It was years before there was any mention of an ADHD diagnosis. In my diagnosis journey, I was first identified as having generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depression. Both these circumstances create a unique opportunity for capitalism to thrive on the backs of neurodiverse women. Research indicates that women are almost twice as likely to receive an anxiety diagnosis while men are ten times more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis.

Anxiety conditions are over-diagnosed in women while ADHD is severely under-diagnosed. My experiences of being harmed, instead of helped, by the mental health system only made matters worse.

A new blend of essential oils that relieves me from anxiety attacks? Click. A productivity app that claims to cure my executive function? Click. It’s almost like most companies advertising to me were founded with the mission to take advantage of insecurities that women like me have.Įvery aspect of my neurodiversity has made me feel like I would never be good enough unless I fixed my “defects” (read: symptoms of mental health conditions) by spending every penny on things that promised to do this for me. What I hadn’t registered was the compounding effect of my neurodiversity that makes dodging these attacks of capitalism so much harder. My bank balance was at the lower end thanks to these companies vulturing over it.Īs a woman, I’ve long been aware of the notorious pink tax (costs added to products marketed toward female-identifying people) and have encountered it in almost every aspect of my life. After ruling out the possibility that my diary had been leaked, I realized that being a neurodiverse woman makes me an ideal target for businesses to exploit. Yet another company had managed to successfully stop my daily Instagram scroll with an advertisement that seemed directly aimed at me. “They definitely made this for me,” I thought to myself as I let out a defeated sigh. Voices of Disability Economic Justice showcases disabled writers’ first-person perspectives on the economic issues that matter most to them. This commentary is part of the Voices of Disability Economic Justice Project, a partnership with TCF’s Disability Economic Justice Collaborative. In this commentary, Danya Alandur reflects on the ways that companies use targeted advertising to exploit insecurities experienced by neurodiverse women.

NeuroDiversity by Judy Singer