Dx: Diagnosis and Writing

In Conversation with Stuart McPherson

Stuart and I were both diagnosed with ADHD this year, only weeks apart, both in our mid-40s. Although we'd only briefly met, we found having someone, perhaps in particular a fellow writer, to chat to about the experience immensely helpful. It was only natural then, that I wanted to interview Stuart for Dx: Diagnosis and Writing [https://www.dxandwriting.com]. We reflect on past writing through the diagnosis, compare how our sometimes different symptoms of ADHD affect our writing practice, talk about our experiences with medication, and how we deal with emotions dysphoria, rejection and hyperfixation as neurodivergent writers. (00:00) Getting Diagnosed (05:09) Experiences with Medication (11:26) Reflecting on Past Writing (18:16) Present Writing, Meds and Writing and Working (29:30) Writing in Different Forms, Hyperfixation   (40:59) Emotional Dysregulation and Rejection  (46:11) Neurodivergence and the Media, and Skateboarding