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ADHD Chatter

ADHD Chatter

By: Alex Partridge
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I had my first anxiety attack in a classroom when I was 6 years old. I started LADBible when I was 22 years old. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 34. Suddenly, everything made sense. Join me every Tuesday as I chat with leading experts, celebrities and psychiatrists. This is the podcast I wish I heard when I was younger. None of us are broken, just different. We have all always been enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Alex Partridge Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • No. 1 Autism Professor: How To Spot Autism In High-Masking Adults!

    No. 1 Autism Professor: How To Spot Autism In High-Masking Adults!
    Aug 10 2026
    Dr. Luke Beardon is a leading autism researcher, author and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University who has spent more than 30 years working alongside autistic people and their families. In this episode, Luke reveals what autism can actually feel like from the inside, from masking and rehearsing conversations to sensory overwhelm, burnout and the exhaustion of constantly trying to fit in. He explores why so many people go decades without realising they’re autistic, what happens when you mask for so long that you lose sight of who you really are, and why the parts of yourself you spent a lifetime hiding may never have needed fixing in the first place. Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 01:23 Why Luke dedicated his life to understanding autism 02:46 How can someone be autistic for decades without knowing? 05:38 What high-masking autism actually looks like 08:06 How early does autistic masking begin? 10:21 The biggest misconception about autism in adults 16:10 The biggest signs you’re masking autism 17:37 Why autistic people rehearse conversations 23:50 Why small talk can be so exhausting 29:59 What sensory overwhelm actually feels like 36:40 Why autistic people stim 40:04 Tiimo advert 41:31 The autistic behaviours people are made to feel ashamed of 43:33 The hidden cost of masking autism 46:39 What autistic burnout actually feels like 49:58 Can you mask for so long that you lose yourself? 51:27 When the mask becomes your personality 57:54 Are you really an introvert, or could you be autistic? 01:00:05 The Washing Machine of Woes 01:03:17 A Letter to My Younger Self Buy Dr Luke’s books 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Luke-Beardon/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ALuke%2BBeardon Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Buy Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Order Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 6 Obscure Signs Of Autism That Psychiatrists Secretly Look For | Dr Amber Sadiq

    6 Obscure Signs Of Autism That Psychiatrists Secretly Look For | Dr Amber Sadiq
    Aug 3 2026
    What if the things you've criticised yourself for your entire life... weren't flaws at all? What if struggling to make simple decisions, feeling overwhelmed by change, or caring so deeply about fairness weren't personality quirks, but signs your brain has been working differently all along? Today I'm joined by Dr Fareeha Amber Sadiq (known as Dr Amber), Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at Eleos Clinic. She has assessed hundreds of autistic individuals and has helped countless people finally understand why they've always felt different. Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 01:54 Why Every Decision Feels So Overwhelming 06:24 Why Autistic People Need Predictability 09:04 Why Injustice Feels Physically Painful 19:19 When You Can't Start... But Can't Stop Either 23:17 The Secret to Switching Between Tasks 25:43 The Autism Trait Everyone Calls Laziness 27:33 The Shutdown Nobody Sees 32:57 Tiimo Advert 34:17 The Hidden Reason Some People Can Mask for Decades 36:08 Why So Many People Don't Realise They're Autistic 41:14 How Masking Slowly Erases Your Identity 43:13 The Most Emotional Part of an Autism Assessment 45:15 The Moment People Realise They've Been Masking Their Entire Life 50:56 The One Sentence That Makes Psychiatrists Think "Autism" 54:15 The Autism Assessment Reactions I'll Never Forget 57:22 Washing Machine of Woes (Audience Questions) 01:03:02 A Letter to My Younger Self Download Dr. Sadiq’s free guide, Could This Be Me?, which explains why so many autistic adults were missed for decades, and what clarity could look like for you 👉 https://www.eleosclinic.com/wondering Find Dr Sadiq on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/eleos_clinic/ Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Buy Alex's book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Order Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The 4 Types Of Autistic Masking (97% of People Only Know The 1st Type)

    The 4 Types Of Autistic Masking (97% of People Only Know The 1st Type)
    Jul 27 2026
    Do you want to know what autistic masking actually feels like from the inside? Dr Carly Jones MBE is one of the world’s leading autistic advocates. Diagnosed as autistic in adulthood after both of her daughters were diagnosed, she has spent nearly two decades improving the lives of autistic people through policy, education and lived experience. In this episode, Carly explains what masking actually feels like from the inside, why so many autistic people learn to hide who they are from childhood, and the emotional cost of spending years pretending to be someone else. Together, we explore people pleasing, self-abandonment, loneliness, burnout, and the difficult journey of discovering who you really are after decades of masking. Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 01:56 The Mask You Didn't Know You Were Wearing 09:31 Is Your Brain Protecting You Without You Knowing? 11:42 The Childhood Moment You Learn It's Safer Not To Be Yourself 14:50 What Rejection Does To The Autistic Brain 18:23 Mask #1 22:25 The Day You Stopped Showing What You Loved 27:01 Mask #2 30:19 When People Pleasing Stops Being Kindness And Becomes Survival 34:25 The Moment You Start Abandoning Yourself 37:29 Tiimo advert 38:48 Mask #3 41:39 What If You're So Good At Reading People... You Forget Who You Are?43:34 Mask #4 46:43 How People Can Think You're Fine While You're Falling Apart 48:28 The Loneliness Nobody Talks About In Autism 51:07 The Warning Signs Your Mask Is About To Break 57:49 How To Start Taking The Mask Off (Without Losing Yourself) 01:01:19 Why Letting Go Of The Mask Feels So Terrifying 01:08:37 How To Know What's Really You... And What's Just Survival 01:11:47 The Lie Neurodivergent People Blame Themselves For 01:16:27 "I Don't Know Who I Am Anymore." 01:18:50 A Letter To My Younger Self Visit Carly’s website 👉 https://drcarlyjonesmbe.uk Find Carly on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/drcarlyjonesmbe/ Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Buy Alex's Sunday Times Best-selling book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Buy Alex's No.1 Sunday Times Best-selling book about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share
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    1 hr and 21 mins
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This show has some great guests with very interesting perspectives on adhd. It’s great when the episodes are about lived experiences or the issues we all struggle with daily.

However there is an aspect of this show that attempts to monetise adhd like it can be cured with an app and a supplement. I get the caster has to make a living but the constant plugging of apps and products gets a bit much. And when that becomes a whole episode, like it did with a recent episode about the supplement “stasis” it really ruins the show. The whole episode was an interview with the creator (and the person who profits) of the product. This guest had zero scientific qualifications but talked endlessly about so called “science” behind his untested, over priced product, that hasn’t had any clinical trails, or medical scrutiny. This becomes dangerous when the same unqualified guest starts speaking out against medicines that help a lot of people.

So my advice with this show stick to the ones with guests that have real life experiences or guests that have real qualifications. And fast forward all the stuff about apps and supplements. There is some good stuff amongst the weeds.

I love the guests but I dislike the plugging of products.

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Each and every guest has been insightful and interesting, informative and relatable. Check it out the ADHD CHATTER Insta, too!

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.