http://www.jbhd.uk/, https://jbhd.uk/public-talks/

JBHD, Birmingham (2026)

05/04/2026

The UK government’s interim Mental Health, ADHD and Autism Prevalence Review has landed.

I was interviewed as part of the ‘lived experience’ input to the review process (as were others I know in our lovely ADHD family), and provided both published and unpublished data from our ADHDadultUK national surveys (including responses from over 2,500 people).

The report admits things are complicated.

Key findings:

– ADHD diagnoses and referrals have increased dramatically, but…
– Population prevalence appears relatively stable (so it’s not “everyone is suddenly getting ADHD”, which, well, WE all knew)
– Waiting lists are now in the hundreds of thousands
– More women and adults are being diagnosed

But nuance matters.

The “stable prevalence” claim is based on:

– limited adult data
– and child datasets that largely pre-date the recent surge

At the same time:

– self-reported ADHD symptoms are increasing
– psychological distress (especially in young people) is rising
– and diagnosis is often the gateway to support

So we end up with a messy reality:

More people are struggling
More people are seeking help
More people are being diagnosed

…but we still don’t know:

Whether severity has changed
Whether diagnostic thresholds have shifted
Or how much systems themselves are driving demand

And crucially:

We still lack good data on
functional impairment, day-to-day impact, and outcomes.

Which makes designing policy… tricky.

Possibly the most important shift?

Moving away from diagnosis as the gatekeeper for support, and towards support based on need.

Which is promising, but only if done well.

Because poorly implemented, that risks:

– inconsistency
– missed cases (especially high-masking individuals)
– and a shiny new version of the same old postcode lottery

So no, ADHD hasn’t suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

But the way we recognise it, measure it, and respond to it… is changing fast.

And right now, the system isn’t keeping up.

📄 DHSC (2026) Interim Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism

20/03/2026

Medical cannabis is legal in the UK, but for many people with ADHD, accessing care is anything but straightforward.

ADHD is associated with higher rates of chronic pain, fibromyalgia, sleep disturbance, and other long-term conditions. Many people require multiple treatments at the same time.

Medical cannabis is most commonly prescribed for chronic pain, and the evidence base suggests:

• Moderate efficacy for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia
• A greater likelihood of achieving meaningful pain reduction compared to placebo
• Improvements in sleep and quality of life for some patients

But access in the UK is uneven.

Since legalisation in 2018:

• Fewer than 100 NHS prescriptions for full-extract cannabis have been issued
• Tens of thousands of patients now access treatment privately

For patients with ADHD, this becomes a clinical problem, not just a policy one.

Some individuals report:
• Refusal of shared care between private clinics and NHS GPs
• Being asked to stop medical cannabis before accessing NHS services
• Delays or barriers to ADHD medication titration
• Treatment being recorded as “substance misuse” despite being legally prescribed

This creates an impossible situation:
manage chronic pain effectively, or access ADHD treatment — but not both.

From a clinical perspective, the tension often centres on a lack of formal training and the quality of evidence.

The result is fragmented care, where patients with multiple conditions, including ADHD, are left navigating disconnected systems.

This isn’t about medical cannabis being suitable for everyone.

It’s about ensuring that people:

• Aren’t excluded from NHS services because of a legal prescription
• Don’t have to choose between treating co-occurring conditions
• Receive coordinated, evidence-informed care that reflects real-world complexity

Comorbidity is common. Joined-up care should be too.

18/03/2026

Delivered a Science of AuDHD talk at for at last night.

Despite some technical gremlin-related issues and the massive drag factor of it being me on stage, it turned into a really great evening (I imagine, anhedonia and all that jazz)

Huge thanks to the team at for making it work and to the brilliant Craig who managed to keep my brain from exploding and to everyone who came along, asked brilliant questions, and made the whole thing feel more like a conversation than an unpolished TED talk.

Cardiff, you were lovely, but you always are.

Photo shamelessly stolen from ❤️

05/03/2026

Spent HOURS searching my mum’s house for my bag of charging cables.

