#2. don't let twitter make decisions 4 u

[dwtdog]

i feel like cc's should maybe learn that they should take time away from social media and speak to professionals/really really good friends before saying serious things. like i feel like that would really really help everyone and this is just in general like their first thoughts are like oh something happened i should tell the world which leads ahem breaching privacy or just not being ready in general for things. so in all people need to seek help and we need the farm

-promise-me-moon

honestly that would be one of the best takeaways anyone could get from this whole thing from cc's to viewers lol TO THE FARM

[ingek73]

Public Relations Pros Are Spilling Alllll Their Thoughts On The Kate Middleton Situation, And I'm Somehow More Intrigued Than Ever

"I did a lot of PR work in London, and from what I understand of the British press, this is not a fumble."

Julia Corrigan

by Julia Corrigan

BuzzFeed Staff

At this point, everyone and their mother knows about the mystery surrounding Kate Middleton's whereabouts. Why did William suddenly cancel his appearance at his godfather's memorial service? What was up with the whole Photoshop scandal? And don't get me started on the discourse about the TMZ farm shop footage.

@princeandprincessofwales / Via instagram.com

But no matter which way you spin it, you can't deny that this whole thing has been a PR disaster. So, when Reddit user u/butteredgrapes asked members of the subreddit r/PublicRelations, "What are your thoughts on the Kate Middleton situation as a PR professional?" I couldn't help but read through all the commenters' opinions. Here are some of the most interesting:

1. "I would have never issued that short statement signed by 'C' (Princess Catherine) owning up to editing the photo. Bad move. [It] would have been better to let it fade to the next news cycle."

"What was already weird was made weirder, and provoked more criticism. They are also adding gasoline to the fire by not being transparent about her stomach condition or King Charles's cancer. Transparency is key to avoid speculation."

2. "Their strategy here is baffling; they're acting like people are asking her to post a video of her colonoscopy or something, when a vast majority of people want to know if she's okay."

"Charles's team handled [his medical issues] great! They said, 'It's cancer, but we're not going to tell you what kind! Get your prostate checked!' and posted pictures of him reading 'get well' cards, confirming he's alive and okay. Chef's kiss.

The obfuscation and weirdness from Will and Kate's team only created a vacuum that started this whole mess in the first place. Signs [indicate that] the most recent paparazzi shot in the car was at least tacitly approved by Will and Kate, and I can't for the life of me understand why she wouldn't just wave to the cameras to be like, 'I'm alive, move along!'"

—u/DifferentTea934

3. "On the PR side, [I think it's] totally idiotic that [the palace] released such a botched photo. This tells me they either have people around them who are just seeking to please them and say yes to everything, or Kate and Will are handling more of the day-to-day on their own than we think."

"To make this blow over, Kate needs to make a public appearance, but again, my sense is she is personally resisting. She has been such a trooper for so many years. One human can only take so much."

—u/Leading_Caramel9684

4. "Just goes to show you should not capitulate to Twitter mobs. They should have never posted a photo in the first place. If they were going to post a photo, it shouldn't have been doctored. If they were going to post a doctored photo, they shouldn't have admitted it was doctored. Stop trying to appease the mob."

—u/Creative-Disk563

5. "The statement admitting to the doctoring of the photo was absurd. Why say that? It’s like they're liking this cat and mouse game with the public."

—u/BeaGilmore

6. "CNN is now reporting that they are reviewing all past photos submitted by the palace for fraud. This is so much worse now. [The] truthfulness [of the palace] is now being called into question."

—u/purplelikethesky

7. "I roll my eyes every time I see someone blaming the 'PR team.' Internal politics [are] generally [what] dictate an organization's crisis communications decisions, and competing interests within that organization are generally invisible to the public. We can talk about the best way to handle this from an external perspective, but we have no idea what the true goals of the most powerful people within the institution (i.e. the King) are."

—u/crinklyplant

8. "I did a lot of PR work in London, and from what I understand of the British press, this is not a fumble. They always purposely create big discussion points and controversies to keep the general public distracted from something else, often at the expense of one of the women in their ranks, [like] Meghan [and] Kate."

—u/smolperson

9. "If I were her publicist, I would have had her make a 15-second video a few weeks after her surgery, in her garden, that said don’t worry everyone, I’m fine and just need to rest and recover. I’ll see you soon. Boom. Done. These vague statements, weird sightings, and long periods of silence are making it soooo much worse. Be first, be right, be credible. They have done none of those things."

—u/d_in_dc

10. And finally: "While I understand that the palace wanted to control the narrative, and gambled that the current action of saying nothing might have been (marginally) workable, things were changed by a raft of bad news from other family members: The King’s cancer, Sarah Ferguson’s cancer, and most tragically, the death of Thomas Kingston. This has led to a lot of speculation in general that has grown to the point where it was used as fodder with US chat show host Stephen Colbert. Hence, I think clear and plain communications from the start would have been (and still would be) best. Instead, what exists now is a furor amongst the press and the public who have been excluded."

