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ADHD Chatter Podcast

Cambridge Educated Psychiatrist Shares New ADHD Treatment | Dr Judith Mohring

Dr Judith Mohring has over 25 years' experience of clinical and organisational practice having studied medicine at Cambridge and graduating as a gold medal finalist.

Dr. Judith MohringguestAlex Partridgehost

Apr 21, 202559mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Mission and Dr. Mohring's Approach to ADHD Education
Alex asks Dr. Mohring about her mission in the ADHD community. She says she wants to share evidence-based science so people can use skills to help themselves rather than only wait for assessment or medicine.
- •ADHD is both wonderfully complex and wonderfully simple
- •Passion for sharing high-quality, evidence-based information
- •People don't have to wait for an assessment or rely only on medicines
- •Goal is to see the light bulbs go on for people
The Tidal Nature of ADHD in Women
Dr. Mohring explains her idea that ADHD is "tidal", with dysregulated noradrenaline and dopamine producing swings between zoned-out and hyperfocused states. She notes this confuses individuals, colleagues and doctors, and that the science is still emerging.
- •Noradrenaline and dopamine are dysregulated, not simply low
- •Low tide means zoned out; high tide means hyperfocus and hyperenergy
- •Doctors assess the present mental state, which can change within an hour
- •Tonic versus phasic dopamine is evidenced by only a few papers
- •People get labeled moody or difficult
Life After Diagnosis: Comorbidities, Shame and Relief
Alex asks how struggles shift after diagnosis. Dr. Mohring describes neurodiversity as soil in which other conditions can grow, and a mix of shame and relief that can take two or three years to work through.
- •Neurodiversity is a way of being wired, not a disease
- •Anxiety, OCD, addiction or eating disorders can grow alongside it
- •Coming out brings a mixture of shame and relief
- •It can take two or three years to come to terms with life patterns
Barriers to Coming Out and Responding to "ADHD Isn't Real"
The conversation covers why people hesitate to disclose, including dismissal, shame and workplace power dynamics. Dr. Mohring responds to the belief that ADHD isn't real by pointing to its long history and the need for slow societal change and allies.
- •Dismissal such as "neurodiversity is a fad" and the shame of "why can't you be more normal"
- •Power dynamics make it hard for juniors to ask for adaptations
- •ADHD constructs have been described for over 200 years
- •Treatments have existed since roughly the 1950s
- •Slow, steady progress and finding allies
Feeling Lost, Self-Awareness and "Pretzeling"
Alex asks what feeling lost and misunderstood does to mental health. Dr. Mohring links it to self-awareness as part of executive function and to the overactive default mode network, which she calls pretzeling. Alex adds that people with ADHD are expert maskers.
- •Self-awareness is an early element of executive function
- •Adaptability brings vulnerability because there is no exterior shell
- •Overactive default mode network leads to pretzeling to others' needs
- •Dr. Mohring's coming out meant unpretzeling
- •Masking and mirroring can damage self-esteem
Is ADHD a Deficit of Self-Awareness? Practical Tools
Alex proposes that ADHD is more a deficit of self-awareness than of attention, and Dr. Mohring agrees it is better described as attention dysregulation. They cover journaling, breathwork, a quick check-in, the ideas shelf and sorting into threes.
- •Attention dysregulation rather than attention deficit
- •Journaling, breathwork and mindfulness help build self-awareness
- •Check-in questions: who am I, where am I, what am I doing, how long have I got
- •Knee-jerk reactions can reveal what you genuinely care about
- •Now/soon/later basket and the rule of threes
Positive Psychology and ADHD Strengths
Dr. Mohring explains positive psychology, which shifts focus from deficits to strengths, and research on ADHD strengths. Alex argues people should seek self-awareness rather than trying to fix themselves into neurotypicals.
- •Martin Seligman's positive psychology focuses on flourishing
- •Free strengths questionnaires exist online
- •ADHD strengths include courage, curiosity, empathy and thinking outside the box
- •Knowing strengths helps overcome ADHD shame
- •Basic daily reflection questions build self-awareness
Calm in a Crisis, Stress and Spotting Burnout
Dr. Mohring describes how the noradrenaline surge makes people with ADHD strong in a crisis but prone to leaning into rushing and stress. She and Alex discuss personal early signs of burnout, such as losing keys, stubbing toes and skipping basic self-care.
- •Calm in a crisis is a classic ADHD strength
- •Leaning into stress can become a pattern that is hard to exit
- •Slowing down and asking for help can break the pattern
