DARVO, AuDHD and Why Community Groups Can Become So Difficult
DARVO, AuDHD and Why Community Groups Can Become So Difficult Community groups are supposed to help people feel connected, informed and safe... But they can quickly become difficult when personal loyalties, gossip, misunderstandings and group politics take over. For autistic and ADHD people, those environments can be especially difficult because communication differences are often judged as attitude. AuDHD people may communicate directly, take words literally, struggle with unspoken social rules, become overwhelmed by conflict or feel a strong need to correct something that is unfair or inaccurate. That can create a familiar problem: The original behaviour gets ignored, while the neurodivergent person's reaction becomes the main issue. That is exactly what happened to me recently, and the person involved used a very recognisable DARVO pattern. What is DARVO? DARVO stands for: Deny — deny, minimise or reframe the behaviour being challenged. Attack — turn attention onto the person ...