Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Awkwardness





See podcast:

This time on the podcast Meg-John interviewed Elsie Whittington. Elsie is a researcher at Manchester Met Uni who did her PhD on consent and studies youth sexuality.

For the podcast episode Elsie and MJ decided to focus on awkwardness because this was such a big theme in Elsie’s research that it ended up being a whole chapter of her thesis.

How is awkwardness relevant to sex and consent?

Pretty much every one of the young people who Elsie spoke to for her research said that a huge thing they feared during sex was awkwardness, and this was a major barrier to having conversations about consent, or to pausing or stopping what they were doing if it wasn’t feeling good.



The sex educators and advisors that Elsie spoke with also said that awkwardness was a big barrier to talking about sex openly in schools and youth groups – and evidence suggests that medics, therapists, and other professionsal feel similarly awkward about bringing up issues of sex and consent.
What is awkwardness?

Most of the participants in Elsie’s research said it was a sense of embarrassment or having got something wrong. They felt awkward that they might be exposed as being inept at sex in some way if they brought up consent, or talked about what they wanted, for example. They were scared of losing face and looking stupid.

Interestingly the word awkward – from the Latin – means wrong (awk) and direction (ward – like backward and forward). So it’s literally about a fear of going in the wrong direction. On the podcast we linked this to the sexual script that is taught in media, sex advice, sex ed, etc. Part of why there is awkwardness around sex is that there is a sense of the ‘right direction’ that we could (intentionally or unintentially) deviate from. Even worse, there’s often a sense that trying to do it consensually will risk us going in the wrong direction.
What do we generally do about awkwardness?

In all aspects of life we’re taught pretty thoroughly to avoid awkwardness – perhaps particularly if we’re from cultural backgrounds which have a horror of embarrassment and where saving face is important. We might struggle with restaurants or shops or other unfamiliar environments if we sense that we don’t know the script – and therefore risk being awkward.

As with so many difficult feelings our default may be to assume that the presence of awkwardness is a bad thing, and that avoiding it is a good thing, at whatever cost.
Why is this risky?

When it comes to sex – which feels like such a loaded, vulnerable situation with potential for awkwardness – people may even prefer to risk unwanted or non-consensual sex than facing an awkward pause, silence, or conversation. Awkwardness is also a reason often given for struggling to suggest contraception.

Sex advice and media – including much advice around consent – is largely to blame for people preferring risky non-awkwardness to consensual awkwardness. It presents a script for sex, with everyone telepathatically knowing what to do without communication, and no awkwardness. Even consent ed often presents consent conversations as straightforward and not awkward. We need to see more realistic images and examples of people navigating awkwardness around sex and consent. It simply isn’t possible to get to that point without a lot of practise (including plenty of awkwardness).
How could we approach awkwardness differently?

We spoke about the importance of staying with feelings: learning how to be with awkwardness, recognising that it’s possible to feel and won’t destroy us. The most we can practise being okay with awkward feelings, the more we’ll be okay when those happen during sex.

Naming awkwardness can really take the sting out of it. Saying ‘oh that’s awkward’ or referencing the awkward turtle meme helps to make it a bonding, perhaps funny, moment rather than something that feels terrible.

It can be great to model the capacity to be awkward and it be okay for other people – if it’s something you can do. You can bring in cultures with friends where you see anybody feeling awkward as a great sign that a conversation would be helpful. Naming awkwardness and asking how others are doing can be helpful for social dynamics, and good practise again for when this comes up in relation to sex (whether sex itself or conversations about it).

© Meg-John Barker and Justin Hancock, 2020


SOURCE:

'We have a duty to carry out socially relevant research'


Ella Rhodes reports on the impact for British Psychological Society journals.

16 June 2025



Studies published in British Psychological Society journals are having an impact on global education, health, and pandemic preparedness policy. A recent BPS analysis of data from Altmetric, which monitors mentions of journal articles in government guidelines, white papers and other publications, found articles in our journals were cited by bodies including the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.

Three studies published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology featured in the top 10 BPS journal articles with the greatest policy impact in 2024. One of these was an open-access paper by University of Sussex researchers Dr Lewis Doyle, Dr Matthew Easterbrook, and Professor Peter Harris. They explored teachers' perceptions of an identical piece of work written by students who appeared to be from varying ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Teachers judged lower-socioeconomic-status (SES) students' work to be of lower quality than higher SES students and rated their ability and potential as inferior. The researchers suggested these unconscious biases among teachers could be part of the reason students from lower SES backgrounds tend to perform worse at school.

