I have an ADHD diagnosis from childhood, and an ASD diagnosis as an adult. I still only ever identify as neurodivergent, or ND, and not by a specific diagnosis.
Lots of support to you from one person with DID to another. š I have autism & ADHD as well but I have to say that DID has been more isolating, destructive, & difficult to manage than anything else in my life. You are absolutely welcome here & in good company. š
yeah. the autistic woman who created the term "neurodiversity" said it applies to everyone including neurotypicals, and the mentally ill woman who created the term "neurodivergent" said it includes all mental conditions, so i just base my use of those words off how they were meant to be use because they were made to be helpful umbrella terms & non exclusive. it does suck some people dont understand how these words are not synonymous with "neurodevelopmental" but i think ultimately those people would be accepting of the umbrella terms if only they knew the full history of them. theyre useful words tho i do like the bluntness of "sane" based words too
Normally I really dislike ālabelsā, but neurodivergence is such a nice umbrella term and inclusive as well.
Although Iāve known I have ADHD for over 20 years, when the community began to grow these last years and the term caught on I had a profound realization : my whole life Iāve surrounded myself with ND people. Best friends were always on the spectrum and so is my wife. Itās just a great complementary match?
āMy whole life Iāve surrounded myself with ND peopleāā¦..Dxād w/ADHD at age 38. Looking back, I think Iāve never had a friend that is NT! šš
Diagnosed OCD. Anxiety and depression. Itās very likely to me Iāve undiagnosed autism and/or adhd hence my co-morbid symptoms, but itās a fairly recent revelation to me (in the past few years). However having never previously associated with being ND, itās been life changing. Iām a lot more accepting of myself and the way I process and in such can put better boundaries in.
If the term neurodivergent didnt exist I fear I would still feel excluded from others and at a loss. Now I feel like I belong somewhere.
I'm diagnosed adhd, so I can't directly answer your question, but I would like to mention that unfortunately some communities really gatekeep the term neurodivergent and insist on it only being autism or adhd mostly.
That's not true and is unfortunate I think.
The literal definition of neurodivergent is: differingĀ in mental orĀ neurologicalĀ function from what is considered typical or normal (frequently used with reference toĀ autisticĀ spectrum disorders); notĀ neurotypical.
I have OCD, but also Autism symptoms while not diagnosed, I also take ADHD meds but idk if I'm diagnosed, and yes, I'm definitely not a very "normal" person
i dont know i just feel like
iām a weird little guy. & i live my life as a weird little guy. embracing it is hard at first but is so much more freeing than pretending.
I have level 692 semantic intelligence and time blindness, I'm the most neurodivergent guy in this subreddit and you know I'm qualified to say that because of my semantic IQ.
I have dyspraxia and i have a lot of autism and ADHD traits (im not diagnosed with them but i wouldnāt be surprised if i had them) and i accept the label
I think the useful thing about neurodivergent as an idea is that it does encompass the idea of a larger community with many different facets (even though in practice there may be dominant factions.) I feel like it can be a good way to remember that there are many people that share similar and overlapping struggles and triumphs, and that we exist in solidarity with them. Again, that always requires advocating for minority group members, but I think it has potential to help bring us together, if we go about it thoughtfully.
Because almost everyone online calls themselves neurodivergent now, and so many people drop it into conversation even when it's not relevant, or as it supposedly applies to completely average things. "I'm neurodivergent, I play my favourite song over and over." Uh, pretty much everyone does that.
If everyone is neurodivergent, no-one is. If it's truly that common, what is it "divergent" from?
Have you considered that you have just naturally found yourself in online bubbles filled with neurodivergent people and so it seems more overrepresented than it actually is?
Does it feel like something is being taken from you when others get recognition and a better understanding of their own mental makeup?
I'm autistic but before my diagnosis and before I was even aware I had autistic traits, I realised I had aphantasia, which is essentially an inability to visualise at all, and that I had no inner monologue.
I'd seen people online refer to this as a form of neurodivergence but at the time that never felt like a fitting label. It just didn't feel like the same thing as other conditions that come under the term which, more often than not, are medical conditions or disabilities.
But now, maybe it's just because the term feels more fitting as a person with autism, but I feel the label does fit. Neurodiversity refers to a difference in the development of the brain or a difference in the way the brain works. If being unable to think and visualise in the same way as everyone else doesn't come under 'difference,' I'm not sure what would.
In a way, I think a lot of what I'd seen online and on social media convinced me that my brain wasn't different _enough_ to be considered neurodivergent.
TLDR: I didn't accept the label before because I didn't feel as though my difference was enough. In hindsight, it very much is enough and I wish I was able to embrace the label back then.
I think it fits into the ND idea. I am on a spectrum of different "labels" and one is def C PTSD. To me many labels go hand in hand and you can't tell them apart anymore and every "label" can be on a spectrum.
"Mental illnesses" make our brains function differently so why should it not be included?
I embrace the ND label now, but for a while I was hesitant to use it because as said, it's often only attached to those with autism or ADHD - and while I have both, I am also intellectually disabled, and find that a lot of ND spaces don't include or accommodate those with ID, while autistics in said spaces are often stereotyped as super smart or good at everything. And if you're neither of those things, you're just shut out completely.
I have an ADHD diagnosis from childhood, and an ASD diagnosis as an adult. I still only ever identify as neurodivergent, or ND, and not by a specific diagnosis.
Yeah, I just hotwired differently šI have OCD diagnosed with Atyipcal Autism years ago.
What other label do we have? We are certainly not neurotypical.
