Are HSPs considered Neurodivergent?

The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a term coined by Dr Elaine Aron, to describe a neutral trait present in about 20% of the population of humans as well as non-humans. HSPs are also neurodivergent, their brains being wired differently.


Is highly sensitive person neurotypical?

A highly sensitive person, being neurotypical, may not like the extreme stimulus e.g. loud noise, but they're not going to have a meltdown and, also, they can normally avoid those situations. But what's striking in HSP that's not present in these other disorders is awareness of subtleties.”

Are highly sensitive people autistic?

But, despite those similarities, autism and high sensitivity are two different things. Not only that, but a recent study shows they are profoundly different—and that high sensitivity is also unrelated to various disorders, such as schizophrenia and PTSD.


Is highly sensitive person a disability?

Although high sensitivity is not defined as a disability, in much of our fast-paced, always-on culture, it can be disabling. If their environment is not adapted to their differently wired brains, highly sensitive people are at risk of developing mental and physical health problems.

What falls under being neurodivergent?

The term “neurodivergent” describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. That means they have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don't have those differences. The possible differences include medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions.


HSP vs. Autism: UPDATED | Neurodivergent Magic



How do I know if I'm neurodivergent or not?

How to know if you're neurodivergent: what are the signs &...
  • Struggling with reading and writing.
  • Clumsiness.
  • Finding it hard to cope with crowds, bright lights, loud, sudden noises, or social situations.
  • Difficulty with focusing or keeping still.
  • No smiling or social responsiveness.


Do people with anxiety count as neurodivergent?

But the definition has since expanded to include other conditions in advocacy movements and social justice circles. “With this definition, anxiety can be considered a form of neurodivergence, although it may not be as commonly recognized as ADHD, autism, or trauma,” she says.

Do highly sensitive people have higher IQ?

The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others. They just use emotional intelligence differently.


Which personality type is most likely to be HSP?

Most HSPs are either INFJs or INFPs — the ones that don't tend to be ENFJs or ENFPs. Whether you're one or both, it's important to know what stresses you, what overstimulates you and what makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy.

Are HSP highly intelligent?

Certainly an HSP has the potential for expressing a very unique form of intelligence, based on observing subtleties, processing them thoroughly, and perhaps finding intuitive and creative solutions.

Can HSP be mistaken for autism?

If you're a highly sensitive person (HSP), you may already know that high sensitivity is often compared to autism. This can be surprising—the signs of the two traits are very different. But both have been treated very similarly by the general public.


What hurts a highly sensitive person?

Highly sensitive people may be more affected by certain situations such as tension, violence, and conflict, which may lead them to avoid things that make them feel uncomfortable. You might be highly touched by beauty or emotionality. Highly sensitive people tend to feel deeply moved by the beauty they see around them.

What do highly sensitive people struggle with?

Living with High Sensitivity

HSPs may struggle to adapt to new circumstances, may demonstrate seemingly inappropriate emotional responses in social situations, and may easily become uncomfortable in response to light, sound, or certain physical sensations.

Was Van Gogh an HSP?

Like many other artists — including Frida Kahlo — Van Gogh is believed to be a highly sensitive person (HSP).


Are highly sensitive people born or made?

According to Aron, 15 to 20 percent of the population is born with a high level of sensitivity. “When you know that you are highly sensitive, it reframes your life,” says Aron. Knowing that you have this trait will enable you to make better decisions.

Are all HSP introverts?

It is generally stated that about 70 percent of all highly sensitive people are introverts, but that as much as 30 percent are extroverts. So introversion and high sensitivity are not necessarily always linked. The sensitivity to stimuli is slightly different for introverts than for HSPs.

Are HSP more prone to trauma?

Like any other of your reactions to stimuli, as a highly sensitive person (HSP) your trauma reactions are also more intense than most. As a result, many HSPs have used trauma splitting, or structural dissociation, as a way to cope.


Why being an HSP is a good thing?

However, there are also benefits to being highly sensitive, especially in the right environment or with support. Some advantages include having a rich inner life and showing increased empathy. Being highly sensitive can also offer strengths in relationships and depth in processing information.

Does HSP have low self esteem?

There is often a misconception that highly sensitive people have low self-esteem, as if the two are one and the same. But high sensitivity does not cause low self-esteem, nor are highly sensitive people born feeling insecure.

Is a highly sensitive child gifted?

Gifted people are usually also highly sensitive and intense. They are more aware of subtleties; their brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. At their best, they can be exceptionally perceptive, intuitive, and keenly observant of the subtleties of the environment.


What happens in the brain of a highly sensitive person?

Highly sensitive people activate brain areas to a greater extent to interpret in great depth and detail the information of the affective and emotional states of the people around them, especially those close to them.

Are highly sensitive people more evolved?

An Evolutionary Advantage

And high sensitivity isn't limited to humans, either; the same trait has been found in at least 100 other species. Biologists believe there's a good reason for that: being highly sensitive can be an evolutionary advantage.

Is Cptsd considered neurodivergent?

PTSD and C-PTSD are now considered by many to be within the umbrella of neurodivergence, but fall under the category of acquired neurodivergence.


Is depression neurodivergent?

Neurodiversity and mental health

If someone is neurodivergent, this doesn't mean they have a mental health condition. There isn't really any such thing as a neurodivergent mental illness like 'neurodivergent depression' or 'neurodivergent anxiety,' just people who think differently from most.

Is gifted neurodivergent?

I want to emphasize that giftedness is one form of neurodiversity, and it is not exclusive. Many people have giftedness as one part of their neurodiversity experience, and they may also have other kinds of diagnoses, for example ADHD.