Their work was cited by the European Commission's Joint Research Service in its paper on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on learning loss and education policy in Europe. The Pandemic, Socioeconomic Disadvantage, and Learning Outcomes also drew on case studies from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and England to explore the learning challenges created by COVID-19, particularly for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Doyle said his and colleagues' research, including the British Journal of Educational Psychology article, sought to use social psychology to better understand and combat educational inequalities. 'As a scientific community, I think we have a duty to carry out socially relevant research that can have a positive impact on society.

'Finding that teachers may be biased in their judgements is an important discovery to share with other academics, but in terms of real-world impact, it is far more important to communicate these learnings to teachers and policymakers themselves. This article gained a large amount of media attention and enabled us to reach a broader audience than may otherwise have been possible. We have subsequently shared these findings in workshops and meetings with teachers and school leaders and hope that this will lead to impactful change.'

In 2020, the British Journal of Educational Psychology also published a study by Canisius University researchers Professor Kristin Finn, Dr Clancy Seymour, and Anna Phillips, which again explored bias among teachers. They asked middle school and high school teachers to assess a fake essay which also included a photograph of students of varying weights – they found overweight students were more likely to be given lower grades, and were assumed to have lower grades overall.

The European Parliament's Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies included these findings in its document Current challenges and opportunities for addressing obesity. The report, produced for the parliament's Subcommittee on Public Health, explored obesity prevention and management in the EU, healthcare for people with obesity, and environments which promote health.

The Covid-19 pandemic also featured extensively in the top 10 BPS journal articles with most policy impact, including a longitudinal study in the British Journal of Educational Psychology on teachers' mental health during the first year of the pandemic. University of York researchers – Dr Lisa Kim, Dr Laura Oxley, and Professor Kathryn Asbury – looked at 24 primary and secondary school teachers' job demands and resources in April, July and November of 2020.

They found that teachers' mental health and wellbeing, particularly among primary school leaders, generally declined across that period. The uncertainty in their roles, workloads, negative perceptions of their profession, concern for the wellbeing of others, health struggles and having multiple roles had a particularly negative impact on teachers' mental health and wellbeing, while having social support, autonomy at work and coping strategies impacted positively on them.

A 2024 report commissioned by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work cited these findings. This report looked at artificial intelligence in education and advocated for a teacher-centred perspective in discussions about the use of digital technology in education.

Several pandemic-related papers published in the British Journal of Health Psychology were also included in the top 10. One of these was a study by Frederik Jørgensen, Dr Alexander Bor and Professor Michael Bang Petersen, which explored the protective behaviours people had taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, and attitudes towards the pandemic and society more broadly.

This research, published in 2021, included surveys of more than 26,500 people living in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. The findings showed that one of the major reasons people followed protective advice was a feeling of self-efficacy, and the impact of fear on those behaviours was small among those who felt higher self-efficacy. The authors suggested governments could foster compliance without resorting to heightening feelings of fear among the public.

This study was cited in a paper on incorporating trust into planning for future health crises, including pandemics, in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation by Thomas Bollyky from the US Council for Foreign Relations and Michael Bang Petersen. In that paper, they proposed that policies should ensure the trust which already existed in communities should be sustained during health crises, in part by using honest and transparent communication, and that strategies should be introduced which promote cooperation in communities where trust in government is low.

Another top 10 study in the British Journal of Health Psychology looked at people's intentions to take the COVID-19 vaccine in the face of information about its efficacy. Professor Colin Davis (University of Bristol), Matt Golding, the founder and creative director of Rubber Republic, and Professor Ryan McKay (Royal Holloway, University of London), asked more than 480 people in four different conditions about their intentions to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

Giving people information on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine increased their intentions to have the vaccine. The researchers also found a stronger increase in Covid vaccine intentions in a condition where participants were shown safety and efficacy information about the Covid vaccine alongside information that the flu vaccine's efficacy was much lower than the Covid vaccine.