Looked everywhere.
Every room.
Every bag.
Every coat pocket.
Even the fridge and the bins.

Turns out the bag is exactly where I left it.

At home.

ADHD: turning a simple mistake into a multi-day archaeological dig.

04/03/2026

As an ex-biogerontologist I’m still interested in the biology of ageing, so this paper got me interested…

If you have ADHD, you’ve likely heard of L-tyrosine, precursor to dopamine, which for many of us is the "emergency backup" when meds aren't available. But a 2025 study in Aging suggests a potential issue: higher tyrosine levels were linked to a shorter lifespan, particularly in men.

Researchers used Mendelian Randomisation (basically using genetics to simulate a lifelong clinical trial). They found that while phenylalanine (tyrosine's parent amino acid) didn't impact longevity, tyrosine itself was associated with a shorter lifespan, specifically in men, with higher genetically predicted tyrosine living about 1 year less. In women, the effect wasn’t wasn't statistically significant.

Before you bin your supplements, let’s look at the limitations:

This study looked at circulating levels and genetic predispositions, not people taking high-dose supplements. We don't know if "fixing" a deficiency with a supplement carries the same risk as having naturally high levels.�
We don’t yet know the mechanism. Is it metabolic stress? Is it how it interacts with protein-sensing pathways? The study doesn't tell us.��The fact that the impact was significantly stronger in men suggests there’s complex biology we don't fully understand yet.�
For many neurodivergent adults, tyrosine is a tool for executive function. But… we need to stop treating supplements like they are "consequence-free" versions of medication. They are bioactive. If you’re megadosing tyrosine every day because you can’t get your meds, this is a reminder that more isn't always better.

Citation: Zhao, J. V., Sun, Y., Zhang, J., & Ye, K. (2025). The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: A cohort and Mendelian randomization study. Aging, 17(10), 2500.

27/02/2026

New study: Childhood ADHD traits linked to poorer physical health in midlife

A large UK cohort study (10,930 people from the 1970 British Cohort) has just found that higher ADHD traits at age 10 were associated with worse physical health by age 46

What did they find?

What did they find?

• More ADHD traits in childhood → more physical health conditions in midlife
• Increased odds of multimorbidity (2+ physical conditions)
• Greater physical health–related disability
• Those with high ADHD traits had a 42% probability of multimorbidity by 46 vs 37.5% without high traits (absolute difference ≈ 4.6%)
• Smoking, higher BMI, and psychological distress partly explained the link
• Women showed larger effects for disability than men

In short: ADHD traits in childhood are associated with poorer physical health decades later.

Important context

- Effect sizes were modest. This is not “ADHD dooms your body.” The absolute risk difference was under 5%.
- Health conditions were self-reported. That can introduce bias.
- Only 9 physical conditions were included. No direct cardiovascular disease measure.
- Attrition was substantial. People with higher ADHD traits and disadvantage were more likely to drop out, meaning results may underestimate risk.
- This is observational. Association ≠ causation.

What I find most interesting:

The indirect pathways.

Smoking, BMI, and psychological distress partly explained the association

That suggests something important:
It’s not “ADHD damages the body.”
It’s cumulative exposure to stress, disadvantage, and modifiable risk factors across the life course.

If you have ADHD (or work with people who do), this strengthens the case for:

• Smoking cessation support that’s ADHD-informed
• Accessible weight management approaches
• Early mental health intervention
• Reducing structural barriers to screening

Not shame. Not panic.
Just better, earlier support.

Citation: Stott J, O’Nions E, Corrigan L, Cotton J, Donnellan WJ, Nimmons D, et al. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder traits in childhood and physical health in midlife. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(1):e2554802. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.54802

18/02/2026

🎧 WE RECORDED THE FOCUS AUDIOBOOK 🎧

Which means we have now spent several days locked in a padded booth, like two accidental ideologues reading the manifesto we swore we weren’t writing under fluorescent lighting.

