy, that is positive for one's mental health. And then it gives you access. Technically it should do, but there's lots of support networks outside of the NHS that you can then gain access to because you have that piece of paper. And especially like young people who need the reasonable adjustments, or even older elderly people, older people in their work environments need those adjustments and often can't get those adjustments until they have a piece of paper. That happened to me. 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. So if you, if you take that away from people, if you don't give people access to that, that can cause serious mental health issues because we're already struggling and you're taking the ability away to. For us to get help, that's messed up.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

And you and I can testify as well. As two late diagnosed people, we suffered not always in silence, but we really, we both really struggled because we did not have accommodations and we were labeled as. As lazy or disruptive or aggressive a lot of the time because we were having a reaction to how we were struggling with the environment because we couldn't get accommodations. And that's not even without sort of being in the pipeline. I mean, it says in this article, adults and children awaiting ADHD assessments in many parts of the UK already face long delays or on average, eight years in getting an appointment. So you could be 10 years old and go from 10 years old to 18 waiting for an appointment, but then.

[Jordan]

It start, and then you hit that barrier where it starts again and say, well, now you're an adult, so you've got to go on a different list for adults.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Wow.

[Jordan]

And so you might end up waiting God knows how long after that. So wow. Put aside the, the additional help we get, methylphenidate or, or any other type of ADHD medication that, that genuinely does help.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

No, it's changed my life.

[Jordan]

Well, us, obviously. I'm not speaking for anybody else personally.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

It's changed my life.

[Jordan]

It's changed my life. It changed my family's life. It's, it's, it was a huge game changer because it is emotionally regulated. Me, it, it is reduced, not taken away, but reduced the amount of noise that's constantly badgering me and it's, 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, that I can't not think of 20 things at once. I can actually think of one or two things now rather than be completely swamped in thoughts. And there's. So there's people out there that are being swamped in thoughts and thinking that that is how everyone is, because they don't understand that they aren't, you know, able to think correctly. And it's not their fault. It's just an imbalance.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

And a lot of people, I know this personal experience. I didn't at any point in my youth or in my teens and my twenties when I was struggling, go, oh, I'm unregulated. I thought I was crazy. I genuinely thought there was something wrong with me. And the amount of times I would ring my mum and go, there's something wrong with me. I'm psychotic. I must have like a brain tumor or something because normal people don't think like this. And, dude, I needed a lot of mental health interventions in a lot of my youth, in my early life, because of what I was struggling with due to my neurotype. And a lot of the time I got dismissed and I was just. Either should have. I needed more discipline or I needed to try hard enough or I needed to eat less sugar. It was never, never even registered on a lot of people's scales, not until I was nearly 30 years old.

[Jordan]

What's really messed up with this as well is that it's already difficult to gain access to the right sort of help and to gain access to an assessment without having to pay out for private. It's already hard enough because of pda, because of anxieties, because of mistrust of doctors, because of doctors not taking us seriously or us worrying that doctors aren't going to take us seriously. I know a young man that a million times over we've just said, just, just Just go to the doctor. You've already diagnosed autistic. Just go the doctor say, look, I also think I'm adhd. Could I, you know, could you take that into consideration? Just. Just go to the doctor and start the process. And we've been saying that to him for two, nearly two years, and he hasn't, he hasn't even gone to the doctors because, not down to him, he just keeps putting it off, putting it off, putting off. Like so many of us put these things off and that's why we need help. It's a catch 22.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Well, do you think if, if your friend felt he would have be. He would be taken seriously, he would have just done it?

[Jordan]

I think that that's definitely part of it, but the other thing is that it's almost like it doesn't interest him enough because it's not his special interest. He'd rather go and do something else in the day. I can't specify his reasons for not doing it, but I don't think he can specify his reasons for not doing it because sometimes they're unbeknownst to us. We don't understand why we can't do something, we just. Just can't do it. And then people expect us to go, why can't you do that? And it's like, well, I can't always explain it. And also alexithymia, which literally is the inability to express why I can't feel or do something. Like, there is so many nuances to it. And the last thing we need is the NHS going, I've got save some cash. How about, how about you manage the NHS better, maybe. Maybe do a better job?