- •Classic burnout means lower energy, reduced efficacy and cynicism
- •Personal warning signs include lost keys, takeaways and missed runs
The Natural Psychiatrist and Tips for Mood and Focus
Dr. Mohring explains her term "natural psychiatrist" and the three-legged stool of medication, therapy and everything else. Asked for top tips, she names mindfulness adapted for ADHD and exercise.
- •Natural psychiatrist emerged from her own unhappiness as a psychiatrist
- •Medication and therapy are two legs; lifestyle is the third
- •Teaching people skills matters given the shortage of psychiatrists
- •Mindfulness must be adapted, for example mindful running or dancing
- •Exercise is massively helpful
Stress Mindset Training and How ADHD Brains Handle Stress
Dr. Mohring explains stress management work using Stanford's SPARKS tools, which improved stress mindset immediately and more at four weeks. She links this to ADHD people finding focus under stress, and Alex shares his own story of loss and recovery from alcoholism.
- •Stress-is-enhancing mindset: stress prepares the body for a challenge
- •Mindset improved across the day and further at four weeks
- •People with ADHD often find mental clarity under higher stress
- •Research links anxiety and worry to overcoming lack of focus
- •Alex discusses losing his passion and his alcohol recovery; Dr. Mohring says being lost can be a chance to find yourself
Intuition, People-Pleasing and Overcommitting
The pair discuss neurodivergent intuition as a blessing and a curse, and the gap between sensing something is wrong and acting on it. Dr. Mohring describes people-pleasing and her technique of saying "let me get back to you", and Alex describes overcommitment at work.
- •Intuition can be strong but hard to act on
- •Strong sensitivity to others' mental states cuts both ways
- •People-pleasing leads to impulsive yeses
- •Pausing with "let me get back to you" creates a gap
- •Overcommitment leads to anxiety and sleeplessness
ADHD in the Workplace: Asking for Help and Psychological Safety
Dr. Mohring describes how workplaces over-rely on strengths while ignoring struggles. She advises framing needs as "I am the kind of person who..." and discusses universal design and psychological safety, with Alex adding the business case for neurodivergent talent.
- •Colleagues are expected to excel at everything, not just their strengths
- •Disclosure isn't required, and framing needs as "I'm the kind of person who..." can help
- •Universal design lets anyone request adjustments
- •Explicit instructions and deadlines matter
- •Psychological safety means a safe-to-fail culture where outsider voices are included
Vicarious Trauma, ADHD and the Wellness Industry
Dr. Mohring defines vicarious trauma and describes her own symptoms after listening to patients' trauma stories. She suggests the default mode network might make people with ADHD more susceptible, and they discuss why wellbeing is booming.
- •Vicarious trauma is being traumatized by other people's traumatic material
- •Her own symptoms included nightmares of being murdered
- •Mirroring via the default mode network may raise susceptibility, though evidence is lacking
- •Many people with ADHD become coaches when they need coaching
- •Wellbeing boom linked to greater wealth and less religion
What Moves Her Most: Validation
After a sponsor break, Alex asks what moves Dr. Mohring most in her work. She says it is seeing people validated and believed.
- •The moment someone realizes "it wasn't just me"
- •Education reassures people they aren't going mad
- •Clients often cry because it is a safe place to drop the mask
- •Being believed matters after long experiences of not being believed
The ADHD Item: The Puppy and the Default Mode Network
Dr. Mohring reveals her ADHD item, a toy puppy that represents the default mode network. She explains it as curious and playful, wanting to wander off the path, and needing exercise, sleep and rest rather than being beaten.
- •The default mode network is the part that struggles to switch off in ADHD
- •It is curious, wandering, playful and creative
- •The central executive network stays on the path
- •Like a puppy it needs exercise, sleep and rest
- •Understanding the networks shows what the puppy needs
Washing Machine of Woes: Advice on Job Stability and Closing Letter
Alex introduces the agony aunt segment, and a listener asks how to hold down a job when seniors mistake neurodivergence for incompetence. Dr. Mohring recommends a reframe, naming struggles and strengths, and self-care. The episode ends with the previous guest's three rules.
- •Reframe: struggling with certain things isn't incompetence
- •Raise awareness of difficulties and ask for help early
- •Explain the strengths you bring to a business
- •ADHD worsens with sleep deprivation, alcohol and lack of exercise
- •Previous guest's rules: communicate well, nurture relationships, care for yourself

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