The World Bank cited this research in its policy research working paper Behaviorally Informed Messages Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions: Insights from a Global Meta-Analysis. This paper analysed 28 online experiments, which involved more than 120,000 people, and found behaviourally-informed messages significantly increased vaccination intentions among unvaccinated people.

Chair of the BPS Research Board, Dr Richard Stephens, told us: 'It's no secret amongst the community of psychology researchers that the evidence-base can be so impactful. We understand how to design and run robust studies that provide meaningful insights into psychological processes that affect people's decisions and, consequently, their lives. But it's so wonderful to see my peers (and forebears) spreading influence, worldwide.'

SOURCE:

Όταν νιώθουμε τύψεις επειδή φωνάξαμε στο παιδί- Η απάντηση του παιδοψυχολόγου







O σύμβουλος γονέων και παιδοψυχολόγος Ιωάννης Γλωσσόπουλος μιλάει για ένα θέμα που έχει απασχολήσει όλους τους γονείς. Για τις τύψεις που βάζουμε όταν φωνάζουμε στα παιδιά, όταν συνειδητοποιούμε ότι δεν ξέρουμε πώς να θέσουμε όρια, όταν νιώθουμε κακοί γονείς, όταν είμαστε απλά εξαντλημένοι.

Οι συμβουλές του είναι πολύτιμες και κυρίως πολύ καθησυχαστικές για τους γονείς που προσπουθούν καθημερινά να γίνουν η καλύτερη εκδοχή του εαυτού τους:


Φωνάζεις στο παιδί σου και μετά νιώθεις χάλια.
Δεν θες να το πληγώνεις.
Δεν θες να είσαι "αυτός” ο γονιός.
Αυτός που είπε ότι δεν θα γίνει ποτέ.
Κι όμως… εκεί βρίσκεσαι.
Με φωνές που δεν σε εκπροσωπούν και τύψεις που σε βαραίνουν.
Δεν είσαι κακός γονιός.
Είσαι κουρασμένος.
Εξαντλημένος.
Και πολλές φορές, χωρίς σωστά "εργαλεία."




Γιατί τα όρια δεν μπαίνουν μόνο στο παιδί.
Μπαίνουν πρώτα σε σένα.


Στο πότε λες "ναι" ενώ μέσα σου είναι "όχι".
Στο πότε κρατάς, κρατάς, κρατάς... και μετά ξεσπάς.
Στο πότε δεν φεύγεις για να μην κλάψει και τελικά φωνάζεις για να σταματήσει.
Όριο είναι να πεις "τώρα δεν μπορώ άλλο", πριν φτάσεις στο δεν αναγνωρίζω τον εαυτό μου.
Όριο είναι να πεις "χρειάζομαι βοήθεια" και να την αναζητήσεις.
Όριο είναι να πεις στο παιδί "σ' αγαπώ, αλλά αυτό δεν γίνεται".

Μπορείς να γίνεις ο γονιός που θέλεις.
Όχι όταν δεν φωνάζεις ποτέ.

Αλλά όταν κάθε μέρα κάνεις λίγο χώρο για σένα και λίγο χώρο για εκείνο!


ΠΗΓΗ:

Friday, 13 June 2025

Making time for humanity in mental health care



Manuela Maletta, Mental Health Practitioner, looks to bridge some gaps.

15 May 2025


'Lara' was referred to me by her GP. She had struggled with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder for years and had gone through several antidepressants – each discontinued either due to intolerable side effects or a brief period of effectiveness. She had also completed two courses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with limited benefit. Her GP felt they had exhausted all alternatives available in primary care – therapy, medication – and believed Lara's case was not severe enough to meet the criteria for secondary care intervention, usually reserved for people who score high in risk assessments, or who present with eating or personality disorders and subsequently experience complex mental health issues.

This is a situation I see increasingly often in the course of my work as a Mental Health Practitioner. In my early years as a behavioural therapist working with neurodiverse clients, with a complementary career in the performing arts, I became quite sensitised to the matters of narratives, time, and dissonances. It is through this lens that I now observe people with complex and longstanding mental health difficulties, caught between the limitations of primary care and the thresholds of specialist services. People who don't quite 'fit' the system.
Lara

The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) called for the creation of integrated models of care, aiming to promote collaboration within Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and Community Mental Health Services. These models were designed to help people like Lara (all names here have been changed) – people whose needs fall in the gap between IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) and secondary care. According to the King's Fund, between 2010/11 and 2014/15, referrals from primary care to community mental health teams in England increased by 19 per cent. During a similar time frame – from 2005 to 2015 – the British Medical Association reported that prescriptions for antidepressants doubled. This signals a system under pressure, where medication often becomes the default response to complex emotional distress.

