Are You Hypersensitive?

2 Comments: Are You Hypersensitive?

1. I just found this article while researching Aron’s work on the Highly Sensitive Person. One confusing thing about this topic is that some writers call hypersensitivity a disorder, naming it either HSD or SPD, while others differentiate between hypersensitivity as a disorder and as a personality trait, the latter of which is not considered to be a pathology.

   Dr. Aron is clear, in reporting her research, that being an HSP — resulting from Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) — is NOT the same as having a disorder. From her perspective, perhaps because of its prevalence in the general population (up to 20 percent of people, one in five), SPS is a personality trait. Aron theorizes that SPS is an evolutionary holdover that helped our species survive in its earlier stages, by allowing some individuals to detect threats in the environment faster than others. According to Aron, SPS is not a pathology, any more than having blue eyes is a pathology. It’s a difference, and the problems Highly Sensitive People have in many industrialized societies is that they don’t fit the mold into which most people adapt. SPD, on the other hand, is a processing *disorder.*

   This isn’t just a question of semantics. There’s a real difference in people’s lived experience between having a personality trait and having a disorder, especially if one seeks treatment. A major issue, for example, is whether or not current diagnostic codes allow either SPS or SPD to be covered by health insurance. A disorder is more likely by far to be covered than a trait. Physicians and therapists are fond of inventing new labels for things. The problem for many of us, as patients, is that care is expensive. So canny health providers may diagnose ADHD or other coverable conditions in order to open treatment gateways for the patient (for which I don’t fault them). It’s a conundrum, and adds to the stress we patients and our families have to cope with while we’re busy coping with symptoms.

   Another issue is the patient’s self-regard: it feels one way to think of oneself as having a quirky personality trait, and quite another to think of oneself as disordered, or as having a disorder. Since self-regard can affect outcomes — considering how it may alter mood, for instance, which can have very tangible, measurable physical consequences — the nature of the label can make a big difference. While I don’t suggest altering an accurate label, I do suggest being careful about what we call a trait and what we call a disorder.

2. I have a friend who is not only ADHD but also Hypersensitive as I am but also attends the same church as i. Last year i invited him to attend a series of group sessions with me and he was startled to discover a new world of similarities. We discussed all the issues that we could think of in our one hour or more telephone conversations until one time he asked me if I noticed the Ministers terrible breath .We surmised it was due to the special oils he uses in his cooking as he was from Asia. I had to admit i had also noticed them. It could be disastrous in his work as a spiritual advisor and I was genuinely concerned that someone extremely tactful should let him know. I happened to meet with that someone the nextday at a function and you guessed it the “condition was passed along and seemed to disapear.
   Now i find out that the issue is ours not the pastors. My tactful friend had lost his sense of smell so had been unable to verify our findings before carrying out his infomative errand
   I am of two minds on this, do nothing, or admit my misconception and affliction and apologize
   . Are there any other solutions out there to this conundrum?