As part of our celebrations for Disability History Month, Sophie Gorden, Registered Mental Health Nurse, discusses the support they have received following their recent diagnosis of autism and ADHD.
Hi Sophie, tell us about your role at EPUT:
I care for and support inpatients on a mental health ward. I help make decisions on the ward and communicate with patient’s families and a multidisciplinary team, which includes doctors, psychologists and consultants, to ensure that we deliver safe and high quality care. In addition to this, I write reports and care plans.
Tell us about your disability:
I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in June this year. It was a relief to receive the diagnosis, as I always had a feeling that I was different in my abilities and my strengths.
My autism means I can sometimes struggle to process things and understand them. I struggle with communication – my written communication is better than my verbal communication. I can also experience sensory overload, which can make being on a loud ward difficult.
I have combined ADHD, which means I fidget a lot and often appear hyperactive or restless, I interrupt others and struggle to maintain my attention during meetings. My ADHD clashes with my autism. My autism loves routine and finds this a safety net, whereas my ADHD is very spontaneous. As with many neurodiverse individuals, this makes me overthink a lot.
What are your strengths?
I’m very literal in my thinking and I can act as a medium between doctors and patients. Sometimes patients can struggle to understand what a doctor is telling them about their condition or their care plan, but I can explain it to them in a different way, which helps them understand. I can recognise when patients might be getting overwhelmed, and I know what helps them calm down.
I’m the neurodiversity lead for my ward and I help to educate others. We have patients with autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and they can find it helpful to know that someone truly understands how they feel, due to personal experience.
I’m very good in crisis situations as my brain works quickly. I can provide a different way of looking at things and I’m very creative. I’m currently working with patients to create a mood board that demonstrates all of the strengths of neurodiversity.
My thinking could be described as ‘black and white’, which means I have a strong sense of right and wrong. I tell a lot of jokes that patients can understand. Unless sarcasm is very obvious, autistic people might not pick up on it.
How have you been supported?
My manager has consistently gone out of her way to support me. Before my diagnosis, I was on placement as a student and she noticed my different abilities. She assured me that we need people who can relate to patients in different ways, and that people with disabilities are positive additions to a team.
My manager helped me complete a flexible working application, and I now won’t work two shifts in a row, and I don’t work night shifts. I get tired from interacting with people all day because I might be trying not to fidget, trying to concentrate, trying to have the right amount of eye contact and trying to think about what I should say, so this helps me have rest breaks between shifts.
If the ward is too loud, I can go for a walk to reduce the sensory impact, and I can have my fidget toys with me. My manager is helping me speak to the rest of my team, so they can understand the support I need too.
What do you like most about working at EPUT?
I love my role and I love my job. I love looking after people – both staff and patients. I believe that happy staff equal happy patients, and we all support each other. The ward is busy with high acuity patients but we are all there for one another.
As a team, we also feel really comfortable speaking up about suggested improvements and we know that we will be listened to.
What advice would you give to others about supporting disabled colleagues?
Ask questions and don’t assume – I am always happy to answer questions about my abilities. Asking questions helps us all understand each other and our differences, and brings us closer together.