Lots of support to you from one person with DID to another. š I have autism & ADHD as well but I have to say that DID has been more isolating, destructive, & difficult to manage than anything else in my life. You are absolutely welcome here & in good company. š
yeah. the autistic woman who created the term "neurodiversity" said it applies to everyone including neurotypicals, and the mentally ill woman who created the term "neurodivergent" said it includes all mental conditions, so i just base my use of those words off how they were meant to be use because they were made to be helpful umbrella terms & non exclusive. it does suck some people dont understand how these words are not synonymous with "neurodevelopmental" but i think ultimately those people would be accepting of the umbrella terms if only they knew the full history of them. theyre useful words tho i do like the bluntness of "sane" based words too
Normally I really dislike ālabelsā, but neurodivergence is such a nice umbrella term and inclusive as well. Although Iāve known I have ADHD for over 20 years, when the community began to grow these last years and the term caught on I had a profound realization : my whole life Iāve surrounded myself with ND people. Best friends were always on the spectrum and so is my wife. Itās just a great complementary match?
āMy whole life Iāve surrounded myself with ND peopleāā¦..Dxād w/ADHD at age 38. Looking back, I think Iāve never had a friend that is NT! šš
Diagnosed OCD. Anxiety and depression. Itās very likely to me Iāve undiagnosed autism and/or adhd hence my co-morbid symptoms, but itās a fairly recent revelation to me (in the past few years). However having never previously associated with being ND, itās been life changing. Iām a lot more accepting of myself and the way I process and in such can put better boundaries in. If the term neurodivergent didnt exist I fear I would still feel excluded from others and at a loss. Now I feel like I belong somewhere.
I'm diagnosed adhd, so I can't directly answer your question, but I would like to mention that unfortunately some communities really gatekeep the term neurodivergent and insist on it only being autism or adhd mostly. That's not true and is unfortunate I think. The literal definition of neurodivergent is: differingĀ in mental orĀ neurologicalĀ function from what is considered typical or normal (frequently used with reference toĀ autisticĀ spectrum disorders); notĀ neurotypical.
I have OCD, but also Autism symptoms while not diagnosed, I also take ADHD meds but idk if I'm diagnosed, and yes, I'm definitely not a very "normal" person
i dont know i just feel like iām a weird little guy. & i live my life as a weird little guy. embracing it is hard at first but is so much more freeing than pretending.
I have level 692 semantic intelligence and time blindness, I'm the most neurodivergent guy in this subreddit and you know I'm qualified to say that because of my semantic IQ.
I have dyspraxia and i have a lot of autism and ADHD traits (im not diagnosed with them but i wouldnāt be surprised if i had them) and i accept the label
same here! I also have sensory processing disorder
Same. Due to the very limited diagnose, in my opinion, I find neurodivergent particularly fitting.
I think the useful thing about neurodivergent as an idea is that it does encompass the idea of a larger community with many different facets (even though in practice there may be dominant factions.) I feel like it can be a good way to remember that there are many people that share similar and overlapping struggles and triumphs, and that we exist in solidarity with them. Again, that always requires advocating for minority group members, but I think it has potential to help bring us together, if we go about it thoughtfully.
I love this answer.. thank you
I have ADHD and OCD and I have actually started to stop using the label because it's become such a trend it's almost meaningless
Why do you believe it has become a trend, and why has it become meaningless?
Because almost everyone online calls themselves neurodivergent now, and so many people drop it into conversation even when it's not relevant, or as it supposedly applies to completely average things. "I'm neurodivergent, I play my favourite song over and over." Uh, pretty much everyone does that. If everyone is neurodivergent, no-one is. If it's truly that common, what is it "divergent" from?
Have you considered that you have just naturally found yourself in online bubbles filled with neurodivergent people and so it seems more overrepresented than it actually is? Does it feel like something is being taken from you when others get recognition and a better understanding of their own mental makeup?
I'm not interested in arguing. The OP asked a question and I answered it.
I hope you are able to work through these issues you are having, just know we are here to support you as needed
Iām bipolar and fully accept and embrace the nd tag (:
I'm autistic but before my diagnosis and before I was even aware I had autistic traits, I realised I had aphantasia, which is essentially an inability to visualise at all, and that I had no inner monologue. I'd seen people online refer to this as a form of neurodivergence but at the time that never felt like a fitting label. It just didn't feel like the same thing as other conditions that come under the term which, more often than not, are medical conditions or disabilities. But now, maybe it's just because the term feels more fitting as a person with autism, but I feel the label does fit. Neurodiversity refers to a difference in the development of the brain or a difference in the way the brain works. If being unable to think and visualise in the same way as everyone else doesn't come under 'difference,' I'm not sure what would. In a way, I think a lot of what I'd seen online and on social media convinced me that my brain wasn't different _enough_ to be considered neurodivergent. TLDR: I didn't accept the label before because I didn't feel as though my difference was enough. In hindsight, it very much is enough and I wish I was able to embrace the label back then.
Yes I have delusions, it makes my brain different from the majority of people so Iām neurodivergent.
I wonder about this with mental āillnessā diagnosis like anxiety or ptsd.
I think it fits into the ND idea. I am on a spectrum of different "labels" and one is def C PTSD. To me many labels go hand in hand and you can't tell them apart anymore and every "label" can be on a spectrum. "Mental illnesses" make our brains function differently so why should it not be included?
I embrace the ND label now, but for a while I was hesitant to use it because as said, it's often only attached to those with autism or ADHD - and while I have both, I am also intellectually disabled, and find that a lot of ND spaces don't include or accommodate those with ID, while autistics in said spaces are often stereotyped as super smart or good at everything. And if you're neither of those things, you're just shut out completely.
I identified as ND (dyspraxia) prior to my BB realisation of being autistic and ADHD.