Introduction
Hello all and welcome to my site, Simon Wired Differently.
I am wired differently because I manage Neurodiversity and I was born with a brain that is wired differently to the "Normal" person.
It has taken me a lot of inner work to accept that this is part of who I am and to embrace my differences and speak up.
I was born in a city in the North of England and currently, I live in the countryside as it has been life changing for dealing with and managing severe mental illness and neurodiverstity.
I retired from the British Army after 12 years service and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2004.
I have raised awareness of PTSD, Mental Illness and Mental Wellness for over a decade.
Hello all and welcome to my site, Simon Wired Differently.
I am wired differently because I manage Neurodiversity and I was born with a brain that is wired differently to the "Normal" person.
It has taken me a lot of inner work to accept that this is part of who I am and to embrace my differences and speak up.
I was born in a city in the North of England and currently, I live in the countryside as it has been life changing for dealing with and managing severe mental illness and neurodiverstity.
I retired from the British Army after 12 years service and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2004.
I have raised awareness of PTSD, Mental Illness and Mental Wellness for over a decade.
I had an extremely difficult childhood where I was exposed to various forms of abuse.
I was placed into various children's homes and institutions for around 9 years.
I was removed from mainstream school and placed in what used to be called a naughty boys school where further abuse, bullying and mistreatment happened.
I was diagnosed with Combined ADHD in 2025 and this has now explained a lot of my behaviour in childhood.
I suffered a lot of different versions of abuse through family members and professional people such as children's home staff, social workers and the police.
I had an extremely difficult childhood where I was exposed to various forms of abuse.
I was placed into various children's homes and institutions for around 9 years.
I was removed from mainstream school and placed in what used to be called a naughty boys school where further abuse, bullying and mistreatment happened.
I was diagnosed with Combined ADHD in 2025 and this has now explained a lot of my behaviour in childhood.
I suffered a lot of different versions of abuse through family members and professional people such as children's home staff, social workers and the police.
In 1989, I joined the British Army, I now realise that this was to get out of the toxic environment in children's homes and with the aim to do something better with my life.
I had no interest in going to war, I now realise that I am absolutely a person that does not enjoy conflict and all the difficulties that come with being a soldier.
I did enjoy the travel, the adventures, the sporting side and meeting so many people around the world.
Even though I am proud to have served my country for 12 years, I also had bullying whilst I was serving and was never supported whilst dealing with what I now know to be PTSD and severe mental illness.
I was medically discharged after 12 years exemplary service which included time spent in Bosnia with the UN, Croatia, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Saudi Arabia.
Whilst serving in Bosnia, I had an extremely difficult incident that happened and where I believed that I might die.
In 1989, I joined the British Army, I now realise that this was to get out of the toxic environment in children's homes and with the aim to do something better with my life.
I had no interest in going to war, I now realise that I am absolutely a person that does not enjoy conflict and all the difficulties that come with being a soldier.
I did enjoy the travel, the adventures, the sporting side and meeting so many people around the world.
Even though I am proud to have served my country for 12 years, I also had bullying whilst I was serving and was never supported whilst dealing with what I now know to be PTSD and severe mental illness.
I was medically discharged after 12 years exemplary service which included time spent in Bosnia with the UN, Croatia, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Saudi Arabia.
Whilst serving in Bosnia, I had an extremely difficult incident that happened and where I believed that I might die.
After I retired from the military, I realised that I was extremely ill and had not yet bee diagnosed with PTSD or any other severe mental illness or neurodiversity.
I worked in commercial recruitment for a couple of years and that included setting up my own branch and this ultimately led to me having a break down and being admitted to a mental hospital in the early 0000s.
I was diagnosed with PTSD related to my service in 2004 and then by a civilian psychiatrist in 2005.
Since that time, I have had varying diagnosis that have included, Bi-Polar Disorder, Chronic Fatigue, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Adjustment Disorder and a mention of Borderline Personality Disorder in 2006.
More recently, in 2016 I was diagnosed with severe and complicated PTSD, Somatic Symptom Disorder and they found no personality disorders.
In 2025, I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD by a NHS psychiatrist and ADHD by ADHD care. I am currently going through diagnosis for Autism.
In 2016, I spent 8 months incarcerated for a crime that I maintain I did not commit and I am currently not able to discuss this due to a court order. I am making representations to have this conviction looked at as a miscarriage of justice.
After I retired from the military, I realised that I was extremely ill and had not yet bee diagnosed with PTSD or any other severe mental illness or neurodiversity.
I worked in commercial recruitment for a couple of years and that included setting up my own branch and this ultimately led to me having a break down and being admitted to a mental hospital in the early 0000s.
I was diagnosed with PTSD related to my service in 2004 and then by a civilian psychiatrist in 2005.
Since that time, I have had varying diagnosis that have included, Bi-Polar Disorder, Chronic Fatigue, Somatic Symptom Disorder, Adjustment Disorder and a mention of Borderline Personality Disorder in 2006.
More recently, in 2016 I was diagnosed with severe and complicated PTSD, Somatic Symptom Disorder and they found no personality disorders.
In 2025, I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD by a NHS psychiatrist and ADHD by ADHD care. I am currently going through diagnosis for Autism.
In 2016, I spent 8 months incarcerated for a crime that I maintain I did not commit and I am currently not able to discuss this due to a court order. I am making representations to have this conviction looked at as a miscarriage of justice.
Managing severe and complicated mental illness and neurodiversity is a a 24 hour a day task and that is where most of my time is spent.
I work hard to be as safe as I can and to do things that help me manage the symptoms and have the best life that I can have.
I continue to raise awareness of mental illness, mental health, mental wellness and other issues that have personally impacted me.
My latest campaign is called Stepping Up 4 Mental Wellness and this relates to how I know that movement every day is helping me remain safe and supports the symptoms that I manage every day.
Managing severe and complicated mental illness and neurodiversity is a a 24 hour a day task and that is where most of my time is spent.
I work hard to be as safe as I can and to do things that help me manage the symptoms and have the best life that I can have.
I continue to raise awareness of mental illness, mental health, mental wellness and other issues that have personally impacted me.
My latest campaign is called Stepping Up 4 Mental Wellness and this relates to how I know that movement every day is helping me remain safe and supports the symptoms that I manage every day.