Is it my ADHD/Bipolar (or any other Neurodivergent) Brain?

This article is for you if you suspect you might be, or have been, diagnosed with a mental “disorder*”.

*I write disorder in quotes because the interpretation of this word is fluid and widely varied, but nonetheless it is still a largely used term in the world. Know that to some, it is a misfortune, to others, it can be interpreted as a symptom or signpost, and finally to even others, it is simply a neutral difference compared to other types of neurodiversity. Regardless, to all, there is a choice regarding what we believe that influences how we feel about it – and these beliefs can change through education. Keep this fluidity of definitions in mind as you go through your journey, including reading this writing.

The writing will help you understand how your symptoms (what you feel and “see” as related to your brain / mental disorder) relates to both genetics (the aspects that we cannot control) and other factors (some aspects of which we can control), and help you navigate how to separate the two.

It's based on some of the latest science - not assumptions or false beliefs.

Before we dive in, let’s have you thinking about this one question:

When you think of (insert your #1 problem in life), how do you know how much of it is caused by your brain’s genetically pre-programmed wiring vs a blind spot you might not know about?

Blind spot examples: lack of knowledge that is not applied in your life or unconscious programming (you may have learned from family, education, and/or culture)?

Tough one…

The truth is there is no defined answer.

The answer is more like an art piece that you are constantly creating, or a journey you are continuously going on.

As you keep going in the process (of life itself), you get closer and closer to being “satisfied” with an answer.

Let’s first talk about key points about the science behind mental disorders (sources further down below) using a “biopsychosocial” (biology-, psychology-, and social/environmental- based) model.

Mental health outcomes often come from a complex interplay of factors: genetics, environment, lifestyle, and how these interact with each other.
The impact of genetics is not fixed and determined, rather it is turned on and off based on conditions and stimuli that “life” throws at us (the new field of “epigenetics”).
Environment (defined here as: physical environment, lifestyle and dietary habits, relationship environment, emotional environment, financial environment and stressors, and history of trauma) is also a contributing factor with many subparts.

Where is this information coming from?

Most of the arguments outlined in this writing come from two the two following books which are grounded in 1000’s of scientific studies:

“The Myth of Normal” by Dr. Gabor Mate (doctor, therapist, & internationally renowned mental health and addiction specialist)
“Brain Energy” by Dr. Christopher Palmer (internationally renowned neuroscience researcher on mental illness and metabolic brain health)

These two books, which I recommend you read for your own education, are major works of the 21st century and outline a holistic picture behind the multi-factor combinations of causes to mental illness.

There is much more further reading (into the research papers, and other authors) that you can do to deepen your knowledge as well, but these two books are a great starting point.

To help you get a better idea as to why that is...

As a quick summary of the two:

The Myth of Normal is a bit more “societally focused”. It looks at and redefines trauma as much more subtle than we think and goes on to compare our “western” standard society (“toxic”) lifestyle with that of indigenous populations (a “biologically aligned” lifestyle) who experience significantly less mental disorders in their tribes. The differences outline the role of environment, and the book puts forth very convincing arguments about the multiple layers of trauma and societal pressures as inseparable contributing factors leading to mental disorders.

Brain Energy is a bit more “biology focused”. It proposes a unifying theory attempting to boil down the cause of mental illness to one biological root (problems within the cell mitochondria) but then goes to show that what causes this problem is indeed multi-factorial. It emphasises how environment and lifestyle-related factors are all linked to mental health outcomes and recommends a multi-pronged holistic approach as the best way to manage or treat mental illness.

Both books are based on a thorough investigation of the scientific research (100’s-1000’s of papers), and the works were created as a summary and conclusions of the overall analysis.

Together, these books make a powerful case for understanding mental health as multi-factorial, rather than the result of a single genetic or biochemical flaw.

The undeniable conclusions that we can make from these books is that even with a strong genetic predisposition (for example: both of your parents have been diagnosed with a mental illness), then the expression of mental illness in you often still depends on environmental and lifestyle factors.

Hope for change.

The point is that there is hope for change: if you are curious or motivated enough to start looking into the research, the education you will receive will change your beliefs about mental disorders, and you will start to improve the factors that are within your control.

Diagnosis is a starting point, not a limitation.

Most people view their mental health challenges as fixed, interpreting that they are doomed to experience whatever downsides are related to this mental diagnosis. It’s normal to think this way, because by an intuitive large majority, we aren’t taught in society that what we choose to do can change our genetics (by the expression of our genes), but this is the truth.

At the very least, it doesn’t hurt to believe in the possibility that change is possible as a source of hope and empowerment (whereas in contrast, believing that change is impossible will undoubtedly lead to staying stuck in self-destructive cycles).

Rather than viewing a diagnosis as a fixed trajectory for our destiny, what we can do in the first instance is reframe any diagnosis as a starting point for further education, self-understanding, and awareness.

Solving the question and getting results.

Let’s go back to the original question of “Is it my ADHD/Bipolar (or any other Neurodivergent) Brain?”, or is it something else (environmental factors)?

The only way to solve this question is intuitive and iterative: because we cannot “guess”, “think”, or even “scientifically experiment” our way to the answer.

The problem is just too complex!

It’s impossible to separate out genetics from all the aspects of lifestyle and environment.

So what can we do?

Start with education. Read the books above, learn about your specific mental disorder, learn about anything that relates to mental illness that piques your curiosity.

Thanks to education, you will reshape your mental model that maps how “you” and “your mental disorder” interrelate.

You will identify some pieces of the puzzle which you need to do a lot more learning or practicing getting to a better situation within what you can control. The more you learn, the more effortless it will be to make changes, and the more you make changes, the more your overall situation will improve.

By educating yourself and applying changes targeted to your unique situation and goals, you can achieve a clearer sense of what’s within your control and what’s rooted in your unique neurodiversity.

And then you’ll learn to embrace that neurodiversity for its strengths rather than as a weakness to feel isolated or guilty about.

The key is to learn about the multifaceted contributors to mental health.

From there, you’ll develop a greater awareness about what isn’t (and will never be) in your control versus what you can change or work on – and as you work on those things, your situation will improve.

And, who knows… maybe it will improve so much that you’ll one day realise, you were never predestined to be doomed because of a mental disorder?

Stay curious, stay compassionate, stay loving with yourself, and as always, keep on improving.

Lots of love.