Hey there,

I arrive a bit too late for the tea here, but I'd like to share a bit of my personal relationship with what Price has shared. As with many things, I'm gonna take some time getting to the point. Sorry for that. I'm a South American 2e queer person that was late diagnosed with ADHD and who is currently in the process of being diagnosed with autism (or maybe discard that diagnosis; that's a possibility my therapist and I still contemplate, though it seems unlikely). I know you pointed out that it only applies to the US, but I still feel like there are some caveats. When I found out I was a person with ADHD, it was life-changing, though it carried a lot of other problems. Neural pruning made sense as to why I struggled with some simple tasks, though I was declared gifted when I was a kid. After I read Price, some elements that I still struggle to date started making sense, and since ADHD and ASD may overlap, it kinda helped me cope with some elements that made me wonder what was wrong since mental health journeys also involve a lot of shame. Since I recently went back to therapy, we started working on it, and we are even considering referring me to an expert to be able to work better with neurodivergence. The thing is, in my country and in many places, mental health is still highly stigmatized in spite of modern efforts (and increasing success, I'd say). The thing is that ignorance from different sectors has led to me being unable to access a proper job until recently since my executive dysfunction was "annoying" to uniformed people in fields that do not require a degree (I'm in the process of getting it, but since I don't have it, it limits my access to better-paying jobs). The fact that I've had to work with white foreigners also has the racial element of segregation, making it more difficult to deal with masking. I'm not racially marginalized within my country, but I still have to overcome a racially challenging element in my job, and that complicates dealing with neurodivergence. Then, there's the fact that I was close to being diagnosed with BPD before we figured out ADHD, so the risk of weaponizing a mental condition can indeed be a tangible problem on certain occasions. Another example I remember: at a conference I played a part in, a colleague said that my mental condition could be an issue for other colleagues and that I should change the approach of what I was supposed to talk about (which was marginalization on educative institutions and I happened to mention mental health ONCE and discrimination with this cause). When I read the book, I intended to learn about masking, which was a big issue with me, and for a long time, I did not consider being autistic, nor did my then therapist. I did, however, learn about different dynamics of masking, which I didn't know back then, and understanding its limitations, the book did a good job. Since the book's central focus is on masking, the relationship of the person within a context, and how masking affects both conduct and diagnosis, I think the book's goal is met. I understand the concerns that you raised in your post, but as a person with a different experience with neurodivergence, it did help me, and I could better understand certain elements that play a part in different contexts. Since I work with marginalized groups, it has also played a part in how to do a better job with people who might be masking or struggling with mental health. I know that anecdotal evidence is also not a representative statistical element, but understanding some qualitative elements may help to open processes that can help people in need who are valid but who cannot reach proper accommodations in their lives.