Neurodivergence includes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Tourette Syndrome, as well as some long-term mental health conditions, such as depression and borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Neurodiversity and mental health
If someone is neurodivergent, this doesn't mean they have a mental health condition. There isn't really any such thing as a neurodivergent mental illness like 'neurodivergent depression' or 'neurodivergent anxiety,' just people who think differently from most.
It's thought that many people with BPD have something wrong with the neurotransmitters in their brain, particularly serotonin. Neurotransmitters are "messenger chemicals" used by your brain to transmit signals between brain cells.
Some common characteristics associated with the non-neurotypical include: feeling easily overwhelmed, sensory sensitivity or de-sensitivity, meltdowns or shutdowns when overstimulated, low frustration tolerance, and black and white thinking.
While researchers are still trying to pin down the precise areas where BPD and autism overlap, it seems clear that many traits are indeed shared, especially among females. In one study, nearly half of women diagnosed with BPD also met diagnostic criteria for autism when assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient.
The Social Security Administration placed borderline personality disorder as one of the mental health disorders on its disabilities list. However, you'll have to meet specific criteria for an official disability finding. For example, you must prove that you have the symptoms of the condition.
BPD has been linked to the amygdala and limbic systems of the brain, the centres that control emotion and, particularly, rage, fear and impulsive automatic reactions.
What Is a BPD Favorite Person? For someone with BPD, the favorite person is deemed the most important person in their life. This person can be anyone, but it's often a romantic partner, family member, good friend, or another supportive person (like a coach, therapist, or teacher).
Compared with HC, BPD subjects had significant bilateral reductions in gray matter concentrations in ventral cingulate gyrus and several regions of the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, and uncus.
Types of Neurodivergence
Some other conditions such as schizophrenia, OCD, anti-social personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder, and bipolar disorder can be classed as a form of neurodivergence too.
“Neurotypical” is a term that's used to describe individuals with typical neurological development or functioning. It is not specific to any particular group, including autism spectrum disorder. In other words, it's not used to describe individuals who have autism or other developmental differences.
“With this definition, anxiety can be considered a form of neurodivergence, although it may not be as commonly recognized as ADHD, autism, or trauma,” she says. Many people utilize self-identification to categorize themselves as being neurodivergent, explains Claney.
PTSD and C-PTSD are now considered by many to be within the umbrella of neurodivergence, but fall under the category of acquired neurodivergence.
Borderline personality disorder is also called emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and emotional intensity disorder (EID). In this factsheet, we call it BPD as this is still the most common term for the condition.
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person's ability to regulate their emotions. This loss of emotional control can increase impulsivity, affect how a person feels about themselves, and negatively impact their relationships with others.
Results found in a 2014 study found the average length of a BPD relationship between those who either married or living together as partners was 7.3 years. However, there are cases where couples can stay together for 20+ years.
The condition seems to be worse in young adulthood and may gradually get better with age. If you have borderline personality disorder, don't get discouraged. Many people with this disorder get better over time with treatment and can learn to live satisfying lives.
Stressful or traumatic life events
Often having felt afraid, upset, unsupported or invalidated. Family difficulties or instability, such as living with a parent or carer who experienced an addiction. Sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Losing a parent.
Childhood trauma such as sexual, emotional, or physical abuse also may lead to the onset of borderline personality disorder. Unstable relationships are a main symptom of BPD , and children with traumatic backgrounds or unhealthy family relationships may be more prone to developing BPD later in life.
Some people with BPD may meet the criteria for the NDIS, some have been approved already, many have not. It is possible for people to recover from BPD however, and to go onto the NDIS, it is required you have a permanent disability this is one of the challenges faced with being eligible for the NDIS.
Many people with BPD feel emotions deeply and find working in a caring role fulfilling. If you are an empathetic person, consider jobs such as teaching, childcare, nursing and animal care.
Limited therapeutic effectiveness of antidepressants in BPD may be related to lack of serotonin receptor specificity, since 5-HT2A but not 5-HT2C antagonism is associated with decreasing impulsivity.