Megan’s Reviews > Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You > Status Update

Casual mention of a ND couple where one is a police officer?? Feels kind of weird to not at all go into how that line of work/that system actively harms and oppresses ND people a lot of the time

Ch5 consisted mostly of interviews and anecdotes without much expansion until the end, where the author offers advice other than basically “be self-aware”
I liked what some interviewees said about diagnoses and labels, how they’re meant to be a tool, to treat distress and not difference, etc

We cannot escape Freud

Anyway, I liked the intro writing segment — it was actually refreshing bc it felt like it had some depth or narrative.

Nice nuance in the “mechanistic thinking” section, but a bit ironic considering this book seems to be focused on productivity/success a lot of the time

I’m not sure how to feel about chapter 4? It provided some useful insight about occupational therapy for children and adults with SPD, as well as went into navigating life with a family and career and SPD.
I would have liked more diversity with the interviewees — they’re all upper middle class mothers w successful careers.
Ch.4 is hopeful in tone, but a bit repetitive and lacking depth. Needs more expansion

Chapter 3 was a mixed bag. I found a lot of value in and resonated with a lot of the contents of the ADHD section (pgs 74-79). The rest,, ehhh ??
I feel as though the author could have gone way more in depth and expanded more upon the pain that comes with being so judged and misunderstood as a ND person, as well as how comorbidities affect us. Tbh, Nerenberg’s interviewees provide more depth than she does.

I appreciate the nuance regarding the DSM provided by Salinas on pgs 72-73

Chapter 2 was alright. I like how it reframes the notion of being highly sensitive as something that could be considered useful, helpful, or even a gift at times. However, I don’t think one needs to be considered useful to be valid in their existence as they are. I also don’t really like the implication that HSP is more of a women’s thing, though I understand this book is geared toward ND women.

While I agree that a lot of the time, experiences that should be considered as part of a spectrum are pathologized and hastily labeled as disorders, I think that the “disorder”/“disordered” label can be extremely useful, when it is actually accurately describing something that severely negatively impacts a person’s daily functioning/life.