Episode 22: ADHD Clinician Compassion with Jenny Okolo

Jenny Okolo is a lead psychiatric occupational therapist, and an award-nominated mental health advocate, with extensive experience in the criminal justice sector.  This summer Jenny became a TEDx Speaker for TEDxNHS.  In her incredible talk she invited listeners to challenge the limits of their empathy, displaying the enormous impact compassion can have. ‘TEDxNHS was founded as a unique movement to enable the voices of NHS staff and patients to be heard on a national stage and spread their learning across the system. Bringing change to the NHS through the power of storytelling, TEDxNHS aims to inspire us to think differently, dream bigger, and design better for the population we serve.’‘We as healthcare professionals have such an opportunity to look beyond labels’ ~ @jenokoloJenny is our first neurotypical guest, and she plays a part in the NHS ADHD diagnostic system; helping people to get diagnosed and to see the value of diagnosis. Her message is completely aligned with our values: COMPASSION for neurodivergents, and that ADHD needs to be taken seriously! With different perspectives on the current ADHD diagnosis crisis, inevitably we do see some aspects differently… but that’s the whole point! With an underfunded NHS stretched to its limit, and undiagnosed ADHDers suffering in silence due to stigma/lack of awareness or living in limbo hell for years on outrageously long waiting lists for assessment and treatment; people are suffering on both sides! We feel it is essential to learn and understand the problem from all angles in order to find a way forward. It isn’t a case of ‘us and them’… As we all desperately need a better system;  it is essential that ADHDers and clinicians pull together in order to influence systemic change! We loved hearing about the incredible work Jenny does, and are so grateful to this legendary lady for giving us invaluable insight into the alternative perspective of the ADHD Diagnosis Crisis. THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNY! *Trigger Warning* We discuss some sensitive topics which some may find disturbing. Including: BN, ED, criminality, and mental health crisis. Support the show