Who do you consider NT?

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Back when I first learned the term, it said it was someone who isn't on the autism spectrum.
Then in my early twenties I started to see some other people on forums who wouldn't consider themselves an NT because they had a condition too but it wasn't AS or autism, they had a mental illness like Bipolar or a disorder like ADHD or NVLD.
Then I eventually learned NT doesn't necessarily mean someone who isn't on the autism spectrum, it's someone who doesn't have any mental illnesses or mental disorders.
I learned people with MR aren't considered NT.
People with NVLD aren't considered NT
People with schizophrenia aren't considered NT
People with Bipolar or manic depression aren't consider NT
People with ADD/HD aren't considered NT.


Now I am wondering if people with SAD are considered NT or not.
What about someone with PSTD or head injuries and it effects how they function?
Or people with Narssicm(sp) disorder?
I don't see serial killers as NTs because who would go out and kill for the fun of it, pleasure? I see it as an illness.
I don't think people with personality disorders are considered NT.

But what about people with an eating disorder? No one who is thin would think they're fat and start starving themselves. Everyone knows not eating will shut down your metabolism and you just gain weight that quick when you do eat again because you body is in starvation mode. it stores it as fat instead of using it for energy. And we all know throwing up isn't good for our health but some people with an eating disorder do it anyway because they're sick. That's why it's considered an illness. I also know people don't just starve themselves because they think they're fat, they do it for other reasons like they want control over something so they use food instead.


I know Joon isn't an NT since she is schizophrenic and I don't think Sam would be considered Nt because look how he functions in the world. He doesnt act normal, he's different. No one would imitate acts from movies or say lines from movies like some of us do, dress that way he did, and the fact he is dyslexic.

So what mental conditions do you not see as an NT or mental illnesses?



I guess I have turned into a "You're not an NT" person lol. I know how much I hate the "You don't have aspergers" people. Everytime I see them saying it or saying someone isn't AS, etc. It makes me mad and I hate them. How would they know someone isn't AS? they don't even know that person or even know what other AS symptoms they have.

I actually heard this on another forum I used to be on. (it no longer exists).

Heard what? That an NT is someone who isn't on the spectrum or an NT who doesn't have any mental conditions or mental illnesses?

That an NT is someone with no mental conditions or illnesses.

As far as I know (and I'm sticking to this) an NT is one who is not on the spectrum.

That's a good question. I've always interpreted the word to mean "non-autistic" in much the same way that my Jewish family members use "gentile" or "goyim" to mean "non-Jewish." I usually say "non-autistic," though, because I think the idea of true neurotypicality is just a social construction. Everyone's brain is unique to some extent.

When I am talking about other people in general, I now say 'non aspies' meaning not on the spectrum. It's just quicker that way than saying 'non aspies, auties, and PDDers,' or I say 'none ASDs.' Or I just say 'people' or 'other people.'

I'm no expert but when I first heard the term 'NT' or 'Neurotypical' I thought it would describe someone who isn't on the autistic or schizophrenic spectrum, or else has some form of brain damage or mental retardation. These seem to be people whose brains aren't functioning like those of a 'normal' person, who can't be easily treated with meds and are therefore not Neurotypical. People with epilepsy aren't NT, and more than likely sociopaths and psychopaths aren't NTs, either. Most of the other garden variety mental illnesses that are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain can more or less be treated with medication and if the person sticks to that regimen, they can go on to live a semi-normal or normal life. Seasonal Associative Disorder is supposedly caused by a lack of getting the right amount of sunlight during a given day (normally associated with fewer hours of daylight in the winter, or living close to the polar regions of the planet where sunlight can be almost nonexistent during certain times of the year). SAD can be treated by spending an hour or two sitting next to a brightly lit panel that mimics sunlight. I don't know, though. As I said, I'm no expert, but I've read an article or two and based on that, it seems to me that a person can have a 'treatable' mental illness and still be a neurotypical.

Thoughts?