Anxiety & Depression in the Neurodivergent Community
CPD courses & points for psychologists in South Africa
This talk explores the complex relationship between anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence across the lifespan. Drawing on current research and clinical practice, it examines how mental health difficulties often present differently in neurodivergent individuals, how symptoms may be overlooked or misattributed, and why anxiety and depression are frequently more disabling than core neurodevelopmental traits. The presenter situates emotional distress within neurological, psychological, and systemic contexts, highlighting the roles of trauma, masking, environmental mismatch, and cumulative stress. Practical implications for recognition, differentiation, and neurodiversity-affirming support and intervention are discussed, with an emphasis on understanding the individual’s unique profile and lived experience.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to
- Identify how anxiety and depression may present differently in neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan, compared to neurotypical presentations.
- Describe key factors that contribute to the misrecognition or misattribution of emotional distress in neurodivergent populations, including masking, trauma, and environmental mismatch.
- Identify ways in which anxiety and depression may become more functionally impairing than core neurodevelopmental traits for neurodivergent individuals.
- Describe principles of neurodiversity-affirming recognition and support that take into account the individual’s neurological profile, psychological functioning, and lived experience.
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