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Here's a thought. You know, does everybody that work at the NHS need a really nice company car? Let's that into question, shall we? That's one of the things. Yes. This is the thing that really frustrates me is every time I go to a hospital, it's always the management that have nice parking spaces right next to the hospital. I never see any for, like, nurses or the actual people on the front lines. It absolutely does my head in. But I'll go on with the article, says the Government's ADHD task force, which I've now just imagined, like swat, people bursting in. Warned in a report. Get everybody on the ground. Warned in a report in November that people with ADHD who have not been assessed can be left struggling to work or attend school. Ain't that the truth? The lack of support costs. 17 billion a year as a result of crime, educational Underachievement, drug misuse, suicide, mental ill health. And I have a friend who works for a homeless charity and she is a firm believer that she thinks 90% of the people that are there in their divergent.

[Jordan]

Oh, absolutely. What's crazy is, and we've said this so many times before, if they spent the money on getting us the support we need, if they invested in us as a type of person and not just a drain on society, they, they would make more money back in taxes, that those people would then go and work and have jobs and have amazing careers and possibly be innovators or own their own businesses. And there is so much potential out there within the neurodivergent community that is being completely overlooked simply based on the fact that we also have disabilities. So our disabilities are literally the only thing these people look at and they can't see beyond that. And when you can only see disability in front of you, you're only going to assume that disability means you can't do something. So they just going to assume that we are a drain, because if we're given the label of disabled, that means that we're just going to be sitting around claiming disability, which is just not the bloody case. Because, like that saying that every single person would rather be given fish than a fishing rod. And this is not true.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

And it proves to me that they do not value disabled people in society at all. Because they're not, it's not like they're not even choosing to invest the money, they're fucking pulling it. It's not even like that. There's, it's not like there's a huge abundance of money going around. But when I look at what the government actually spends its money on, I mean, you and I, how many potholes do we drive over daily? Like the, the infrastructure in this court, in this country, and for anybody that's outside of the UK that's listening to it, we have a very big issue that a lot of Western countries has, is which we mismanage the money we actually have. And we're very beholden to the bank of England and the interest rates it sets and the cap on the economy. Yet so many people in the higher ups of the economy, like the Chancellor, will pick apart send or disability as a drain on the system because it doesn't return the investment, which is bullshit. You invest in people, you will get a return. And they go, oh, well, people on disability are draining the system. People that are coming to A and E every Friday night are draining the system. They aren't the ones that are paid that then, you know, we can pay into the system. You and I pay into the system. We work incredibly, and some we work incredibly hard to just have the standard of living that we have. Incredibly hard. And I'm not saying that we have to work harder than most people, but we do because we've got to overcome disabilities and 90% of them are in our own heads. And it's not just physical disabilities to add into that as well.

[Jordan]

Yeah, most of us don't want to sit around and just claim benefits. Some of us can't do anything. But some of us are too disabled to work and that's a legitimate thing and there's nothing wrong with that. But a lot of us who are disabled absolutely can and want to work, are willing to work, and all we ask for is accommodation in the exact same way as if I have only one leg and I need crutches that I would like stairs in which there's a wider so I can use my crutches or a lift or a lift or anything that would accommodate. Because just because I only have one leg does not mean that I cannot go into an office, sit at a desk and work on a computer or even work from home, do an actual job. But they, but I need those accommodations. I need accommodations in order to do that job. And that's why I need the assessment, that's why I need the piece of paper. I don't, because even with that piece of paper, I, I, I, I can't get PIP and neither can you. So even with the piece of paper.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

We can't get, it was awful.

