Neurodiversity Beyond Autism and ADHD -Part I: About Me

Terms defined

Insecure attachment “An individual relationship can be insecure when it contains elements of mistrust together with anxious or avoidant elements and lacks a secure base. It is considered a dysfunctional relationship.” — Nor Ba’yah Abdul Kadir

Neurodivegent “a bodymind that functions differently from the socially expected norm.”-Janae Elisabeth @autietraumageek

Cis gender is in alignment with sex assigned at birth

With this blog series I hope to discover and help shape community among folks with diagnoses beyond Autism and ADHD. While all DSM-5 diagnoses are considered neurodivergent, diagnoses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and major depressive disorder have not benefited from the neurodiversity advocacy movements in the ways Autism and ADHD have. Community and advocacy movements offer liberation and empowerment. I hope you join me in this endeavor.

I am writing in search of community and empowerment among folks with psychiatric diagnoses beyond Autism and ADHD. While all DSM-5 diagnoses can be considered neurodivergent, most have not benefited from the neurodiversity advocacy movements.

Before I get into this topic, a little about me. I am a white cis female, in my thirties. I have received several diagnoses in my life from schizophrenia to major depressive disorder. I have not found a diagnosis that quite fits me. I have been disabled because of my mental health during periods of my life. I have experienced deep depressions and agitated manias. I have had my mind so racing and jumbled that I could not speak coherently. I have craved death. I experienced haunting auditory hallucinations. I have been plagued by paranoid delusions. I self-medicated a lot as a teenager and tried to party and shoplift my way out of my aching body.

My home life was stressful during these years. With insecure attachments with my parents and a sister who lashed out her pain onto me, I did not feel safe. I entered adulthood thinking that I could be healed by some decent meds and finally someone who loved me. Adulthood did not go quite as planned.

I have also experienced a wealth of growth and healing, joy and contentment, and love. I completed my master’s degree, gained a beautiful family, and started my private practice as a mental health therapist. I am not all better or all healed and do not expect myself to be. I am not an expert. I will not always be right and will make plenty of mistakes. I am curious. This curiosity is the drive behind this blog series.