ADHD, Chronic Illness & Hypermobility: The Hidden Link? | Dr Jess Eccles

Psychiatrist, researcher and brain-body medicine specialist Dr. Jessica Eccles joins Ben for a fascinating conversation about the overlooked physical side of neurodivergence - and why ADHD and autism are often talked about as “brain-only” experiences when the body is deeply involved too.

Dr Jess is an Associate Professor in Brain-Body Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, a Consultant Psychiatrist within the Sussex Partnership NHS Neurodevelopmental Service, and co-leads the world’s first Neurodivergent Brain-Body Clinic. Her pioneering research explores the links between neurodivergence, hypermobility, chronic illness, inflammation, autonomic dysfunction, pain, fatigue and mental health - challenging the long-standing divide between “physical” and “mental” health.

Dr Jess explains the growing research linking neurodivergence with chronic illnesses, pain, hypermobility, fatigue, inflammation, eating disorders, nervous system dysregulation and temperature sensitivity. Together, they unpack why so many neurodivergent people describe feeling physically overwhelmed, burnt out or “unsafe” in their own body - and why those experiences are so often misunderstood or dismissed in the healthcare system.

This episode is about joining the dots between brain and body - and understanding why so many neurodivergent people have spent years feeling unheard in healthcare, while quietly trying to make sense of symptoms nobody seemed able to connect.

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Host: Ben Branson

Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné

Video Editor: James Scriven

Social Media Manager: Charlie Young

Music: Jackson Greenberg

Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller