Cake over Keto: Episode 20 - We’re not broken.
“ADHD is like being in a car that’s on autopilot. Rather than it taking you directly to your planned destination, you go on an all-day adventure to some far-off place because the name sounded interesting. Or it just stops in the middle of a busy road and refuses to move”
“It’s lying awake at night thinking of all the things you want and need to do the next day, then doing none of them”.
ADHD is a life of extremes. It can be exhilarating as neurodivergent folk speak of superpowers. But it can also be REALLY FU*KIN HARD.
Disordered eating behaviours and eating disorders are more common in the neurodivergent, compared to the neurotypical. Food preoccupation, erratic eating, binge eating, rigid and restricted eating. We need better understanding so we can be better supported.
I say we, because I (Mel) am neurodivergent.
“Oh not you as well” was what someone said to me when I got my diagnosis. “It’s trendy to have ADHD isn’t it”, said someone else. Well, it’s certainly trending – screening and diagnoses have been on the increase for years. For good reason. We need more screenings, assessments and diagnoses!
In this episode I share my experience of struggling for my whole life with undiagnosed ADHD, and then finding clarity, answers and a way forward. I’ve put my heart on my sleeve here because it’s been therapeutic for me, and because I also hope it helps someone else feel less alone.
I’ll be back in season 3 to talk more about neurodiversity and eating problems. Subscribe so you can join me!
Resources
ADHD 2.0 by Edward Hallowell & John Ratey, Audible link HERE
ADHUK website and adult self-screening tool https://adhduk.co.uk
ADHD and menopause booklet from Balance Menopause
If you are based in England under the NHS you now have a legal right to choose your mental healthcare provider and your choice of mental healthcare team. This means, should you decide the waiting time for an ADHD assessment is too long, then you can choose alternative providers.
A reputable source of information if you are neurodivergent, are a parent or carer or just know someone who has a fascinating, marvellous brain.