[Jordan]

So even with the paper that says disable, we still can't bloody get any help or money. And the fact is I don't want it. Like, I don't, I don't need, I work. And I would rather pay into the system than for those of, those of us who can't work, who actually can't work and then they can get disability.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

You know, I believe in equity. I would rather I, as a somebody who believes in equity, I would rather my PIP go to somebody who desperately needs it.

[Jordan]

Yes.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

But if I qualify, I'd be like, I would rather hand it over and give it to somebody that actually, really, truly depends on it and needs it. It would help me in life.

[Jordan]

Yeah, but then that's doing yourself an injustice because you're suggesting that if got it that you don't need it, but you actually do need it, because PIP isn't disability benefit. It's an additional amount to help you because you're disabled. That we. We don't.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

I mean, yeah, yeah, no, no, I hear, I hear what you're saying, but.

[Jordan]

It, yeah, but because of all the extra things that you have to spend money on because you're disabled, you are then entitled to pip. To. To pay for those extra things, whether it be physiotherapy because we get injured because of hypermobility.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

I pay for a nicer gym because I struggle with messy places and overcrowding and.

[Jordan]

Or ADHD medication which is not subsidized, which it should be. It is a lifelong condition that we have to pay for the medication every month. It. It should be free. It should be.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Because it's insulin free.

[Jordan]

Yes, it is.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

And like inhalers and things like.

[Jordan]

Yes. And I was told that ADHD medication isn't. Because ADHD isn't life threatening. And I meant bollocks. Of course it's life threatening. And that's what we were going to talk about in the second half.

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[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

This is a neurodivergent experience. Public announcement if you live in England and you or a loved one is waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment, you don't have to wait years. RTN Diagnostics is now part of the NHS Right to Choose scheme, which means if your local wait for a consultant led autism or ADHD assessment is more than 18 weeks, you can choose RTN instead and it won't cost you a penny. Jordan chose RTN for his own family because their care and attention to detail were second to none. They didn't just diagnose autism and adhd, they looked at the full picture, including pda, ocd, anxiety and more. The team is friendly, neuroaffirming and comprises many neurodivergent individuals, so they truly understand. Getting started is simple. Download the GP referral letter and questionnaire from the link in our show notes, take those to your GP and ask for a referral to RTN diagnostics. If approved, RTN will be in touch within eight weeks to begin your assessment. Remember, this only applies in England and some exclusions do apply. RTN is not currently able to accept referrals for child ADHD assessments, so check the details before you start RTN diagnostics, helping you get the answers you deserve without the wait. Welcome back to this week's hot Topic on the neurodivergent experience. We've been about talking, talking about the NHS restricting people's ability to get assessed for ADHD in the UK as their attempt to save money. And before the break, Jordan made an excellent point that so many health professionals do not see ADHD as a life threatening. Now, insert word here of how you would like to describe it. Condition. Yeah, but that's not true.

[Jordan]

No, and the article that we covered in the first half literally came out a few days ago. But this article basically goes into the consequences of that delay in getting your assessment and the lack of support, even if you do manage to get one. But that the mental anguish and stress that someone goes through just. Just to get that help, sometimes by the time we get that help, it's too late because the damage from that stress of not getting Help has already is already been done.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Damage is done.

[Jordan]

So do you want to read the article? It's. I'll give everybody a heads up, like a trigger warning. It does, it does involve suicide. So if that does trigger you, then maybe this is a good place for you to stop and nightly by and we love you. But if you want to carry on listening, this article does involve suicide.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

When Lee White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who won five scholarships at 11 years old, including a coveted place at Bancroft's, a private school in London. He was super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind, she said. Ryan took his own Life on 12 May 2024. A report written after his death acknowledged significant shortcomings in the support he received while seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Like many people the Guardian spoke to, he followed the Right to Choose pathway, where patients can pick a private provider anywhere in England for assessment, diagnosis and initial treatment. They then asked their GP to enter a shared care agreement for prescriptions and monitoring. However, Ryan struggled to get the two services linked up. Problem lies in the fact that shared care is voluntary and not all gps agree to it. Some patients told the Guardian their doctor had rejected their private diagnosis on the grounds that it did not meet their standards. This was even after the NHS had paid for it. And despite there being no official ruse for private providers to follow, some like Ryan, end up stuck in administrative limbo.

