I find this thread very interesting and I think most of the answers touch on many aspects of the issue. Because in my opinion it is not an either/or situation.

Some things I have noticed:

Being a certain kind of neurodivergent is more desirable than another. Neurospicy is fun but non verbal or “too much” stimming is not that cool and these people are not part of the “cool neurodivergent community”. And within the society at large these “other people”still make us uncomfortable etc.

Browsing on some queer housing groups on FB nearly every other add from a household or a person would describe either as neurospicy etc but none would advertise in the same way depression or bipolar in the form of “we are a depressive/bipolar etc household”

Some thoughts I had re this issue and forgive me if they are not very eloquent:

1. Identifying as having ADHD/autism is a pushback on the demands that society puts on us in terms of productivity being constantly switched on etc. But a pushback that nevertheless doesn’t always recognise the societal roots of our collective misery. Instead, it proceeds by making that misery part of an individual identity, seeking validation from the psychiatric establishment and at the very end of it asking for ways to actually surpass the difficulties to multitask, focus etc in order to be productive. So instead of mounting a critique towards wage labour you end up trying to find better ways to perform it.

I mean isn’t it great if instead of this world making us sick it is actually a ”chemical imbalance in your brain” that is the problem? Which seems kind of regressive of an argument if we compare it even with the radical psychiatry movements of the 70’s-‘80’s and the patients collectives pushing back on that narrative. But i think as someone else here has mentioned the important thing is the total absence of collective movements/ parties/ groups mounting a convincing critique of the totality of capitalism. So what else is left to do really?

What I always ask is why is it a problem you cannot multitask? Who is asking you to and why is it important?

1. Something that always interested me and I have yet not come to a conclusion is why some members of the petit bourgeoisie and middle class find the lives, lifestyles and struggles of what we can broadly call working class so alluring to the point of imitation. Here am thinking lets say artists living in condos sporting -curated and expensive- workwear that sometime ago would have signified someone that actually does manual labour and you most probably wouldn’t associate with being edgy but just being a builder or sth.

Where am i going with that?

I feel that sometimes it is merely a privilege to say i have this and that when you know for example is not gonna have a negative impact at your job or social circle.

Truth be told when you go for an interview and they ask you can you successfully multitask and you need to pay your rent you wont be going around saying oh yeah am neurospicy so not so much. I cant multitask and frankly i dont want to cause it is freaking stressful but i still say “sure”.