With the rise of social media, it is clear that conversations surrounding neurodiversity have skyrocketed. With this, has come a wave of media users eager to seek further explanation for symptoms that may ultimately be a mental disability. By hearing about real-life experiences from neurodiverse individuals on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and many more, learning about the multitude of mental disabilities has become relevant, now more than ever. Yet, it is clear that there still is a long way to go. Prior to this social media wave, there was and continues to be very little education on the symptoms and wide variety of different mental disorders that exist, specifically for women. The lack of a proper diagnosis can lead to long-term struggles in education, job searches, or even just living a peaceful day-to-day life. Overall, it is crucial to look into the stereotypes that slow the process for women to find proper diagnoses.
What are the existing biases that halt the process for women to receive a diagnosis over men?
According to the American University of Beirut, since women are stereotyped to be socially aware and empathetic, their neurodivergent traits tend to be overlooked or are dismissed as the individual being “quirky” or “eccentric.” With this toxic notion, it is not surprising that more often than women, men get diagnosed with disabilities such as; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and countless others. Additionally, this mindset is a huge reason that it is difficult for mental health professionals to give proper diagnoses since many women unknowingly develop coping mechanisms throughout their life in order to mask their neurodivergent traits with the hopes of “fitting in”. This can lead to individuals either getting diagnosed very late in life or possibly never. When women are expected to constantly fit into societal norms, it is no wonder that many of these diagnoses go unnoticed.
how can you help?
According to Do It, raising awareness for neurodiversity has resulted in increasing numbers of females self-diagnosing in adulthood. While self-diagnosing can lead to a misdiagnosis since several disorders have overlapping symptoms, learning about the specific symptoms seen in different types of disabilities is a start. Nevertheless, it is crucial to see a health profession in order to get a proper diagnosis. As stories continue to be shared on social media from individuals explaining their experiences with their own disabilities, awareness for what neurodiversity looks like in women will prevail. By creating conversations surrounding all the different ways being neurodiverse can look, there is bound to be a positive impact in learning how to approach all of the women who were once overlooked.
On top of educating one another, it is important to recognize where individuals with certain diagnoses excel and lift each other up. Specifically, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness; pushing for workspaces to provide mental health days, reintegrating employees after a leave of absence for treatment and creating a safe space to normalize conversations about mental health. Regarding younger women, it is important to emphasize how crucial upbringing is in receiving a proper diagnosis; whether it be lack of educational resources, money, or a safe family dynamic.
Overall, with the rise of social media platforms it is important to make sure to get information from reliable sources. It is crucial to take a deep dive into any form of media being consumed in order to form valid and educated stances regarding any topic. Additionally, speaking to people who have first-hand experience with any disability is key to raising awareness for how society can adjust in order to properly include everybody to live equally.
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