Kate Horne
Storyteller | Life Coach
ADHD+: THE FUNDAMENTALS
The term ADHD+ refers to the myriad (mind and body) conditions that so often journey with ADHD that we are only now becoming aware of and which the medical world at large has simply not got its head around – yet! It is rooted in a groundbreaking re-conceptualisation of ADHD, neurodivergence and mental health more broadly.
The ADHD+ Profiler ™ – see below – endorses these scientific breakthroughs from leading experts – new, significant and compelling scientific research about the extent to which an individual’s body shapes their neurodivergence and mental health.
One key expert whose work the Profiler endorses is Dr James Kustow, author of best-selling Penguin published book, “How to Thrive with Adult ADHD.” As Kustow writes in his book after years supporting thousands of people with ADHD as a psychiatrist and therapist, Kustow began to see patterns emerging: particular health issues that patients frequently presented to him with – conditions that “cluster” together with ADHD at far higher rates that in the general population.
Kustow and fellow experts have identified that the chemical malfunction in the brain that the mental health world has been so focused on for decades – the “ADHD” stuff going on “up top” – translated into issues going on “down below”….
They have realised that ADHD-ers’ – and neurodivergent individuals/ those challenged by mental health conditions – are more SENSITIVE, the stresses on ONE system more often than not driving INFLAMMATION in the body and causing DYSREGULATION in another.
ADHD+ is an invitation to view ADHD, neurodivergence – and mental health more broadly – through a MIND & BODY lens.
Understanding if and how ADHD is wired, uniquely, into a person’s physiology – allows ADHD-ers and the professionals supporting us – to determine the ways we are “dysregulated” by it, and the optimal management and treatment for us SHIFT DYSREGULATION towards REGULATION.
This ADHD+ Profiler ™ is an invitation – in a tool form – to join up the dots for you to start making meaningful sense of yourself (mind AND body). It is designed for those aged 16 and over.
The aim of the Profiler is to provide an individual diagnosed with – or self identifying with – ADHD and any other neurodivergence/ mental health condition with a foundational understanding of how they show up in the world with their neurodivergence (mind and body).
The Profiler is an interactive document that an individual wanting to map out their profile can be granted access to: each individual receives a unique, private link for them to access and where they can map out their ADHD+ Profile.
The document can be amended and added to and that’s the beauty of it: as an individual grows in awareness, they will be able to build on it, it will evolve, just as they do!
At any point you can download your current version of the document and share it.
I created the Profiler to serve as a springboard for my clients to take the meaningful and effective steps towards living their best life, to serve as a bridge to advocate for themselves, to access the support that they need and deserve, be it at the doctor’s, at work/ in education or in their personal life.
The ADHD+ Profile model isn’t (yet!) used in a formal diagnostic process for ADHD or indeed any other mental, but God knows it should be!
Why – because we’ve been fobbed off for far too long about what ADHD ‘really’ is: the current, reductionist model for understanding the condition and the whole diagnostic process to determine if someone has it is outdated; it is no longer fit for purpose or serving humanity.
The ADHD+ Profiler ™ is built on the the breakthrough understanding that neurodivergence isn’t JUST wired into the brain the neurological, psychological and trauma systems – it is wired – to differing degrees – into a person’s very physiology, deeply interconnected with:
- The Inflammatory System
- The Gut-Brain Axis
- The Connective Tissue system
- The Autonomic Nervous System
- The Cardiovascular System
- The Hormonal System
The ADHD+ Profiler ™ incorporates and integrates findings from leading specialists in all these above fields, most notably Dr James Kustow, Dr Jessica Eccles, Dr Zac Spiritos, Dr Christopher Muller Pollard, Professor Sandra Kooij and Dr Lotta Borg Skoglund.
While the Profiler endorses the work of all the (above) individuals, it was created independently by me and I work independently from them as an ADHD+ Educator and ADHD Life Coach.
The ADHD+ Profiler ™ unpacks for an individual the conceptualisation that a person can be dysregulated across multiple systems, mind and body, NOT just in their thinking.
Most neurodivergents – like me, until two years ago – are unaware of this interconnectedness (mind and body). As a result they are lost in different health specialists silos, with no one health professional joining up the dots, left feeling at best misunderstood, at worst gaslit, despairing.
With the current standard ADHD “brain” only diagnosis, no co-existing physical issues are thought relevant, which means that people are missing so many targets for treating their ADHD – and other neurodivergences – effectively along with their co-existing physical health conditions.
The bitter irony is that right now millions of people are languishing on waitlists for – or paying bonkers amounts of money to bypass the waitlist to access – a coveted ADHD assessment that isn’t fit for purpose; yes, receiving a positive diagnosis grants an individual access to medication to manage (cognitive) ADHD traits – should they chose to take it. It won’t give them a comprehensive understanding of any other potentially co-existing neurodivergence/ mental health conditions or join up any of the dots with what is going on for them ‘holistically’.
Right now, millions of people are failing to make sense of themselves and their own health; countless lives blighted from this lack of awareness. It is simply not acceptable. By mapping out an ADHD+ Profile an individual – maybe YOU! – becomes part of the movement to see this being a thing of the past.
Understanding how ADHD and neurodivergence shows up in your life can be a truly life changing process….it was for me.
With my newfound Profile awareness I had a springboard, a starting point from which to take the effective and meaningful steps towards achieving better mental and physical wellbeing and accessing the right support for me.
Knowledge is power and at the end stage of mapping a Profile, an individual is presented with simple next steps – unique to them – that they can take action on – notably invaluable resources such as a “ADHD+ Profiler Toolkit” to be able to talk to a GP about this new conceptualisation of ADHD (mind and body).
*Disclaimer: Information shared in the Profiler is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. And it is paramount that Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
ADHD life coaching helps people to minimise the challenges they are facing with ADHD and leverage their strengths. Whatever your gender or age (16+) I work with individuals to identify the specific challenges that they are experiencing and understand what they want to change in your life (goals big and small).
Over a course of regular coaching sessions I collaborate with you, brainstorming and honing tailor-made solutions and unique strategies with the aim of bridging the gap between your current experience of life and how you wish it to be. Through this partnership and the inherent accountability of the coaching process, I empower you to make significant changes to your life, with positive and lasting results.
(Note that a prerequisite to entering into a coaching partnership with me is having completed the ADHD+ Profiler & Next Step Package. Without this foundational ADHD (mind AND body) awareness I believe that a client’s progress in any coaching sessions risks – at best – being compromised, at worst thwarted.)
“Common challenges [of ADHD], such as time management, organization, goal setting and prioritization are often issues that medication or therapy do not address, { } the focus of ADHD coaching is on building skills and taking action. It helps people to improve their business focus, interpersonal skills and ability to get things done in such a way as to lead a more productive, fulfilling and rewarding life.”
– Dr Edward Hallowell, renowned child and adult psychiatrist and New York Times bestselling co-author of Driven to Distraction, the book that sparked a revolution in universal understanding of ADHD.
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