Sam: warm, engaging, radiating actual human enthusiasm.

James: technically present. Verbally competent. Emotionally… adjacent.

Sam delivered entire chapters like a comforting productivity fairy.

James delivered his like he was explaining ADHD during a mildly tense parliamentary inquiry.

There were retakes.
There were typos we hadn’t spotted (obviously).

There was an 3-minute discussion about whether James sound “too bored about mindfulness.”

(As someone who experiences joy mostly as a theoretical construct, James stands by his tone.)

It is done. It exists. You will soon be able to hear us waffle directly into your ears while you:

• ignore your to-do list
• hyperfocus on something wildly unimportant
• or lie perfectly still, experiencing motivation as a distant rumour

Huge thanks to the audio team who gently said about 500 times, “You can go slower…”

Audiobook coming soon.
50% of us are (probably) thrilled.

Pre-link in bio ❤️

13/02/2026

IT’S LAUNCH DAY!

Well, ‘Pre-launch’ day…

OK, ‘Soft launch’ day…

Maybe ‘Please pre-order it so publishers like us’ day…

Announcing things like a new book can be a massive RSD trigger, so Sam is currently vibrating with fear and overwhelm at a frequency only dogs and small children can hear, while James, on the other hand, is experiencing what scientists call “a measured internal acknowledgement of an event” in place of anything resembling a positive emotion.

Our new book FOCUS: The ADHD Guide to Productivity (& getting stuff done) is published April 9th by Quercus Publishing.

It covers why we procrastinate, how to identify roadblocks, internal vs external motivation, time management and working memory management approaches, reward and building systems to deal with unrewarding tasks,
the role of stress, overwhelm and burnout on productivity as well as differences in the experiences of ADHD men and women and understanding how ADHD interacts with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions in the context of productivity (Jesus that was a long, dull sentence.)

If you have ADHD and own 47 notebooks, have tried 13 productivity apps and are still Googling “why can’t I just do the thing”

…this book might be for you.

Pre-orders are live.

Link in bio 🧛‍♂️🌪️❤️

11/02/2026

Today’s small miracle: a bunch of ADHD people organised themselves long enough to make a magazine...

ADHD Magazine is out NOW.
Proper science. Real stories. Useful tools. Zero “have you tried a planner?” energy.

I’ve been consulting editor on this one, alongside amazing contributions from ’s Jon Hill, my lovely , someone called and more ❤️

You can grab it from today at

🛒 supermarkets

🛍 TGJones
✈️ WHSmith Travel
💻 online: http://anthem.co.uk/adhd

AND 10p from every copy goes to ADHD charities.

So, buying it is technically philanthropy (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

If you spot it in the wild, send pics. I will absolutely frame them like a proud dad.

08/02/2026

Apparently I’m being allowed near a microphone again, so I am crossing the Irish Sea for to visit Belfast and Dublin.

First, Belfast - The Science of AuDHD

(How ADHD and autism intersect, overlap, mask, and occasionally fight each other.)

Wed 11 Feb | 8pm | The MAC

I then migrate south, like a confused academic bird to…

Dublin for:

ADHD & Psychedelics

(What the evidence actually says, and what research needs to focus on next.)

Thu 12 Feb | 5pm | The Sugar Club

Dublin (same venue, later, more words):

The Science of AuDHD

(Because one talk about complicated brains clearly wasn’t enough.)

Thu 12 Feb | 7:30pm | The Sugar Club

Evidence-based. Accessible. Fun(ish).

Tickets via link in bio or on

27/01/2026

Restore: The ADHDBurnout Tracker app is now live on the Apple App Store 🎉

It’s version 1, which means:
It might be useful ✔️
It is simple ✔️
It’s also a bit s**t ✔️

I’d really value your feedback while it’s still young and malleable.

If something doesn’t make sense or feels clunky, tell me. That’s exactly what I want to improve.

Android is on the way next.

👉 Download link + feedback form in bio

JBHD

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