Co-occurring mental disorders and neurodivergence from someone who truly understands you!

Vital Voyage Newsletter

Next Generation Series

March 17, 2025

Tom O’Connor, Co-Author & Publisher

Mike Cornell, Co-Author & Peer Support Specialist/Group Facilitator and Podcaster   

Topic

Mental disorders comprise a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior, including:

• Clinical depression

• Anxiety disorder

• Bipolar disorder

• Dementia

• Schizophrenia

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Neurodivergence is a term for people whose brains process information differently from what is typical. It is not a diagnosis but rather a way to explain how people think, learn, and behave.

The following conditions are considered neurodivergent:

• Autism spectrum conditions

• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• Dyslexia

• Dyspraxia

• Dyscalculia

• Dysgraphia

• Alexithymia

• Tourette’s syndrome

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Epilepsy

• Down  syndrome

Mike Cornell, co-author, has both personal and work experience with mental disorders. Mike’s history involves Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder (PD), Suicidal Behavior Disorder (SBD), and Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Each of these co-occur alongside Mike’s natural Neurodivergence of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Mike explained that the latter is erroneously called “Disorder” in the popular lexicon. He talks extensively about these neurodiverse topics on his podcast, Spark Launch (https://sparklaunchpodcast.com/).

Tom O’Connor, co-author, has Adult-Child Syndrome (ACS). ACS is a condition that can develop when someone does not fully mature emotionally due to growing up in a dysfunctional family. It can stem from childhood trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, parental neglect, verbal abuse, or other types of family dysfunction. ACS can be linked to mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder (SUD). The term “adult child” was first used by the Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA). Tom's father had alcoholism. With Adult-Child Syndrome, Tom was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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Additional Information For You

According to Mike Cornell,

“A dark enveloping void,” is how I always described it - it’s how it felt inside, even from a very early age. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Did my Depression isolate me, or did my unrealized Autism isolate me and lead to worsening Depression? I sometimes ponder that. Whatever the unknowable answer is, the outcome is the same. I first began thinking of suicide around the age of 10, leading me to a total of six attempts, the last of which came in 2018. 

I always felt disconnected, confused, and intangible to those around me. Weird and different, with an unmistakable desire to be "normal." I hated myself, not casually but in a deep, dark hate. I felt different - I was different, though I knew not why. "Low Self Opinion" by Rollins Band sometimes rings in my skull whenever I think of these times. Disappointed with every aspect of myself, from my intelligence to my looks (which would eventually manifest as Anorexia and overexercising) to my social inabilities and awkwardness (which I would later understand and accept as an Autism diagnosis). Many depressives are misunderstood as lazy or, worse yet, lacking the drive to "be happy." 

The human nervous system, like all of the biological components that make up homo sapiens, has a singular concrete function: survival. It must survive to perform other base functions such as procreation, growth, and age or even more existential functions such as finding joy and purpose. Now, what if that concrete function was turned on itself? 

Every fiber of your being fights to undo that function. It may look like we hide in bedrooms, shielded from the world, merely because we're "sulking." The reality is that no one feels more trapped in this prison of the mind than we do, united under that dark, enveloping void. 

The road to mental recovery has probably not ended for me; I'm not sure if it ever indeed does. I don't look for the horizon anymore - the end of the road. I look down at my feet so I can take the correct steps. So I can take back control of where I'm headed and continue to move when, for so long, my very soul felt like it wanted to bury itself. It took community; it took opening up and no longer hiding. Most of all, it took looking myself in the eyes and saying I'm not irrevocably broken; I just need some mending to return to the whole. 

For me, I wear my mental health issues as a badge of honor because so many others are unable to do so. I want them to see that it's okay, that we're in this together, and that we can get through it. 

While recovering from Anorexia and also learning of my Neurodivergence, I took on a mentor to help me reconcile both of these things. It propelled me forward even more than therapy, and my medication did (they were massive support, too). For years, I would say, "I just don't want anyone to feel as alone as I did." And so, I finally discovered how I could make that happen.

Peer support is a necessary modality for mental wellness, and it should be part of an all-encompassing package alongside counseling and psychiatry. Be it navigating mental illness or thriving with Neurodivergence, we all deserve and require someone to see eye to eye with who has been there and knows they can’t just pull themselves out of the hole. I’d instead get in the hole with them. 

It's how I make every sleepless night seem worth it. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, “Many are strong at the broken places.”

According to Additional Mental Health Disorder research:

Mental Health Disorders research includes studies on the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders. Organizations such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) conduct research.

• One in every eight people in the world lives with a mental disorder. 

• In the U.S., 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health condition each year. 

• Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S., especially for people ages 10-24. 

• Mental disorders involve significant thinking, emotional regulation, or behavior disturbances. 

• Effective prevention and treatment options exist. 

• Treatment varies by mental disorder but usually involves counseling and sometimes medication. 

• People with mental disorders often experience stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations. 

• Biological, psychological, and social factors can cause mental health conditions. 

• Most people do not have access to adequate care.

According to Neurodivergence research:

Characteristics of Neurodivergence include:

• Difficulty with social communication  

• Repetitive behaviors

• Sensitivity to light, sound, taste, or touch 

• Intense interests in hobbies

• Anxiety

• Meltdowns and shutdowns

Strengths of Neurodivergence include:

• Greater attention to detail

• Creativity

• Out-of-the-box thinking

• Ability to focus intensely

• Highly observant

• Pattern recognition

• Enthusiasm

• Visual thinking

• Resilience

Harvard Health Publishing notes:

Neurodiversity is the idea that there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving.

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Your Call to Action

Action Steps for You to Get Help for Your Mental Health Disorders:

To take action steps in mental health recovery, execute the following:

• Develop a Personalized Recovery Plan

  • Identify, set realistic goals, and achieve short-term goals. Upon goal achievement, set new goals week-to-week and month-to-month.

  • Engage in daily self-care activities.

  • Embrace your recovery process, and be patient and kind to yourself.

  • Celebrate milestones.

  • Focus on the present.

  • Identify triggers and symptoms. What situations or thoughts worsen your mental health? 

  • Learn from recovery setbacks.

  • Create a crisis action plan when things get complicated.

• Connect with therapists, counselors, and other mental health care professionals.

• Join Support Groups, connecting with others with similar mental health recovery experiences.

• Build a Strong Support Network by surrounding yourself with people who love and care about you and offer continual support.

• Engage in Peer Support by connecting with people who have similar experiences and can offer valuable insights.