Speculation is rife in the media – which must cause amplified pain to those closest to Liam.
Did he fall or jump?
No one will ever be 100% certain.
What is 100% certain is ADHD carries a higher risk of suicide.
Why?
The pressures of living and working in a neurotypical world when your brain is neurodivergent are intense. Add in the Impulsivity element of executive functioning many have coupled with alcohol/drugs, the decks are stacked against anyone thinking things through when intense pressure hits.
Workplaces have long been aware of the need to train their staff in mental health and wellbeing, how to build their own resilience and awareness to recognise and deliver first responder steps to colleagues. Indeed, global proactive courses are well established and known. We even have an international standard – ISO45003 for workplace psychological safety!
Is that enough?
I don’t believe it is.
Why?
Humans have one of two brain types, which means every workplace does too – neurotypical or neurodivergent.
Symptoms of neurodivergence can be interpreted as ‘bad behaviour’ or ‘attitude’ potentially leading to all sorts of issues including loss of talent, team impact, ET challenge, risk to brand reputation and compensation. With waiting times for assessments runing into multiple years, coupled with a lifetime of masking, individuals may not realise they are neurodivergent.
So, what else can organisations do?
Raise awareness of the difference by rolling out training for all.
- Raising Awareness of ADHD for Managers – what you might see, what you might do, legal position in the UK
- How to be an Ally – how to support your neurodivergent colleague
- 1:1 Coaching for your neurotypical team members enabling them to identify how their ADHD shows up and how they can tame it.
As an ADHD Coach, I’ve been running these sessions in various workplaces and seen the positive difference made. Indeed, many managers realised their own neurodivergence in the training. Others could see traits in their teams and families. All gained clarity on what they could do.
What do you do in your workplace?