“I won’t be BULLIED anymore!” - Shappi Khorsandi explores late ADHD diagnosis

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Aug 26, 2024

Shappi Khorsandi, a comedian, author, and human rights advocate, candidly discusses her late ADHD diagnosis at 47. She shares how receiving the diagnosis provided clarity and a sense of community. Shappi draws amusing parallels between ADHD and Tarzan’s identity struggle, emphasizing the importance of self-acceptance. She reflects on childhood feelings of isolation, her journey navigating jobs and relationships, and the emotional challenges tied to ADHD, all while maintaining a hopeful and humorous perspective.

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ANECDOTE

Early Memories

Shappi Khorsandi's earliest memory of feeling different was in nursery school, struggling with English.
She remembers feeling lonely and fixating on sitting near the biscuits during snack time.

ANECDOTE

Childhood Masking

As a child, Khorsandi obsessively read and reread the same books, often escaping to the bathroom for hours.
She developed OCD and masked it by pretending her self-talk was Jewish prayer.

ANECDOTE

Parenting and Relatability

Khorsandi contrasts her childhood experiences with her parenting style.
She discusses her daughter's bedtime ritual and her own relatable childhood fears.

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Shappi Khorsandi explores late ADHD diagnosis and shares many lessons she’s learnt. This episode is painfully relatable, but also full of hope, humour and insight.

Shappi is a comedian, author, speaker and advocate for human rights.

00:00 Trailer

02:48 When was your earliest memory of feeling different?

10:30 You were diagnosed at 47? Why did it take so long for you to receive a diagnosis?

14:28 What clicked into place when you heard the words "You have ADHD"?

26:44 You have a great analogy about Tarzan and ADHD, can you explain this for our audience?

33:05 Being diagnosed with ADHD and being a comedian - the creative comedy mind of which is constantly flipping from thought to thought (and I'm sure the two go hand in hand) - but how did this fluid nature of the way the brain works serve in holding down jobs & relationships?

47:52 Moving around a lot when you were younger, changing country, feeling "foreign", facing racism, having ADHD, being shy, that's a lot to deal with for someone who is likely to be emotionally sensitive? What do you think the most testing part of your life has been as far as RSD is concerned?

53:21 What did/do your parents think about ADHD and everything that it entails?

57:30 The ‘ADHD item’ segment

01:03:26 Washing machine of woes

01:09:01 A very personal question and one you don't have to answer of course, but what is the process of a relationship coming to an end and then the subsequent divorce like for the chaotic mind of someone with ADHD?

01:14:33 Do you think that everything you've been through - including your late diagnosis - has helped you build your career?

01:17:41 Where would you be in life without your sense of humour and what purpose does your sense of humour serve in softening the blow of everything we've spoken about already!

01:19:35 A wedding day story

01:23:14 Being very much an outsider through Neurodivergent means and, back when you came to the UK, feeling like an outsider through race too, do you have an explanation in a nutshell that might best describe how ostracised a person would feel, and did feel, in that scenario?

01:27:04 Most impulsive thing

01:31:37 Closing questions & signing the ‘thinks outside the box’ canvas

Buy Shappi's book 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scatter-Brain-finally-rollercoaster-became/dp/1785044206/

Visit Shappi's website for tour tickets 👉 https://shappi.co.uk

This episode has been produced for entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to be taken as medical advice or advice in any way.

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