new theory: wonder if a lot of the journalistic/political scepticism towards ADHD/autism diagnoses comes from the fact that those people work in industries absolutely full of neurodivergent people, so much easier to go "duh, aren't most people like that" when you're surrounded by....people like that
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(I wish Bluesky had an edit button)
That's just what computer programmers were like, after all 😉
It's only when I was diagnosed autistic 6 years ago that I realised how many then must have been ND also.
I think a lot of people have neurodiverse traits. diagnosis depends on having X number of these in same "box". feels arbitrary in a way, but any person meeting these criteria will have a more challenging life
It's not like you have a choice when you either have to adapt or fall to the wayside.
So much so that 75% of people will literally do something they know to be wrong just to fit in.
ND folks tend not to do that, so we end up being ostracised, labelled as 'difficult' or 'troublemakers' and bullied by everyone as a result.
"Hey, so, I have some news about your friends..."
Have had some variation of this conversation *more than I care to admit* in my line of work in recent years
Every organisation and profession has its quota of odd people.
Maybe neurodivergence is just the people at the tails of the personality distribution curve?
But a lot of 'intelligent' children appear more that way because of ND (hyper focus, etc) and so the third element is a massive Oxbridge over-representation of ND.
But at the same time, an Oxbridge college is an excellently adapted support system for the ND who want to get on and Do Academic Work
A good example of the difficulty in having the right perspective to see neurodiverse behaviour.
(Not just me - a doc and former “professional medical ontologist”. Head of NIMH pushed for new research definitions years ago.)
“Yes, but that’s normal. Everyone does it.”
Pre diagnosis unmedicated me would agree. Of course it’s “normal.”
BUT now I see your point, and it rings much truer than the way I’d been thinking.
I can't imagine trying to work in Tescos when autistic, but no problem working as e.g. a web developer.
Think you're both right 👍
I even worked with a guy who kept telling everyone he was autistic, and I'd ringlead others in mocking his behaviour, which we of course found funny as he never knew we were taking the piss.
I now realise I'm actually quite like him!
It's not unlike being left hand dominant. In the past that was a hindrance because people insisted of forcing right-hand dominant training.
I’ve is recognised for myself that I’m probably ADHD, it
(a) explained why I find some things really difficult (it’s not just that I’m lazy!)
(b) gave me new strategies for dealing with what I find challenging.
Not sure it makes a material difference but even the possibility does make sense of a lot of stuff like underperforming against what people expected of me - perhaps it wasn't just laziness.
It’s just quite case- and degree-specific. It’s a clear, unambiguously good thing in many cases, pretty neutral in others, and can be a negative in some (typically where the level of ND is super super mild or not even there).
Not against it either, but I like how I am and whether I'm diagnosed positive or negative, I know I'm different in some ways anyway?
In all fairness I got medication before being diagnosed as the Samaritans, 111 then the GP helped me quickly. None of them asked why I was in such a state tho.
My surprise in conversations has not been that people haven’t sought diagnosis or self-IDed, more the *complete obliviousness*.
d that it didn't explain all my non normal behaviours (for eg I've written before about really struggling with intrusive thoughts) and turns out OCD often links w/ ADHD
I mean, I'm not a professional politician but I'm active in Labour as a campaigner, branch chair and CLP officer, and I find navigating politics comes relatively naturally to me as an autistic person.
I don't have insomnia, I'm THE WATCHWOMAN
kickass
oh wait. i need sleep.
(counterpoint counterpoint: my friendship groups are a mess)
*Disclosure: I have no formal diagnoses so I don't necessarily speak from within the group.
If you're not making enough money to live comfortably to begin with, then why keep this charade up? Why continue putting yourself through this? Can you really continue this indefinitely?