In a 2018 survey by Mind, involving 1,000 GPs, around 40 per cent of respondents estimated that mental health was a significant component of their daily appointments. This aligns with what many practitioners experience: mental health now represents a substantial part of the GP caseload, and yet primary care is not always equipped with the time, training, or pathways to support these patients fully.

Long waiting times and stretched resources create bottlenecks. GPs are left managing patients with increasingly complex needs, often without access to timely support or clear clinical pathways. This results in fragmented care, where mental and physical health are rarely addressed in a coordinated way. Barriers to integration include logistical challenges, funding limitations, and the absence of shared systems or protocols. The result? Patients feel unsupported, GPs feel overwhelmed, and practitioners are left to try and bridge the gap, often without formal authority or structure to do so.

This is where the integration of Mental Health Practitioners (MHPs) into primary care comes into focus – not just as a theoretical improvement but as an urgent, practical solution. A shift towards compassionate, timely, and holistic care. Lara came to me with a deep sense of hopelessness and the belief that every option had already been tried and failed. She felt like a lost cause. But I believe mental health professionals are, at their core, creatures of hope (just like philosophers are 'functionaries of mankind'!).

And so, we began. Not with a new medication or a fresh referral, but with presence – with time. We were standing in front of a puzzle with scattered pieces and had been told perhaps they were the wrong ones. But no, Lara – these were your pieces. Our work was to look at them from the right angle.

This is the gift that working in primary care integration can offer: the gift of time. The time that GPs and many other professionals simply don't have. Unlike the strict 10-15 minute appointment slots common in general practice, MHPs are typically able to offer 30 or even 60 minute sessions. This extended time allows for deeper exploration – not just of symptoms, but of the stories, patterns, and social contexts behind them. We are positioned at the intersection of medicine, psychology, and community support, and often act as bridges across systems. In doing so, we have the potential to bring a uniquely integrative and human approach to care, one that values presence as much as intervention. And sometimes, this approach is what changes everything.
Joseph

Joseph had always found it hard to talk about his feelings. Stigma – especially around masculinity and mental health – was deeply embedded in his narrative. At one point, he had briefly mentioned his emotional struggles to his GP and had been given the link to self-refer to IAPT. But he never did. He felt like 'jumping in the dark'.

Joseph didn't know what to do with a self-referral link. He needed a person – someone to walk alongside him as he took the first steps. From our early sessions, it became clear he wasn't looking for therapy in the conventional sense. He needed human connection and validation. He needed someone who could listen without judgement and offer some structure and support for the isolation that was weighing on him.

As we explored his story, it also became clear that much of his discomfort stemmed not from generalised anxiety but from the internalised stigma of growing up as a gay man in an environment where this was not safe or accepted. This wasn't just about mental health – it was about identity, shame, and isolation.

We investigated LGBTQ+ community groups, connected him with our social prescriber, and explored opportunities for volunteering, so that Joseph could try to take a step outside of himself. These small but significant interventions helped Joseph begin to reconnect with others, and consequently with himself. His mental health improved not through clinical intervention alone, but through validation, connection, and a sense of belonging.
Craig

Craig was a young offender from an ethnic minority background. Recently released from prison, he had been issued several fit notes excusing him from probation appointments, though these were inconsistently granted by different clinicians, with varying descriptions of his symptoms. It raised an important question: what exactly was he being excused from?

When Craig came to see me, his presentation revealed layers of trauma that had never been named or supported. He described severe anxiety dating back to early childhood, significant behavioural issues at school that had led to exclusion, and clear symptoms of PTSD following his incarceration.

He hadn't shared any of this with his probation officer. He didn't know how to. He said he found it difficult to leave the house at all. The only reason he had made it to the appointment was because 'the GP practice is local, and the doctors are there to help'.

