Abstract

This study investigates the complex differentiation between mental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), bipolar affective disorder, and schizophrenia, and giftedness/high abilities, from a critical and inclusive epistemological perspective. Inserted in the contemporary context of increasingly early and recurrent psychiatric diagnoses, the research starts from the problem of the recurrent pathologization of individuals with atypical cognitive and behavioral characteristics, which often correspond to high ability profiles. The general objective was to propose differential criteria symptom by symptom, with theoretical and empirical support, aiming at the optimization of diagnostic protocols and the promotion of epistemic and legal justice. The research adopted the gifted neoperspectivist paradigm, whose pillars involve the coexistence of absolute and relative truth, epistemic humility, and the appreciation of diversity. The theories of Dabrowski, Gardner, Sternberg, Csikszentmihalyi, Renzulli, Maslow, Piaget, Vygotsky and Moreno were applied. The hypothetical-deductive method was used, with hypothesis formulation and empirical analysis. The bibliographic and documentary narrative review was carried out with technical rigor in databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and LILACS, with the descriptors “giftedness”, “psychiatric misdiagnosis”, “autism spectrum disorder”, “bipolar disorder”, “schizophrenia”, “clinical differentiation” and “false positive”. A total of 142 recent high-impact articles were analyzed. The main findings highlight the symptomatic overlap and the fragility of isolated clinical criteria. It is concluded that misdiagnoses can be avoided with integrative protocols. Gaps include the absence of culturally sensitive instruments. Methodological limitations involve the lack of longitudinal studies. Research contributes theoretically by integrating multiple references and adds value to clinical practice, science and social justice.

Keywords

false positives, divergent cognition, atypical behaviors, inclusive epistemology, multifactorial profiles