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Guest: Rachel Ward, PMHNP

Do not miss this important information on the latest studies in Neurodivergence.

We talk with psychiatric nurse practitioner Rachel Ward about why ADHD and autism are so often misread as anxiety, depression, or personality disorders and what that costs people over years of care. We break down dopamine, “no brakes” emotional reactivity, and how better testing and better relationships can finally match treatment to the actual brain in front of us.
• neurodivergence misdiagnosis in adults, especially women and AFAB clients
• ADHD as attention dysregulation, not a character flaw
• why SSRIs can cause emotional flattening for some neurodivergent patients
• how stimulants can create a pause between emotion and reaction
• the “anxiety buddy” pattern of running on adrenaline and urgency
• ADHD and autism comorbidity and family-line patterns
• using Creyos testing to map executive function strengths and gaps
• pharmacogenetic testing, medication metabolism, COMT markers, hormone pathways
• alternatives when families are not ready for stimulants, including saffron and guanfacine
• addiction as comorbid with neurodivergence and treating core symptoms first
• differentiating trauma from neurodivergence and teasing out borderline overlap

🔗 Links & Resources:

Connect with Rachel Ward: https://www.somethinghumanhealth.com

• Visit Heleen's Blog to learn more about this topic and the research behind it: https://www.lifesolutions.io/blog/
  
  
• Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heleenwoest/videos
  
  
• Explore upcoming topics that are dropping soon on The Missing Piece: https://www.lifesolutions.io/podcast/