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

JBHD, Birmingham (2025)

16/12/2025

Burnout check-in…

Right now I’m managing burnout the same way I manage most things: intermittently, experimentally, and without pretending I’m fine.

This burnout feels far more challenging than last December, so here’s what I am doing to try and recover (remember, there are no ‘stages of burnout’ that you have to follow, these are models made up to try and create a simple way to explain a complex phenomenon and burnout is unique to each person who experiences it):

• early-morning bright light to support circadian rhythm
• vagal stimulation (Nurosym) to help nervous system regulation
• Yoga Nidra (I know, look at me…)
• pacing and reducing cognitive load
• consistent hydration, electrolytes, and enough calories
• intentionally limiting demanding mental tasks

I’m also monitoring how long each day I function after medication, as a way of understanding recovery rather than forcing output. This is also helping me have enough time each day to work out how to dig us out of the financial black hole that burnout has created.

No hustle. No heroic recovery arc.
Just listening to my body and trying to treat burnout like a physiological state, not a personal failure.

11/12/2025

Three years today.

The world kept moving, but a part of me stayed right there with you.

Still missing you, Dad 💔

09/12/2025

I finally broke, so I’m taking a proper break despite also being financially, erm, not good. Brain not making words well etc.

The last few months have been… a lot. Helping my family care for mum while trying to juggle work and mental/physical health means my brain has filed a formal complaint and is now refusing to co-operate. Classic burnout.

So, from now until January, I generally won’t be working, replying to messages, or doing anything vaguely “productive” (apart from trying to be funny or clever online, but that never actually works itself).

If you need anything from me work-wise, it’ll have to wait until 2026. (Feels dramatic, but also accurate.)

If you’re also at that point where your inner battery says “0%” but you keep trying to run apps: turn the thing off and recharge. I’m finally doing the same.

05/12/2025

Knew this was coming but glad that Wes Streeting has clarified his position.

05/12/2025

Are the Terms of Reference for the Government commissioned Independent Review into ADHD, autism and mental health an honest attempt to understand rising demand? After digging through the document, my take is: broadly yes… with some important caveats.

On the positive side, the review takes a genuinely wide lens:

- looking at prevalence trends across children and adults
- examining barriers to diagnosis and support
- reviewing how diagnostic pathways have changed over the past decade
- assessing outcomes of diagnosis and treatment, not just numbers
- acknowledging inequalities and access gaps across the system

But there are risks we should keep an eye on.
 The emphasis on “medicalisation” could be interpreted as leaning toward an over-diagnosis narrative, especially when so many people still face long waits or no access to support at all.

Still, this feels like a necessary step, one that could bring clarity, provided lived-experience voices and frontline expertise are fully included, not tokenistic.

This is an important moment for the ADHD and autistic community. Transparency, nuance and meaningful engagement will determine whether this review helps create a system that meets real need rather than reinforcing old barriers.

04/12/2025

It’s understandable that many people are concerned, and even angry, about today’s announcement that the government has commissioned a review into mental health prevalence.

A lot of the issues around this stem from the language that’s been used, both by government ministers and the media.

I was invited to a roundtable event at Parliament earlier this week which was chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting MP (yes I wore a suit, but in my defence I did spill an entire container of drink over it before I got there), and I left feeling reassured that not only are the aims of the review appropriate, but that the review will essentially look at robust evidence around ADHD prevalence, and most importantly, will include lived experience as a central pillar.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and what the review reports, and what is then done with the findings is still months away. But, I’ll continue to engage with the process to ensure that the lived experience of people with ADHD is represented and that the irrefutable evidence of ADHD’s prevalence is accepted.

As I’m in burnout this positivity may be a temporary side effect, normal grumpiness will resume when I recover ❤️

27/11/2025

A MASSIVE new study has landed in , pulling together 221 meta-analyses on ADHD treatments across the lifespan, easily the most comprehensive picture we’ve ever had about what helps… and what just helps your wallet empty faster.

Here’s the short version (because ADHD):

Medications work in the short term, with moderate–high certainty.
Methylphenidate is the most consistent across raters.
Atomoxetine also holds up well. Amphetamines help but can be harder to tolerate.

Adults: methylphenidate and atomoxetine show medium effects, but side-effects show up more clearly.

