
141Nature
Iron
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2025
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How Being Neurodivergent Can Ruin Your Life
A brutally honest, first-person breakdown
I rehearse convos for hours, still say the wrong thing.
Lost friends, failed dates, misunderstood daily.
Facts:
Fired for not faking small talk.
Hyperfocus is either praised or punished. Interviews are hell.
Facts:
Tasks feel impossible. Sounds hurt. Time makes no sense.
Facts:
Told I was “just depressed” for 15 years.
Therapy didn’t help. Meds often made it worse.
Facts:
I mask, copy others, beg to be fixed.
Even my passions are “too much.”
Facts:
Yes—but only if:
Bottom line: This world isn’t just hard—it’s built to break us.
A brutally honest, first-person breakdown
1. Social Survival = Constant Failure
I rehearse convos for hours, still say the wrong thing.
Lost friends, failed dates, misunderstood daily.
Facts:
- Autistics: 9x suicide risk, 80% bullied
- ADHDers: 99% experience RSD
2. Work Is a Minefield
Fired for not faking small talk.
Hyperfocus is either praised or punished. Interviews are hell.
Facts:
- Only 22% of autistics work full-time
- 3x more likely to face job discrimination
- Burnout is rampant by our 30s
3. My Brain Is Glitchy
Tasks feel impossible. Sounds hurt. Time makes no sense.
Facts:
- 90% of autistics + 60% of ADHDers have sensory issues
- ADHD brains struggle with time perception
- Daily life = chronic stress/PTSD
4. Healthcare Fails Us
Told I was “just depressed” for 15 years.
Therapy didn’t help. Meds often made it worse.
Facts:
- ADHD/autism diagnoses often delayed 5–12 years
- ~50% misdiagnosed
- Autistics die 16 years earlier on average
5. I Blame Myself
I mask, copy others, beg to be fixed.
Even my passions are “too much.”
Facts:
- 3–5x higher suicidal ideation
- Masking = burnout, depression, lost identity
- Society says: You’re the problem
So… Is There Hope?
Yes—but only if:
- Accommodations are real
- Community is found
- We keep saying: “I’m not broken. The system is.”
Bottom line: This world isn’t just hard—it’s built to break us.