Neurodivergent: A Film
NEURODIVERGENT, directed by Afton Quast Saler, takes viewers on a deeply personal journey into the mind of someone with ADHD through a mix of different media. The film follows Afton's experience of discovering her ADHD diagnosis during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The chaos of a disorganized junk drawer is a metaphor for the jumbled mess of thoughts in her mind. Despite having been diagnosed with multiple other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and dyslexia, Afton felt that none fully explained her experiences.
After undergoing extensive psychological testing in 2020, Afton was diagnosed with ADHD, a diagnosis that initially took her by surprise. She decided to document her journey in front of the camera with the help of her husband Jesse and turned to the book Women with Attention Deficit Disorder as a source of guidance and comfort. She learned that women with ADHD are often underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed and commonly treated for anxiety and mood disorders instead. With the support of ADHD advocate Sari Solden, Afton realizes that her negative thoughts and feelings were not a result of her learning disability but rather the shame she felt for not being able to be her authentic self.
NEURODIVERGENT is an excellent resource for those studying Psychology, Psychiatry, Public Health, Women's Studies, Sociology, Education, Documentary Studies, and related fields.
If you are new to learning about your ADHD, this shouldn’t be missed.
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