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This blog post by Dr Wamiqur Rehman Gajdhar is part of the 2025 Thrive in Psychiatry campaign.

Choosing psychiatry has been one of the best decisions of my life.

As someone who is AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD), this speciality has not only accepted me—it has given me space to grow, contribute meaningfully, and most importantly, stay. In a healthcare system that is under-resourced and overstretched, the ability to feel psychologically safe is crucial for a neurodivergent individual like me.

Being AuDHD gives me a distinct lens through which I view and practise psychiatry. It helps me recognise and validate the experiences of patients who may not meet the typical presentation of autism or ADHD.

Many of my neurodivergent patients present with "masked" traits — well-practised social scripts, scripted eye contact, or a flat affect hiding immense internal distress.

I can more readily recognise these subtle cues. This shared understanding often leads to a more trusting therapeutic alliance.

One of the traits associated with AuDHD is hyperfocus—an intense, sustained attention to topics of interest. In psychiatry, hyperfocus can at times become a superpower.

I can spend hours delving into differential diagnoses, reading papers on emerging treatments, or designing formulations. I often find it intellectually invigorating and intensely enjoyable.

This also translates directly into patient care. I can bring up-to-date, evidence-based insights into multidisciplinary meetings or offer a fresh perspective on difficult-to-treat presentations. It also helps me advocate for patients whose needs might otherwise be overlooked.

Contrary to assumptions that autistic people may struggle with communication, I find that my communication style — direct and unambiguous — often works well in psychiatry. This is especially true in situations where patients are vulnerable or overwhelmed; straightforwardness helps build safety and trust.

Reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustments at work have been paramount in my being able to function well in psychiatry, and I have never had challenges accessing them.

I have had extra clinic and admin time and have had access to a quiet room and been allowed to use my noise cancelling headphones while using shared spaces. I have received supportive line management throughout my time working in various places in psychiatry as a clinical fellow and later as a resident trainee doctor.

I have received good support from the Royal College for providing the requisite adjustments for my exams. These changes have been fundamental—not just for success, but for sustainability. They’ve kept me from burning out, from masking to the point of exhaustion, and from feeling like I needed to "fix" myself to belong.

Different neurodivergent doctors can have other needs related to task management (like templates, to-do lists), team meetings (permission for frequent breaks) or communication needs (like more clear and direct communication). I have known neurodivergent doctors having had rota adjustments and having access to AI scribes to help with admin with mixed results (which points to the fact that a not one size fits all approach will work with every neurodivergent individual). These adjustments should be offered to the neurodivergent doctors tailored to their specific requirements.  

Disclosing neurodivergence at work

Disclosing my neurodivergence at work has mostly been met with kindness, curiosity, and respect. Disclosure isn’t the right decision for everyone, and it shouldn’t be a requirement—but in my case, it’s been a source of strength.

Psychiatry, perhaps more than any other medical speciality, is beginning to embrace neurodiversity not as a problem to be solved, but as a perspective to be valued.

When neurodivergent doctors leave medicine, it’s often not because they lack capability—but because they are unsupported.

I have stayed in psychiatry because I haven’t had to choose between being myself and being a good doctor. The kindness that has been extended to me by my colleagues has been more than I could have hoped for and imagined.

What help is available?

There is support available to doctors who are facing difficulty with burnout due to the being neurodivergent in a neurotypical health system.

This includes RCPsych Psychiatrists' Support Service, NHS Practitioner Health, BMA Wellbeing Service and Counselling and Employer Staff Wellbeing Services at various NHS Trusts.

There are also peer led support groups which are not organisationally led and has been very helpful to me personally. They include the Autistic Doctors International (ADI), Association of Neurodivergent Doctors (AND) and Doctors' Inclusive Neurodivergent Group (DING) who are active on various social media channels and are highly supportive.

Being an AuDHD psychiatrist has been a source of strength, not limitation. I bring a lived experience that enhances my empathy, an attention to detail that elevates my clinical work, and a passion for neurodiversity that I hope contributes to culture change within medicine.