34. Mental health, medication and neurodivergent burnout
From No Such Thing as Normal by NZME
May 8, 2026 · 37 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the mental health challenges faced by neurodivergent young people and explores effective treatments and support systems.
Anxiety, depression, chronic stress and low self-esteem are common co-occurring conditions for many neurodivergent young people. But are these struggles caused by neurodivergence itself, or by trying to fit into environments that don’t work for them? Child and adolescent psychiatrist Darryl-Lee Prince says not only is she seeing more school refusal and shutdown, but also more complex presentations. Among them, neurodivergent burnout. Professor Dave Coghill unpacks what the evidence says about SSRIs, therapy, non-stimulant ADHD medication and non-drug treatments. This episode is about what helps. And why these young people are not broken, but in need of the right support, understanding and environments that recognise their strengths. In this episode Neurodivergent burnout and masking Anxiety, dysregulation and school refusal When SSRIs can help Why therapy needs to be tailored for those who are autistic, ADHD or AuDHD Non-stimulant ADHD medication The truth about the effects of sugar, food colouring, fish oils and brain training on ADHD symptoms Is the information on TikTok trustworthy? No Such Thing as Normal is made with support from NZ ON Air See…
People in this episode
Guests: Darryl-Lee Prince, Dave Coghill
Topics covered
- mental health
- neurodivergent burnout
- SSRIs
- therapy
- ADHD medication
- support for neurodivergent youth
Keywords
- anxiety
- depression
- school refusal
- non-stimulant ADHD medication
- neurodivergence
- SSRIs
- therapy
- burnout
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NZ ON Air
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- 31. Gender diversity & neurodiversity: Understanding the intersection · April 17, 2026 · 43 min
- 30. Neurodiversity at work: why traditional workplaces fail ‘different thinkers’ · April 10, 2026 · 36 min
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