34. Mental health, medication and neurodivergent burnout

Anxiety, depression, chronic stress and low self-esteem are common co-occurring conditions for many neurodivergent young people. But are these struggles caused by neurodivergence itself, or by trying to fit into environments that don’t work for them?

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Darryl-Lee Prince says not only is she seeing more school refusal and shutdown, but also more complex presentations. Among them, neurodivergent burnout.

Professor Dave Coghill unpacks what the evidence says about SSRIs, therapy, non-stimulant ADHD medication and non-drug treatments.

This episode is about what helps. And why these young people are not broken, but in need of the right support, understanding and environments that recognise their strengths.

In this episode

• Neurodivergent burnout and masking
• Anxiety, dysregulation and school refusal
• When SSRIs can help
• Why therapy needs to be tailored for those who are autistic, ADHD or AuDHD
• Non-stimulant ADHD medication
• The truth about the effects of sugar, food colouring, fish oils and brain training on ADHD symptoms
• Is the information on TikTok trustworthy?

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