Supporting neurodivergent doctors to thrive at work

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Heaps, C., Shaw, S. C., & Doherty, M. (2025). Supporting neurodivergent doctors to thrive at work. BJPsych Advances, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2025.10116

Publication date: 28 Jul 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 3 (66.7%)
  1. Charlotte Heaps
  2. Sebastian C.K. Shaw *
  3. Mary Doherty *

Abstract

SUMMARY Mirroring the general population, the number of medical students, doctors and, indeed, psychiatrists disclosing being neurodivergent is rising. These individuals commonly have a variety of strengths that can enhance their work, but these strengths may go unrecognised. All too often such individuals have been labelled ‘doctors in difficulty’. We begin this article with a review of contemporary thinking regarding neurodiversity, before considering specific issues facing neurodivergent doctors, specifically psychiatrists. We explore neurodivergent strengths and the evidence regarding career outcomes and mental health. We discuss the stigma that many neurodivergent psychiatrists face in the medical sphere and how difficulties may be reframed as unmet needs. We highlight initiatives that aim to change workplace culture, before discussing the concept of reasonable adjustments, alongside a wide range of practical suggestions of adjustments to consider, using the Autistic SPACE framework and the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ reasonable adjustments guidance. Finally, we consider how those in senior leadership roles can contribute to this field and provide role modelling and signposting to further information and support for neurodivergent doctors and their supervisors and line managers.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 13:59.

Cited references
51
With a DOI
34
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
17
16 / 51 (31.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
12 / 51 (23.5%)
References with detected author names
39 / 51 (76.5%)
Without detected author names
12
Without a structured title
11
Without a stable identifier
16
References with raw author names still to review
11
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
130
From DOI or external metadata
130
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
14
64 / 130 (49.2%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 66 / 130 (50.8%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
30 / 130 (23.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 30 / 64 (46.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 12 / 105 (11.4%).
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