Three months ago, one of my patients—let's call her Maria—received what appeared to be a video call from her teenage daughter. The "daughter" was crying, claiming she'd been in an accident and desperately needed money wired immediately.
Throughout my two decades of clinical practice, I've observed how technology repeatedly promises to solve human connection problems while often exacerbating them.
As a psychotherapist who has worked for decades within our healthcare system, I've seen for myself the challenges patients face: long delays, fragmented care, misdiagnoses and treatments that can seem more like educated guesses than targeted solutions. Such experiences have helped me appreciate the huge benefits and the sobering limitations of modern medicine.
Across the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, the understanding of ADHD as a healthcare issue that impacts people of all ages is finally gaining traction. As a result, demand for diagnostic and treatment services has exploded in all three countries.
England's system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is set for major reform. I am an ADHD specialist who recognizes both the need for reform and the fears among families.
During our session at that time, a client admitted, “I don’t know what it feels like” when trying to describe the sensations they experienced during the ordinary.
“It is of great concern that some adults who are formally diagnosed with ADHD are dying younger than they should,” says Professor Josh Stott of University College London. This frightening conclusion speaks to a stark truth — people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience a significantly shorter life span than their peers.
