ADHD and Moving Abroad – Plan Carefully!

ADHD and Moving Abroad – Plan Carefully!

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober and managing ADHD while uprooting their entire life to another country? This honest conversation on ADHD Focus looks at the hidden hurdles of moving abroad when your brain already has a lot going on. Host Dr David Pomeroy chats with long‑time expat and ADHD advocate Tamara Murrieta, who has spent around 20 years living overseas and working in the foreign service.

Diagnosed with ADHD as an undergraduate, Tamara shares how each international move blew up her carefully built routines and forced her to rebuild systems from scratch in new cultures, languages and bureaucracies. You’ll hear practical talk about everything from setting up utilities and bank accounts to the emotional cost of masking in a new culture and trying to make adult friends from zero.

Tamara stresses that support needs to start **before** you move, urging people to build networks in advance through alumni links, faith communities, expat groups and existing contacts.

As she puts it, "This is why the preparing, the planning is so crucial, particularly for people who are neurodivergent." Medication and healthcare get special attention: Dr Pomeroy explains how ADHD stimulants can be restricted or banned in some countries, and why you may need alternative meds and months of lead time to see local specialists.

They also talk about study‑abroad students with ADHD or autism, the reality of accommodations in foreign universities, and why you must ask detailed questions instead of assuming support will look the same as at home. Money, visas, housing deposits and shifting exchange rates round out the picture, with Tamara sharing examples of expats forced to cut their stay short because of financial missteps.

If you’re dreaming of a big move with ADHD in the mix, this chat is a grounded reminder to plan ahead, question everything, and think about how you’ll care for your future self on the tough days abroad. Could it be time to turn that daydream about living overseas into a solid, ADHD‑friendly plan?