POV: You Slipped Right Through the Net

[00:00:00]If you're neurodivergent and you got good grades and didn't cause any trouble, boy, we just slipped right through the cracks, didn't we? There are a lot of people out there who would say if you're doing generally well in life, getting good grades, blending in, then who cares? Well, let's look at the facts.

[00:00:17]Firstly, we do know that those who are neurodivergent with higher intelligence are less likely to be diagnosed as a child, even though they still have a significantly increased risk of other mental health conditions, especially depression and anxiety. [music] This is partly because these individuals are more likely to mask their symptoms earlier in life, but as time moves on, what I see in clinic a lot is people in their 20s and 30s who are neurodivergent and simply burnt out. If this is accompanied with depression or anxiety, it's possible to get into a cycle of escalating treatment, trying multiple different SSRI medications, and them just not being effective because the underlying condition [music] of autism or ADHD is not being effectively managed. ADHD, particularly in women, can also have a lot of overlap with borderline personality disorder because of intense emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and relationship instability, and so it can lead to a misdiagnosis [music] and mistreatment. This is why just sucking it up and carrying on is outdated advice, and there's so much more work to do to raise awareness about neurodivergence.