In this episode of Attention Deficit Hyper Desi, Coach Ankita Jagtiani Dadachanji is joined by clinical psychologist Siddika Panjwani to talk about ADHD and diagnosis in the Indian context.
Across Desi households, ADHD is often minimised or misunderstood. Struggles are brushed off as stress, laziness, or lack of discipline, with familiar refrains like “sabko hota hai” or “bas focus kar lo.” This episode looks at how cultural expectations cause ADHD to be overlooked, and why many adults grow up blaming themselves instead of understanding their brains.
This conversation centres on ADHD and diagnosis as to why a formal diagnosis matters, how myths and mislabels form, and why online self-tests or social media content cannot replace a proper clinical evaluation. It also explores how ADHD is frequently mistaken for anxiety or depression, and why missed diagnoses are far more common than overdiagnosis in India.
Our guest, Siddika Panjwani, is a clinical psychologist who works with children and adults on psychological assessments — especially ADHD. Siddika has been practising as a neuropsychologist since the past 20 years and specialises in Diagnostic assessments for neurological disorders… She is associated with hospitals like Lilavati and Globus here in Mumbai.
Cutting through stigma and cultural silence, this episode offers clarity around ADHD diagnosis for Desi adults who were never given the full picture growing up.
In this episode of Attention Deficit Hyper Desi, Coach Ankita Jagtiani Dadachanji is joined in conversation by psychiatrist Dr Pervin Dadachanji to talk about ADHD, co-morbidities, and medication in the Indian context.
Despite growing awareness, ADHD in Desi households is still widely misunderstood, often dismissed as laziness, carelessness, or “you’re doing fine na?” This conversation looks at why so many adults remain undiagnosed, how culture and stigma shape treatment decisions, and where real clinical evaluation differs from social media narratives.
The episode explores how ADHD is diagnosed, what medication actually helps with, common fears around dependency and side effects, and what people should realistically expect from treatment. It also touches on why ADHD rarely exists alone, how co-morbidities like anxiety or depression show up, and why treatment is rarely a straight line.
Honest, grounded, and judgment-free, this episode is for anyone trying to make sense of ADHD medication beyond myths, reels, and half-truths.
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