[Jordan]

It's heartbreaking, man. It's heartbreaking because there's. It's just. There's just no need for it. If, if it was just better managed that this guy, even he managed to get over the hump of, of getting the diagnosis, the most difficult part of the process, and then he goes through all of that just to be told by this numpty fuck of a GP that they disagree with it. It's like, what, it's an NHS diagnosis, but they have this idea that because it's private, that somehow it's not legitimate. Even though having tried out and spoken to many different private assessment places and I actually got diagnosed through the NHS and having gone through the private. Several different private companies with various members of my family, their. Their assessments were way, way more detailed, way, way better than the bullshit one that I went through, which felt like it was done by a 3 year old who had never even heard the word ADHD. I knew more about ADHD than the person assessing me and they actually, actually admitted that to me. They went, you seem to know more about this than I do. I'm not lying.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Very. It's a very dangerous position for that person to be in that role. That's not. That's not okay.

[Jordan]

It's. It's crazy to think that just because. I mean, I'm not saying NHS diagnosis or assessments aren't good. I'm just saying to say that the private ones are worse than is fundamentally just false. If I was to level it, I would say like the standard level of treatment is nhs. The gold star level of treatment is some assessment companies. Some assessment companies are not great. But if the NHS is approving them for right to choose, they hit that gold standard. It's not like this person went to some random backstreet company. Dave's ADHD assessments.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

So here you got the tism, huh?

[Jordan]

The Dr. Nick. Hey everybody, Dr. Nick of assessments. They did. They went to Dr. Hibbert for their assessment and got told by Dr. Fucking Nick Riviera that it wasn't good enough. It's a joke. And this joke is not a joke because it cost a man his life.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Well, let me read the article further and I tell you what, dude, listening to this, if I scary, because if I had not had the family that I've got and the support system, I've got this, so could have easily have been me. So Ryan, the fellow who lost his life, was treated for bipolar disorder. But it became apparent to Ryan that he had been misdiagnosed, as so many people I have spoken to who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder have been, especially like border personality disorder in women is rife.

[Jordan]

Oh, dude.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

So the article continues seeking clarity. He was referred by his GP for an ADHD assessment with Psychiatry UK, a private provider, in September 2022, which is when I had my assessment. It took five months for him to be assessed and diagnosed, but because of his bipolar history, a community mental health review was needed before medication could begin and his sister Lee said nobody chased anything or took responsibility. In June 2023, Ryan's housing situation became unstable, triggering acute distress and rapid decline. He was deregistered by his GP practice. After he expressed frustration at the delay in getting help, he sent messages to Psychiatry UK explaining he did not know where to turn, one of which went unanswered. By early 2024, he was still without a GP, was exhausted, isolated and feeling increasingly unwell. On 18 June 2024, Psychiatry UK staff member messaged Ryan say his medication would be changed to allow treatment to begin sooner, with further messages following even though Ryan had died. On 12 May, Psychiatry UK did not learn of his death until months later. And his sister says, oh, it's upsetting this. Ryan tried so hard to get help. He was brilliant. But he was left to fall through every crack and he deserved so. Oh, God, how awful.

[Jordan]

Oh, my God. I'm literally fucking crying.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

How awful. I am so sorry.

[Jordan]

Okay. Fuck's sake. Sorry for everyone listening if this has also upset you, but that's so not fair. No, no, it's. It's. What, what, what absolutely scares. Don't apologize, man. It's all right. What scares me the most, dude, is that it's just getting worse.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yeah, yeah. It's not.

[Jordan]

No one's learning from. This man's dead. It feels like he died for nothing. Like there was no. And. And, and in any. I mean, I know that people listen to this, that they're not going to blame him for his death. I, I know our audience and I know that no one would do that because you. You can't. Because if you don't understand why this man could not cope anymore, then I don't. I. I don't know what to tell you that he.

[Grow Therapy Announcer]

He.

[Jordan]

He didn't. This isn't a decision he made. This was a reaction to just. Just feeling like you are so alone and that you have no, no direction to go in. That the only way of escaping this noise, because that's what it is. And this is why methylphenidate, this is why the medication is so important for self regulation, because we can't always regulate ourselves. We are dysfunctional. It is dysfunction. Our brains are so full of this noise that we can't sleep properly. We can't regulate ourselves properly. We'll have extreme reactions to things because we are so weighed down by. By the noise, man. And it isn't. It is associated as adhd, but this is a neurodivergent. This is an alternative neurotype noise that it's. It's great when we can hone it on something that we have these amazing thoughts, but sometimes these thoughts are so invasive and if you, if you hate yourself, if you hate yourself, those thoughts are negative and there's so many of them that you are just continuously making yourself feel sicker and sicker and more and more hatred. And if you don't have the support, then you're just alone, scared and hating yourself. And I have hated myself when I've had support.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yeah, me too.

[Jordan]

I can't imagine what this poor guy went through towards the end. I can't. I mean, I can imagine it. That's the thing.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Drowning in your own thoughts, it's just, it is a hundred percent awful. It's sort like that's. I've. I had an experience where I was suicidal in my, in my 20s and I vividly remember being sat on my parents kitchen floor having a meltdown. Just, you know, inconsolable, just going. I just want to turn my brain off. I just need some quiet. I just need some peace. I'm not, I'm never at peace. I can't, I can't breathe. And that's what it felt like. I was drowning in my own thoughts. And it took me four or five years to really turn that around. And it only started once I started to like myself. But it's not easy. It takes a lot of work. It's, there's, there's a lot of, you know. I often think about sort of coming out of a mental health crisis as like a deep sea diver who has to come to the surface and if you come up too quick, you don't depressurize and it can kill you. Yeah, you've got to come up at the right pace and acclimatize to the surface. And I know because it came across my mind many times at some point you just go, no, just let me sink. It's easier, it's easier. Just let me go. And I am, I am just so sorry for this, this man and the thing that's. I'm not upset, I'm furious.

[Jordan]

Oh, dude.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

I am furious that this is not the end. This could be a beginning. And I am furious.

[Jordan]

I genuinely feel like the people who make these decisions where they, they value money and budget over human lives, it's disgusting. They, they and, and the fact that they literally tell us that ADHD is not life threatening. ADHD can be life threatening in many different ways. Mental anguish is just one way. Making stupid decisions that can cost our own lives because of a sudden inability to make a good decision. I have nearly killed myself on rocks when jumping into water. My head was, my wife said they were millimeters. She said my hair brushed against sharp rocks because I saw this pool of water. It's only like, I don't know, a couple of feet high. But the way that I jumped, my head nearly hit the rocks that I was jumping off because I didn't for one second think I just jumped.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

You just do it. And then as you're falling you go, probably shouldn't have done that.

[Jordan]

It's. Kids all the time hurt themselves because they don't have the ability to match Their amygdala to their frontal lobe. They don't have that ability to make a critical decision in a split second. That is how it still is for me. And methylphenidate, because it clears the invasive thoughts or the stupid thoughts, it allows the sensible ones to be overheard. So if you were trying to listen to somebody giving you life saving advice, you're having a heart attack and there's, there's an ambulance there and they're telling you exactly what to do to save your life. And then you have 70 people behind you, all shouting different directions at you. And some, some of them are talking about the weather, some of them are talking about a TV showing about music. And you're trying to hear this one person giving you life saving advice and you can't hear what they're saying because all those other people are talking at the exact same time. That is my brain without the methylphenidate. With the methylphenidate, there's five or six people in the background. They're not that important. And I can focus on this one.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Person like a billion backseat drivers. It's just, yeah, it's like you're trying to turn the radio down as you're trying to focus on finding your turning and you've got a million people going, is it there? Is it there? Is it over there? Have you thought about it? It's just, it's exhausting. It is exhausting. And.

[Jordan]

Oh man, my heart just goes out. I know. It's just weird.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

It's heartbreaking.

[Jordan]

It is. I'm, I'm just heartbroken for this dude and his, and his family and, and, and everyone else that, that is going through this because it pisses me off the most because he, he managed to get through the system. He got his diagnosis and it's rejected. Psychiatry UK are a huge freaking company, dude. Like, they're, they're a huge company. So for that I, I fully, I fully put the blame on this man's death at the hands of his gp. There are others involved, but for me it starts with, with this cognitive dissonance, this utter self absorption of they know better. This GP thinks that they know better. It's arrogance is what it is.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Oh, it's arrogance and it's a lack of, of human empathy. We aren't, we aren't just stats on a spreadsheet, man. We're human beings. Real, we're people. We, we live lives, we're born, we live, we try to love, we try to make the best of what we've been given and you, you get help and then there's just some footy duddy pencil pusher bean counter behind a desk that just goes no. And then orders a sandwich for lunch as she's just ruined your life.

[Jordan]

Oh, it's because, like I said, 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. And people need to understand that. So thank you for listening.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Yeah, thank you. And I'm a bit lost for words, I'll be honest.

[Jordan]

Yeah, yeah, well, out of spoons. I think so.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Well, thank you for tuning in as always everybody. We always so appreciate you coming along with us on these journeys no matter how hard they are sometimes to to walk. And we will be back with a Hot Topic next Friday. Thank you as always for tuning in. Take care of yourself out there. Be kind to yourself.

[Jordan]

Love you everyone. Nightly by.

[Co-host/Neurodivergent Experience Host]

Thanks for tuning in to the neurodivergent Experience. We hope today's episode sparked something for you. Whether it's a new idea, a bit of validation or just a moment of connection, remember new episodes are every week, so be sure to join us for the next one for more conversations and insights into the neurodivergent Experience. If you've enjoyed this podcast, help us grow. You can do that by rating and reviewing this show. Your support makes a huge difference in helping us reach more people who could benefit from these conversations. You can connect with us on social media, find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. Just search for the neurodivergent experience. Thank you again for listening and until next time, take care of yourself. You're not alone in this journey.

[Jordan]

Lunch was great, but this traffic is awful.

[Person with Stomach Issues]

Um, can we stop at a bathroom?

[Concerned Companion]

Are you alright?

[Person with Stomach Issues]

I keep having stomach issues after eating like diarrhea, gas and bloating, abdominal pain and sometimes oily stools.

[Creon Medication Informant]

Sound familiar? Those stomach issues may actually be a pancreas issue called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or epi Creon. Pancrelipase may help manage epi. Creon is a prescription prescription medicine used to treat people who can't digest food normally because their pancreas doesn't make enough enzymes.

[Creon Medication Side Effects Announcer]

Creon may increase your chance of fibrosing colonopathy, a rare bowel disorder. Tell your doctor if you have a history of intestinal blockage or scarring or thickening of your bowel wall. If you are allergic to pork or if you have gout, kidney problems or worsening of painful swollen joints. Call your doctor if you have any unusual or severe gastrointestinal symptoms or allergic reactions. Take Creon as directed by your doctor and always with food. Do not chew capsules, as this may cause mouth irritation. Other side effects may include blood sugar changes, gas, dizziness, sore throat and cough. These are not all the side effects of Creon. Call 800-633-9110 or visit creoninfo.com to learn more. That's creoninfo.com I'm asking my doctor about.

[Person with Stomach Issues]

Epi and if Creon could help.

[Wayfair Announcer]

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[Grow Therapy Announcer]

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