People With Mental Illness Are Neuroatypical?

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I've been seeing this around Tumblr lately. People who have mental illnesses, but not autism or related conditions, are referring to people without mental illness as "neurotypical." I find this offensive because it seems like a case of "moving the goalposts" like how the definition of feminism changes depending on who you ask. But what do you think?

Yeah, I feel like they are co-opting the term. I DO use the term neurotypical because I think it's regular, common language for saying "non-autistic" but it can be misunderstood because of people saying that bipolar, schizophrenia, ADHD, etc are also not neurotypical.

I honestly hate the term NT because of the stigma autistic people have put on it and now it implies there is nothing wrong with you and you don't have any problems. Now I find the term misleading but if someone wants to refer themselves as an NT is up to them even if they are OCD, anxiety disorder, Bipolar schizophrenic, learning disabled, depressed, ADHD, sociopath, borderline, narcissistic personality disordered, etc. We have a Bipolar member here who refers herself as NT and that is the choice she makes and there is another one who has ADHD and also refers herself as an NT but I haven't seen her around in a while.

I guess this was a poorly worded post. I meant to say that the word "neurodivergent" seems to have expanded to include mental illnesses, which confuses the definition. Neurodiversity is supposed to be about accepting different brains like one would accept different races, combatting the idea that people with neurological disorders need to be cured or eliminated. However, that message gets muddled when people with depression and anxiety start using the word "neurodivergent" and calling people without mental illnesses "neurotypical." I think that hurts the neurodiversity movement because mental illnesses are objectively bad and nobody who actually has them wants them to be a part of their identity. I know there are autistic people (and people with other neurological disorders) who want to be cured, but there are many who are just fine the way they are and just want to be taken seriously by the people around them. There's a huge difference between a neurotype and a mental illness. There are some disorders that blur the line, however, and I think in that case it's fine to use the language, but a non-autistic teen who is going through a depression phase is not neurodivergent. That doesn't make their struggles less legitimate, of course, and I'm not the language police. If you disagree with what I say that's fine. I'm just ranting like an idiot.

It's prejorative, but I sometimes refer to people without neurological or mental conditions as "normies", and I both loathe and envy them. When you have conditions that affect your mental functioning from day to day, and you constantly see and hear about people who work for a living, get laid, do well in school, and have positive outlooks on life, you're bound to be jealous. I know it's not politically correct to admit it, but it's true.

As for the whole neurotypical/neuroatypical thing, it's hard to draw the line. Like I wouldn't consider someone with OCD or ADHD to be NT necessarily, but more often than not it seems they're closer to "NT" than your typical person on the autism spectrum. I don't want to downplay their issues, but the overall way they perceive the world and interact with other people seems to be much closer to how NTs do it than how people with autism do it. I can't claim to be an expert though, since I don't know exactly what it's like to walk in the shoes of a non-autistic person with OCD or ADHD; however being that I've been diagnosed with OCD, and that I've been described as having traits of ADHD, I can relate to these people somewhat.

Some people view bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia and whatnot as neurological types which do not require medication or treatment. My mom is bipolar and has never allowed herself to be treated. I believe she said once that she is supposed to take lithium but she refused. My perspective is that she was a brilliant (although unpleasant) woman whose mind was ruined by her mental disease. But she does not see herself that way. She thinks she's awesome (will not say "bipolar" although she was diagnosed many times) and other people just don't recognize that. It's kind of hard to make an argument against what someone thinks. Who are any of us to say what someone else is? Maybe some people are just different.

If you take that thinking and apply it to autism, it's the same argument. Is the way you are a problem? A problem for who? I could say that autistic people in general tend to be better citizens, much less likely to hurt people, and they often have tremendous gifts, such as superior focus and ethical standards, that improve the world. But one could also say that people with those disorders contribute quite a bit to society. As artists, engineers, as people who have a brilliant thought that helps here or there- again, it's the same argument. That they help through their diversity.

I just don't like that they co-opted the neurodiverse term because it's hard to group autism in with other things. You can't decrease or lessen autism so it's hard to say it's anything like mental illnesses. And we understand so little about neurology that it's hard to say that what all these things have in common is that.

I think allistic is the word that refers specifically to someone not being autistic. Would this be a better word to use than NT? I'm not even sure what "typical" anything really means.

For s**ts and giggles....

Do I think neurodiverse could cover bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD blah blah blah...yeah.

You could throw all these groups under neuro diverse..

Traumatic brain injuries
Mental illness
Substance abuse
Developmental disorders
Cerebral vascular incidents

The reason I call myself NT is because where I live, I have been savaged at 3 different autism support group groups THAT I AM NT AND NOT NEURO DIVERSE. I went to them because my husband wanted to go, and he wouldn't go alone. They were also open meetings which anyone (NT or not) could attend.

Somehow those people with autism believe neuro diverse is autism ONLY. They are the bigger support groups in the area. Who am I to get into a screaming match over a stupid label? The big deal psychologist who diagnosed my husband uses neuro diverse for autism only. Do I believe the guy with the PhD and the people who are living with autism or the 20 year old Tumblr warrior?

So I get who the f**k does she think she is passing for NT on WP, and who the f**k does she think she is passing as neuro diverse in real life.

I default to what I have to deal with in real life. Whatever other group you want to thow me into I really don't care. I don't think I'm better than anyone else. I get tired of doing mental gymnastics so I don't offend everyone.

I was a manic depressive until it changed to bipolar disorder. I'm sure the shrinks will have another brain fart and change the label in 10 years to justify their jobs. The switch of a label meant nothing, except for a good 10 years most people didn't know what bipolar disorder was. It sounds more scientific, I guess. Being labeled bipolar doesn't make me feel any better, take away the social stigma or make my life easier. It only makes it easier for people who like catagories to slot me into that group.

Anyway..carry on...lol...

Usually neurodiverse refers to a permanent brain condition that the main criteria involves mental processing. By that criteria dyslexics are neurodiverse. People who are clinically depressed may be neurodiverse but not because they are depressed. Cerebral Palsy is primarily a physical condition.

Calling it neuroTYPICAL was a really bad idea because as mentioned the criteria describing the vast majority of the population can not be typical. All they have in common is not being neurodiverse.