108 [S9 E3] Told I couldn’t be autistic: BPD misdiagnosis, mental health negligence and finally getting justice

Naomi Ghafoor is a mental health activist who has spent over a decade battling the mental healthcare system and dealing with misdiagnoses, negligence and systemic abuse, which recently led to her suing her NHS mental health trust earlier this year. 

Now 26, she works as a Lived Experience Leadership Officer for a mental health charity in London, UK and is passionate about sharing her experiences and using her voice to uplift and empower others. She was diagnosed autistic at 24.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Being misdiagnosed with BPD and told she couldn't be autistic 

➡ Finally getting her autism DX after several years of negative experiences in the mental health system

➡ The impact of intensive outpatient treatment for BPD and being unnecessarily medicated 

➡ Suing her NHS Trust over her misdiagnosis and trying to prove their negligence

➡ Her experiences of employment, including with a mental health charity

CONTENT WARNING: one very brief mention of a death by suicide and one brief mention of suicidal ideation

 

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

 

EPISODE LINKS:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/naomimarlene_

Twitter: https://twitter.com/naomighaf

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomighafoor/

Her self-produced short video, Creative Therapies as a response to self harm: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6990974279504797696/ 

PMDD and autism: https://www.additudemag.com/pmdd-autism-adhd/

 

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/ 

 

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

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