Non-drug options: CBT for adults has moderate-certainty evidence. Everything else (mindfulness, parent training, physical activity, acupuncture) shows mixed results with low certainty. Interesting, but not quite “throw away your meds” territory.

Long-term evidence?
Basically none. For any intervention.
(Yes, really.)

The team also built a brilliant open-access platform where you can look up any treatment, age group, symptom, and evidence certainty in a genuinely user-friendly way. It’s exactly the kind of resource people with ADHD and clinicians have been asking for.

Study citation below.

Explore the platform: https://ebiadhd-database.org

Citation:
Gosling CJ, Garcia-Argibay M, De Prisco M, et al. Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making. BMJ 2025;391:e085875.

21/11/2025

New paper out today!

I often forget I’m not just a pretend scientist, so I’m actually proud that our new study using UK Biobank data looking at women over 40 with PCOS has been published today.

PCOS is often framed as a “reproductive” condition, but the reality is far more complex. Our analysis shows clear differences in metabolic, hormonal and activity profiles — even when comparing women with PCOS to those matched for age and BMI. In short: it’s not “just weight.” There’s something deeper going on physiologically, and it deserves proper attention.

A few highlights: 
- Women with PCOS had less favourable markers like HDL, triglycerides, HbA1c and SHBG, even when BMI was matched.
 - They spent more time sedentary and did less vigorous-intensity activity — but total activity levels weren’t dramatically different. 
- PCOS was associated with higher rates of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity. 
- Across everyone, those who moved more and sat less had markedly better health profiles. (Shocking, I know.) 
- Oh, and women with PCOS were more likely to rate their own health as “poor,” which tells its own story.

What this really shows is that: PCOS is a serious metabolic condition. It’s underdiagnosed, under-researched, and often underplayed. And lifestyle differences alone don’t explain the poorer health outcomes — there’s a biological load here that needs better recognition and support.
Huge thanks to the team, especially Chris Kite as lead author, what an outstanding scientist (which is amazing considering he did his PhD with me)

If you’re into PCOS, women’s health, exercise science, or you just enjoy charts more than is socially acceptable, full citation (open access) below 📖

Kite C, Kyrou I, Randeva HS, Lahart IM, Brown JEP.
Metabolic, androgenic, and physical activity profiles in women aged over 40 years with polycystic o***y syndrome: A comparative analysis using UK Biobank data. Women’s Health. 2025;21:1–15. doi: 10.1177/17455057251385800

11/11/2025

New paper: “Potential impact of social media and COVID-19 restrictions on adult attention-deficit rates.”

The study found that ADHD referrals tripled between 2020–2023, alongside rises in Google searches and prescriptions. Nothing too surprising there — public awareness grew fast, especially through lockdown and platforms like TikTok.

But what’s worrying is the tone of the conclusions. The authors suggest that we now need a “consensus to determine who benefits most from an ADHD diagnosis and medication” and that “realistic medicine” should guide access — in other words, to ration care based on severity.

This framing risks implying that the problem is people seeking help, rather than decades of under-recognition, exclusion, and inadequate service planning. Increased demand doesn’t automatically mean over-diagnosis; it might mean people finally realising they weren’t lazy or broken.

Public awareness isn’t a threat — it’s a form of progress. The challenge isn’t deciding who “deserves” diagnosis or medication, but ensuring equitable, timely access for everyone who needs assessment and support.

- Awareness up ≠ pathology inflation

- “Realistic medicine” shouldn’t mean scarcity dressed as science

- Let’s build capacity, not gatekeeping

08/11/2025

Not being the most ‘Let’s visit an exhibition’ type person, I genuinely felt positive things (!) visiting The David Bowie Centre at with . It felt alive, like he’s still mid-idea somewhere.

Even his rejection letter feels iconic. Only Bowie could make “not what we’re looking for” sound like the biggest mistake ever.

07/11/2025

Take part in the ‘State of the Nation Survey’ 2025!

We want to hear what life with ADHD is really like across the UK — from diagnosis and treatment to work, relationships, and daily life.

Your answers help us fight for better understanding, fairer access to care, and real change.

It takes around 10 minutes.

Every voice matters — including yours.

👉 Click the link in bio to take part and share it with others in the ADHD community.

JBHD

16/12/2025

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