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World Congress 2022 • Jun 15, 2022

Coding and Mental Illness. A Survival Guide

Chris Ward

Living with undiagnosed ADHD in tech is like playing your entire career on hard mode. Learn how neurodivergent developers can overcome task paralysis and finally thrive.

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#1 about 4 min

Superficial approaches to mental health discussions

Toxic positivity and superficial wellness language reinforce false views about the severity of mental illness.

#2 about 5 min

Lived experiences with clinical anxiety and depression

The intense realities of clinical mental illnesses demonstrate that professional treatment and medication are necessary for survival.

#3 about 3 min

Uncovering an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder

Misunderstood symptoms of neurodivergence often lead to years of hidden struggles in the software engineering workplace.

#4 about 2 min

Profound impacts of psychiatric medication and treatment

Accessing proper medical intervention provides the mental clarity required to function without overwhelming executive dysfunction.

#5 about 3 min

Recontextualizing common neurodivergent traits in developers

Behaviors often labeled as poor performance stem from hyper-fixation and overactive attention rather than disinterest.

#6 about 3 min

Navigating executive dysfunction and task paralysis

The inability to prioritize or initiate tasks causes severe mental exhaustion and overwhelming guilt.

#7 about 2 min

Professional and personal growth following correct diagnosis

Targeted medication and therapy empower individuals to regain control over impulsivity and achieve their career goals.

#8 about 3 min

Practical survival strategies and rejecting unproven pseudoscience

Gamifying daily tasks and seeking evidence-based medical treatment are vital steps for managing neurodivergence.

#9 about 4 min

Building inclusive engineering teams as effective allies

Creating a compassionate environment involves giving the benefit of the doubt and adapting technical assessments for neurodivergent candidates.

#10 about 2 min

Evaluating software development impacts on developer anxiety

While coding provides satisfying immediate rewards, the pressure to mask knowledge gaps exacerbates imposter syndrome and workplace anxiety.

Matching moments

2:20 min

Practical strategies for thriving as a neurodivergent software developer

Dennie Declercq · World Congress 2022

50 sec

Summarizing practical strategies for dyslexic software developers

Niklas Wünnemann Niklas Wünnemann · World Congress 2024

1:31 min

Addressing developer burnout and the impact of artificial intelligence

Pauline Pagliaro Pauline Pagliaro · World Congress 2025

2:57 min

Customizing code editor themes and visual focus environments

Chris Heilmann Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

2:08 min

Navigating and mitigating the impacts of broken engineering cultures

Oskar Kruschitz Oskar Kruschitz · Europe 2026 Virtual

3:29 min

Introduction and speaker background in technology

Dennie Declercq · World Congress 2022

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