Is Anxiety Neurodivergent? Everything You Need to Know
In a world where diversity makes us stronger, it is increasingly important to understand the complex connections between mental health, personality traits, and neurodiversity đź§
Right in the middle of all this, anxiety jumps into the spotlight.
Take a moment to think about it 🤔Are you aware of how much anxiety impacts the brain? Does it solely trigger emotional responses, or does it also shape the way your brain processes information and perceives the world around you?
The purpose of this article is to investigate how anxiety disorder is related to neurodiversity. Our goal is to uncover how anxiety connects with our unique minds, revealing insights into the importance of neurodiversity in our lives 🌟
As we explore the meeting points of anxiety disorder and neurodiversity, we hope to broaden our perspective, foster empathy, and ultimately improve our ability to support one another.
Is Anxiety Neurodivergent?
Up until now, the question of whether or not anxiety is a form of neurodivergence on its own is still up in the air. Though the definitive verdict is still pending, it's important to remember that neurodivergence is a relatively new field of psychology, with fresh insights emerging all the time.
As of right now, we know anxiety and neurodiversity are interconnected. It is not uncommon for neurodivergence to be misunderstood as anxiety, especially when it comes to the mental health experiences of girls, women, and nonbinary people. This is because anxiety is often a diagnosis that happens on the way to identifying neurodivergence.
Also, there's an intriguing twist: Many individuals diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder also exhibit signs of anxiety.
So, in short, you might be neurodivergent and experience anxiety, or anxiety might be your way into the neurodivergent universe.
Some experts consider anxiety to be a neurodivergent condition by itself, while others may see it as coexisting with disorders or contributing to neurodiversity.
Clearly, although high anxiety levels aren't typically labeled as a conventional specific neurodivergent diagnosis or as other mental health conditions are, individuals with an anxiety diagnosis showcase unique personality traits that intricately link them to the broader spectrum of neurodiversity diagnosis:
Hyper-Sensitivity: Anxiety may make you particularly sensitive to your environment, allowing you to detect subtleties that others might pass over.
Heightened Emotional Responses: Anxiety can trigger strong emotional reactions, causing you to experience a wide range of feelings, from fear and worry to restlessness and tension. It’s like turning up the volume of your emotions, making it hard to listen anything else.
Intrusive Thinking: Anxiety frequently involves intrusive thoughts that disrupt one's thought patterns and daily life.
Despite not being a traditional neurodivergent trait, anxiety and these important personality traits reveal a complex relationship worth exploring in the context of neurodiversity.
Neurodivergent vs Neurotypical
Neurotypical people are those whose brain development, function, behavior, and cognitive abilities conform to the standards considered normal or typical. A neurotypical person will be able to reach all levels of developmental milestones of development and behavior at the standard human time or age.
When we talk about neurodivergence, we're referring to the natural variation in how the human brain develops and functions. Some individuals have brains that are wired differently from the majority of the general population, which can affect their way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Unlike a neurotypical person, neurodivergent people are those who possess brain differences from what is considered standard for each moment or age of a human being.
Forms of Neurodiversity
The manifestations, levels, and types of neurodivergence vary widely. While some are subtle and easily overlooked, others are more noticeable, like those who struggle with social cues.
Autism: This disorder can deeply affect a person's behavior and the ability to self-regulate emotions. There are many symptoms associated with this condition, but the most common ones include communication difficulties, lack of coping mechanisms and skills in social interaction situations, or engaging in repetitive behaviors.
ADHD: People with ADHD struggle with controlling their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, and focusing their attention on various aspects of daily life. They have difficulty concentrating but are capable of creating, imagining, and innovating to a degree that might be challenging for a neurotypical person.
Dyslexia: This type of condition interferes with speech, reading, and writing. Meanwhile, they are very creative and have superior visual processing abilities.
In addition to the conditions mentioned above, there are many other types of different neurodivergent diagnoses too, other disorders such as synesthesia, obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy, tourette syndrome, bipolar disorder, dyspraxia, etc.
History of The Neurodiversity Movement
Back in the 90s, things were different for people with autism. People didn't really understand it, and if you were labeled as autistic, you might be treated unfairly, like you didn't fit in.
But then something remarkable happened: Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist who herself is on the autism spectrum disorder, started something amazing. She gave birth to what we now call the Neurodiversity Movement.
Singer saw neurodiversity as a social justice movement to promote equality for what she termed "neurological minorities," which refers to individuals whose brains function in atypical ways. Singer wanted everyone's experiences, even if unique, to be respected.
She believed that neurological differences shouldn't be considered mental disorders but rather as normal and potentially valuable variations in brain functioning.
The word "neurodiversity" came alive in the 90s to fight against people being treated poorly because of being autistic adults. But today, it means more than that.
It's an umbrella that covers not just but also other differences like ADHD and learning struggles such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Mental health experts who work from the neurodiversity perspective affirm that everyone has strengths and limitations they're working with, so instead of thinking that people with autism or ADHD need to be 'fixed,' they focus on what they're good at and help them with what they're working on.
Signs of Neurodivergence
You may be wondering: how can I tell if someone is neurodivergent? Aside from the above developmental disorders and neurological condition, there are some other signs to look for to identify such traits.
Communication and Social Difficulties: Neurodivergent people may have difficulty with communication and social interactions, which makes it difficult for them to build relationships.
Creative thinking: This is valuable and important aspect of human cognition, and neurodivergence can often be associated with creative thinking and problem-solving.
Language and Speech Differences: Some neurodiverse may experience difficulties with language and speech because of their executive functioning challenges, which could affect how they express themselves and understand others.
Intellectual disabilities: Learning can be a unique journey for those with neurodiversity. There can be significant limitations in cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior, which can affect a person’s ability to learn, communicate, and perform everyday activities.
Sensory Issues: Sensitivities to light, sound, temperature, pressure, and crowded places may be strong, causing intense reactions.
Adaptability Challenges: Flexibility might be a struggle, as some neurodiverse find it hard to adjust their interests based on age or situation.
Unconventional Physical Symptoms: Rocking, tics, sudden outbursts, or shouting at unexpected times might be present.
Everybody experiences these difficulties from time to time; however, if they are constant or interfere with a person's ability to function day-to-day, this may indicate neurodivergence. Having an official recognition in form of a neurodivergent diagnosis can open doors to a valuable support network.
Cognitive Processing Differences in People with Anxiety Disorders
The fascinating world of cognitive processing reveals intriguing differences between people with generalized anxiety disorder and those with neurotypical brain structures. Anxiety disorders create a different mental landscape than neurotypical people:
Hyperactive Amygdala: Research reveals heightened activity in the amygdala, a brain region associated with threat detection. As a result, you may be more sensitive to potential dangers and see neutral stimuli as threatening.
Uncertainty Processing: The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and planning, appears to operate differently in individuals with anxiety disorders. Scientific studies have shown altered activity in this region during decision-making tasks, suggesting potential difficulties in managing uncertainty.
Negativity Bias: People with anxiety disorders might exhibit a "negativity bias," where their brain prioritizes negative stimuli and experiences. An interesting study was conducted some years ago showed that people with Anxiety Disorder judged a higher proportion of faces as angry compared to non-anxious participants. This type of bias can amplify emotional responses and foster heightened vigilance toward potential threats.