His PCL-5 scores indicated severe PTSD. He was supported to share these findings with probation, and adjustments were made to ease his attendance. We also referred him for trauma therapy while continuing to meet regularly while on the waiting list to maintain engagement.

Despite a history of reoffending, Craig became determined to break the cycle. He developed a new vision for his future.

What made this possible? A safe space, presence, and time.
Integration in practice

Integrated models of care have demonstrated improved outcomes for individuals with mental health conditions or long-term physical illnesses. Research shows that collaborative approaches within the NHS can reduce hospital admissions, increase patient satisfaction, and improve cost-effectiveness.

In my day-to-day work, integration means everything from supporting people on the SMI register to engage with annual health checks, to providing brief interventions such as grounding techniques and motivational interviewing. I refer patients to other services and advocate for patients with rejected referrals, attend MDTs and interface meetings, liaise with consultant psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, and work across both the GP practice and the Trust.

This dual-anchored role has its complexities. In the beginning, there was little clarity. I essentially have two managers, two sets of supervision, and often two conflicting sets of expectations. It took a few joint meetings and some honest conversations to clarify my remit and strike the right balance.

I now feel fortunate to work for an excellent trust and an equally nurturing and collaborative GP practice. Both are aligned with my values – patient-centred care, empathy, and teamwork. I've been granted a clear remit, along with the flexibility to adapt it to the needs of the people I support.

One of the most valuable aspects of this role is being able to choose the length of a session, whether 30 minutes or a full hour. While I technically offer a maximum of 4-5 sessions, I continue to see patients for longer when needed, if the intervention remains beneficial or if periodic welfare checks are part of the plan.

There have been times when admin has felt overwhelming, especially during referral surges, but honest communication led to increased protected time for documentation and referrals. Boundaries were also clarified around medication – I'm not trained to manage pharmacological care, and in such cases, I refer patients back to the GP.
Revisiting Lara

Returning to Lara, one of the key themes in our early sessions was the word 'overwhelm'. She often described feeling 'incapable of coping like other people'. Over time, I've come to recognise this word – overwhelm – as a flag. It's worth exploring deeply.

I began to ask about sensory sensitivities and social interactions. Lara gradually identified patterns that hinted at neurodiversity. We completed the AQ-10 screening tool for Autism and the ASRS for ADHD. Her scores were high enough, and with the Right to Choose, she accessed the appropriate diagnostic assessments relatively soon, which confirmed both ASC and ADHD.

This opened a new narrative for Lara – one that finally made sense. We discussed how unrecognised neurodivergence may have shaped her experiences of anxiety and low mood for years. We developed a sensory care plan, particularly around transitions and holidays, to prevent future overwhelm. She joined a support group and began reading about neurodivergence in girls. She later started supporting her younger brother through his own diagnostic journey.

Her life improved. Not overnight – but with time, patience, and validation.
Reflections on practical implementation

To strengthen this model, several practical elements need to be prioritised. First, co-location is vital. Physically embedding Mental Health Practitioners within GP practices enhances both access and visibility. When patients see that mental health care is a routine part of their local surgery, stigma is reduced and engagement increases.

Equally important would be ensuring that MHPs are included in the multidisciplinary discussions within both GP practices and Primary Care Networks. Being part of these integrated meetings not only improves continuity of care but would also allow for more nuanced and timely support across services.

Shared care pathways should also be clearly established. Patients, clinicians, and support staff need to understand when it's most appropriate to involve a Mental Health Practitioner, when a GP should take the lead, and when an urgent referral to secondary or specialist services is necessary. Without these guidelines, care can become inconsistent or delayed.

Finally, the principle of 'no wrong door' should underpin the entire system. No one should be turned away simply because they don't fit neatly into an existing category or meet arbitrary thresholds. If someone finds the courage to reach out – regardless of the severity or complexity of their presentation – they deserve to be heard, held, and supported.

The stories of Lara, Joseph, and Craig reflect the core truth of integrated care: healing happens when people feel seen, heard, and held, especially in systems where they've long been overlooked.

Integration is not just a buzzword. It is a necessary transformation. It calls for investment – not just in resources, but in relationships. In time. In presence. In human connection.

We must continue to build models that are flexible, collaborative, and above all, person-centred. The policy frameworks are there – the NHS Long Term Plan, the Community Mental Health Framework – but real integration happens in conversations. In listening. In adapting. In showing up.
Are we really making a difference?

