Dr. Kieran Kennedy

And it can be very isolating and difficult to feel like you're in the medical system or seeing a doctor or a psychologist and you're not feeling heard in terms of what you're experiencing or what you feel in your gut is going on.

So I think it is really, really validating and positive for some people to kind of hear that in the end.

Oh, I love that question.

Look, it doesn't happen overnight, you know, and I always talk to patients about, you know, you might feel actually really angry and upset that this has been missed till now, or you might feel a little bit of a mixture of shame.

You know, I think a lot of people actually come to see me and they say, I haven't told anyone that I'm having this appointment.

You know, I haven't told my parents or my partner or my friends because there still can be kind of shame and guilt when it comes to this stuff.

So I really just tell people to let those emotions just come out and feel them however they sort of come and kind of just giving your brain time to process that as the main thing.

But again, I think it's pushing back on that stigma.

And like we've said, autism, ADHD, neurodevelopmental conditions, these are not kind of flaws or defects.

These are not our brain should be operating on this level, but people with ADHD are at this lower level.

That is not what neurodevelopmental conditions are.

They are just a different way of the brain developing and sort of filtering in the world and things.

So

I think talking to people about that in terms of that misconception of what ADHD is, is often one of the best ways to kind of shift from that I have a disease or a disorder or I'm defective to I just have a neurodevelopmental condition and that just means my brain operates on a slightly different part of the spectrum compared to maybe the person sitting next to me.

I think really the understanding part is the big one here.

So, you know, I think whether we're friends, especially friends and family, it's hearing that person out and believing them when they tell you they are struggling with something.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, but also not kind of just pushing, you know, oh, everyone's got it now.

That's fashionable.

Yeah, that's because you're on your phone five hours a day.