Neuro-Diversity and "Personality Disorders"

Conjecture

• For people with IQs over 70 and with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Giftedness, OCD, etc. there are a lot of CHALLENGES to fitting into a NEURO-TYPICAL WORLD in which the ACCOMMODATIONS & WORK-AROUNDS you need are NOT ON THE TABLE.

 

• Further, many people with some NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCE related to greater Neuro-Developmental Inflammation ---
  • Don't get that DIAGNOSIS until they are an ADULT ---
  • And many people never get that DIAGNOSIS.

 

• We're more recognizing that the Neuro-Typical Human Brain doesn't completely "MATURE" until about 25.   
  

For people with some form of Neuro-Diversity mentioned above --- their brains are probably not "MATURING" until 30.

• a lot of Neuro-Diverse people with the RESOURCES go to:
  • Graduate School
  • Law School
  • Med School
• Those ENVIRONMENTS provide STRUCTURE and can play to the STRENGTHS of NEURO-DIVERSE people
• There are a lot of Neuro-Diverse people in ACADEMIA.
  

A very few ADULTS in our SOCIETY are getting SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT ---

• and that is STRICTLY RATIONED.
• It's largely based on MONEY & HIERARCHY.
• Further, those ADULTS tend to be WEALTHY NEURO-DIVERSE People who are MEGA WEALTHY now -- but started out as wealthy
  •  a seeming Sweetheart like Richard Branson and a seeming nut case like Elon Musk. 
    

When you look at the OTHER EXTREME --- Homelessness and Incarceration ---

• One sometimes to often finds gifted musicians or people who want to develop their musical abilities.
• What's an ABILITY IN MUSIC --
  • It's an ENHANCED ABILITY to RECOGNIZE PATTERNS -- MATH.
    

Thelonious Monk

Finally, the "PERSONALITY DISORDERS."

The CHALLENGE of NEURO-DIVERSITY is that it is often coming with BIG STRENGTHS and EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES.

• If someone is high enough up on the PUBLIC HIERARCHY --- you can see this played out in Operatic Fashion --
  • Think Bill Clinton or Donald Trump.
    

I think "PERSONALITY DISORDERS" are sort of that FIRST LINE of OBSERVATION of a PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR ---

• it's not necessarily "WRONG" as far it goes
• BUT it doesn't go very far
• and we've been AFRAID to address DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES for fear of coming off as --
  • NAZIS
  • So I'm not saying there aren't complicated SOCIAL and ENVIRONMENTAL and DISCRIMINATORY FORCES at play --
    
  • But they are also playing out in a BIOLOGICAL CONTEXT of:
    • Executive Functioning Challenges.
    • Ramped Up Stress Responses and Sensory Processing
    • Substantive Strengths and
    • Epigenetics
      

A large MIDDLE CLASS helps to MODERATE the STRESS people are feeling ---

• A lot of INCOME INEQUALITY and SOCIAL INEQUALITY --- ramps that STRESS UP
  • So HYPER-COMPETITIVE SOCIETIES might see some gains in some areas --
  • BUT I would submit they are also seeing some REGRESSION in other areas involving SOCIAL BEHAVIOR.
    

Based on the RESEARCH --- most of these people who are being labeled with a "personality disorder" are Neuro-Diverse

• they are the ULTIMATE "MIXED BAG"
• they need some SUPPORT in MANAGING this
• and we all need to get much more SOPHISTICATED in our THINKING.
• part of that is recognizing the UNCONSCIOUS BIAS that prevents us from recognizing COMMON PUBLIC HEALTH issues that are congregating at the EXTREMES.