Yes. When we're given the space and trust to do so, we make all the difference.

For Lara.
For Joseph.
For Craig.
And for everyone still waiting to be heard.
References

British Medical Association. (2024). "It's broken": Doctors' experiences on the frontline of a failing mental healthcare system. BMA. Retrieved from https://www.bma.org.uk

Department of Health and Social Care. (2019). The NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England. Retrieved from https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk

King's Fund. (2017). Understanding NHS financial pressures: How are they affecting patient care? Retrieved from https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/understanding-nhs-financial-pressures

Mind. (2018). GP mental health training survey summary. Retrieved from gp-mh-2018-survey-summary.pdf

NHS England. (2021). The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults. Retrieved from The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults | Royal College of Psychiatrists

NHS England. (2023). What are integrated care systems? Retrieved from NHS England » What are integrated care systems?

Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2021). Long Term Plan for the NHS in England. Retrieved from Long Term Plan for the NHS in England| Royal College of Psychiatrists

Thornicroft, G., Mehta, N., Clement, S., Evans-Lacko, S., Doherty, M., Rose, D., ... & Henderson, C. (2016). Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet, 387(10023), 1123–1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00298-6


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Thursday, 12 June 2025

What it means to be weird



Professor Catherine Loveday (University of Westminster) reviews ‘Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal – My adventures in Neurodiversity’, by Robin Ince.

10 June 2025


In his latest book, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal, Robin Ince says that he always asks people to put the vital information of an email in the first sentence. So, for those that share his cognitive style, let me cut to the chase and say that I absolutely loved this book. I started reading the hardback when it came through the post and was so keen not to stop, that when I set off for the office I looked up the audiobook and kept going. For the next few days, I flipped between both formats wanting to consume it as quickly as possible. I'm not the only one – a friend of mine, recently diagnosed with ADHD, read the book in less than 24 hours, and I have seen many others say the same.

Robin's book gives a frank and compelling account of his journey to understanding himself and in particular his discovery that he is neurodivergent. While his formal clinical diagnosis is of ADHD, the book speaks more generally about neurodiversity and what it means to be 'weird', whether that be consistently leaving cupboard doors open, a life-long obsession with Doctor Who, a desk that is piled so high that it looks like the 'entropy fairy has fired a leaf blower at it', the distress of meltdowns, or an overwhelming sensitivity to injustice.

One thing that I really like about Robin's approach is that although the book refers to many traits that are common in neurodivergent people, it mostly steers away from linking these with specific diagnoses. Indeed, he acknowledges that his own 'weirdness' is also shaped by his own personal childhood trauma. Instead, he talks of thoughts, feelings, behaviours and anxieties that occur frequently in people with neurodivergent profiles. He draws on his own experiences, of course, but also of many others who he has met along the way – taking the reader through the full gamut of emotions, from the exhaustion of relentless masking to the joy of discovering confident vulnerability.

The tricky decision about how and who a formal diagnosis can help is chewed over in a chapter towards the end of the book. For Robin, recognition of his ADHD provided an explanation and gave him (and his family) an operating manual. He acknowledges that not everyone needs or wants to go down this road, but also shares the stories of many who have felt like a weight was lifted when their differences were finally acknowledged and explained.

I found myself laughing out loud one minute and letting out big gulping sobs the next – at random points and in equal measure. Sometimes, this was simply an empathic response to Robin's story and to the painful experiences of many others that he has spoken with. But also, I instantly recognised the experiences of a number of others I am close to, and at times I even saw elements of myself ('doom bags' and diary mishaps being at the top of that list). To be clear, I don't consider myself neurodivergent or to have ADHD, but I think there is a powerful and emotional relief that comes from such open acknowledgement of traits that you recognise in yourself, albeit at a much milder level.

While the book is predominantly about being neurodivergent, Robin invites us to celebrate the full range of neurodiversity and to challenge the ideological notion of what it means to be 'normal'. I came away from the book not only with more understanding of others, but also feeling a little more understood myself. Wherever we may sit on the distribution of 'typical' to 'atypical', we all have different strengths and weaknesses. If only society could be a little more accommodating of these differences, we might all be a little better off.



SOURCE: