Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong
A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.
S1E93: How the 'high-functioning' label masks ADHD at a high cost
Classic ADHD stereotypes, like physical hyperactivity, can cause many to be overlooked and turn to maladaptive coping.
Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.
Despite the boom in online conversation about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in recent years, the neurodevelopmental condition is still largely misunderstood due to its name. Experts say those with ADHD don’t lack attention, as much as they lack the ability to regulate it.
With October being ADHD awareness month, features correspondent Grace Yeoh speaks with Dr Ong Mian Li, a clinical psychologist and the founder of private practice Lightfull Psychology, in this episode of In Your Opinion. Both were diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood.
Together, they explore the invisible challenges of ADHD, particularly when one is seen to be “high-functioning” — the ability to manage the condition on their own while delivering results like neurotypicals. They argue that when society still expects classic behavioural signs, such as physical hyperactivity, many who need support may go underdiagnosed, developing potentially maladaptive coping mechanisms.
The conversation also highlights practical ways to seek and offer support, ultimately reframing diagnosis as a step toward better understanding of neurodivergence.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:46 Reframing ADHD as an attention regulation issue instead of a deficit
3:41 Reflecting on childhood signs after a diagnosis later on in life
7:03 Difference in symptoms between boys and girls
11:11 Transitions can be challenging for those with ADHD
17:24 The problem with the “high-functioning” label
23:53 When scepticism affects support given
28:14 Common coping mechanisms among those who may be overlooked
40:02 When an ADHD diagnosis shouldn’t be disclosed at the workplace
45:13 Practical ways to support someone with ADHD
49:30 Seeking an assessment as the start of self-acceptance
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH (https://str.sg/w7sH?ref=inline-article)
Host: Grace Yeoh (graceyeoh@sph.com.sg (mailto:graceyeoh@sph.com.sg))
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt (https://str.sg/w7Qt)
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Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV (https://str.sg/w7sV)
YouTube: https://str.sg/GjMT (https://str.sg/GjMT)
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg (mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg)
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23 Sept 2026
S1E92: Can money buy love for reading? Gwee Li Sui on our results-oriented culture
Why do SG kids write about winter? Gwee Li Sui on AI, Singlish & why culture cannot be rushed.
Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.
A year after the launch of our Culture Pass credits, take-up rates sit at just 10 per cent. Meanwhile, Singapore’s new national reading movement, ReadSG, now aims to pay people to try build a consistent reading habit.
What does this say about us as a people? Is it such a bad thing if we stop reading long-form fiction and just read social media? And why bother with SingLit when we are already so familiar with Singapore’s culture?
In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to poet, graphic artist, and literary critic Gwee Li Sui on why focusing too much on hitting KPIs in our quest for culture often backfires. They discuss how doomscrolling and short-form text change our capacity for empathy and nuance, and uncover the brutal economic reality of being a creative writer in Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:50 Singapore being a pragmatic way in handling social problems
8:00 Why is SingLit a hard sell for readers compared to global titles?
8:57 Why do Singaporean students still write school essays about winter and autumn?
22:12 Is Singlish still considered "bad English" today?
27:06 What do we miss if we only read social media?
34:43 With AI summarising everything, is there still room to read for enjoyment?
38:02 Why paying people to read is like forcing kids to eat vegetables
44:50 Is being a creative writer in Singapore an economic dead end?
51:50 Why Gwee prefers to write for readers 50 years in the future
53:47 Is self-censorship among local writers a worry?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH (https://str.sg/w7sH?ref=inline-article)
Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg (mailto:liannechia@sph.com.sg))
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt (https://str.sg/w7Qt)
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb (https://str.sg/wukb)
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV (https://str.sg/w7sV)
YouTube: https://str.sg/GjMT (https://str.sg/GjMT)
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg (mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg)
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 (https://str.sg/wvz7)
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts (http://str.sg/stpodcasts)
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16 Sept 2026
S1E91: Can S’pore grow the next Apple or Nvidia?
It takes a bold mindset to imagine innovations like Creative’s sound card and the iPhone, says a venture capitalist.
Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each Wednesday, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.
Following a recent parliamentary debate on growing Fortune Global 500 companies in Singapore, we ask if Singapore can ever grow a homegrown startup into a global tech giant like Apple or Nvidia? Or do our cultural attitudes toward risk and failure limit this potential?
To explore whether Singapore has the ecosystem and vision to build game-changing products that are similar to Creative Technology's sound card or the Apple iPhone, Lynda Hong sits down with Hian Goh, founding partner of Openspace Capital.
Managing a billion-dollar portfolio, and having served as the investment banker to Creative Technology's founder Sim Wong Hoo, Hian discusses the realities of the venture capital world.
In this episode, they examine the role of the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) in unlocking private capital, and the challenges of commercialising deep-tech R&D.
The discussion also touched on what it takes for Singapore to cultivate its own Silicon Valley, the necessity of tolerating setbacks, and the value of backing founders with an unreasonable mindset.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:08 What is actually missing in Singapore's private capital ecosystem?
6:06 Working with Sim Wong Hoo and hitting the structural ceiling
12:40 Love, Bonito and the challenges of scaling a brand out of Singapore
17:43 The "No U-Turn Syndrome" and why younger Singaporeans are breaking the mold
19:16 Silicon Valley's risk appetite vs. Singapore's fear of failure
21:27 The ChatGPT-4 lesson: Why celebrating uncertainty is the key to deep-tech innovation
28:34 Why the art of investing means backing the "crazy" founders
32:34 Overcoming investor trauma for a more vibrant SGX
35:52 Should national R&D focus only on creating unicorns?
44:54 Block 71 and trusting the ecosystem to build a uniquely Singaporean Silicon Valley
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH (https://str.sg/w7sH)
Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt (https://str.sg/w7Qt)
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb (https://str.sg/wukb)
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV (https://str.sg/w7sV)
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 (https://str.sg/wvz7)
ST Podcasts website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts (http://str.sg/stpodcasts)
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa (https://str.sg/4Vwsa)
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The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB (https://str.sg/icyB)
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX (https://str.sg/icyX)
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Who has been a guest on In Your Opinion
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Aqil Hamzah
Adrian Loh
Lim Boon Leng
Josephus Tan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
459,929,262
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
48
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
68
Contact In Your Opinion
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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