—u/WesternTumbleweeds

Overall, it seems that with the Royal Family right now, about five stories are unfolding at once, and the details look messy. Hopefully, Kate's okay. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!

Note: Some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.

[bllsbailey]

Hoge's Heroes: Rescuer Helicopters in to Save Pups Stranded in Chaotic CA Wildfire Evacuation

As residents frantically evacuated the area around the northern California town of Cohasset due to a raging fire (caused by arson), one person was faced with a difficult decision. Their truck broke down and they had to leave behind two adult Rottweilers and their puppies. It was clearly a tragedy in the making.

Enter Butte County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) Search and Rescue team's Trevor Skaggs, who quickly decided he was not going to let that happen on his watch. He hopped on a BCSO helicopter, was flown to the perilous area by pilot Conner Smith—then ran a mile and a half to track down the pooches.

But his daring rescue was not over—he still had to get Mama and babies to safety. (Sadly, Dad did not survive the ordeal.) After first sharing his water and his protein bar with the canine clan, he somehow managed to convince them to follow him on the long road back to the chopper.

Once Skaggs got them back to safety, the puppies and their mother were flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for by members of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group. The rescue group took to Facebook to thank all those who helped make the rescue successful: "A great example of interagency support and coordination, and a remarkable rescue. Great job!" they wrote. 

"It’s been a horrific few days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story," said Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea. 

Related: Don't Buy Into the Hysteria - Here's What Really Caused the Park Fire

Why California Can't Afford Its Own Property Insurance Program

$4 Billion Settlement Reached With Victims of Devastating Maui Fire

Meet the pups:

The cuties seemed to have come through their distressing experience with doggie aplomb, and they're ready to chew on whatever life has to offer.

It's certainly been a traumatic time for those facing California's Park fire, but kudos to Skaggs for averting at least one tragedy. For that, sir, you are a hero.

This is one in a series about everyday heroes that don’t necessarily make the front pages. It’s a chance to talk about something other than Kamala's cackling, Iran's saber rattling, and rampant inflation.

I’m inviting readers to send me stories of people they know or who they’ve read about who have done heroic acts—large or small, physical or otherwise—that have made someone’s life better or saved them from danger. Please email me with any tips at redstateheroes@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter. Thanks!

More Heroes:

Hollywood Edition: Actor Takes Starring Role in Saving Mom and 3 Kids During Home Invasion

Sunday Edition: 40 Rescuers Team Up to Pull 2 Horses From Swamp in Must-See Video

Five U of Georgia Students Dramatically Save Drowning Family Trapped in Submerged Car

[radicalposture]

Hey, so were you diagnosed with autism/adhd as an adult? If you don't mind me asking, was that difficult to achieve? I'm 25, and I've often thought I might have adhd, but I've held off on looking into it because I hear it's extremely difficult and expensive to get it tested and diagnosed as an adult.

yes I only got diagnosed last october, I was 25 then too! it was kind of a weird journey for me, all of my siblings and my dad got diagnosed with autism or adhd one after the other and I was still saying “but I can’t really be autistic/adhd” right up until I actually got diagnosed lol. but since then my whole life suddenly makes sense for the first time and I really think things are gonna be ok! this applies to autism/adhd/other neurodiverse stuff but autism and adhd is what I know, but I hope it applies broadly as well

so unfortunately yes, it can be pretty expensive to get through the whole process. depends on where you live of course, I live in Ireland so even though we do have public healthcare I would probably have been on a waiting list for upwards of two years to see a terrible psychologist who didn’t know anything about adhd/autism so I went to a private psychologist. I already knew her pretty well bc my siblings had been to her and I knew she knew what she was talking about and I felt comfortable with her. seeing her cost me around €900 which is definitely a lot, different psychologists have different rates but the price can go up depending on what tests u get done. the more tests you do the more expensive it will be as a general rule (at the same time I saw a different psychologist who had a lower flat rate so idk what the “rules” are about this tbh) I got a standard assessment as well as autism and adhd tests which is why it was so expensive. it used up pretty much all my savings lmao but after getting a diagnosis I was able to apply for disability allowance (which was a hellish process) and I got rejected and had to appeal the decision but I got it in the end, which is fortunate bc I quit my job lol.

recently I wanted to look into medication so I had to go to a psychiatrist because you can’t get a prescription for stimulant medication from a gp in most countries I think? BUT he’d only see me if I got rediagnosed by his psychologist, so that was another €300 for each of them. I did get prescribed ritalin in the end but I’ll have to get the prescription refilled a few times a year bc it’s a restricted medication, which will mean paying €100 ish for each time I do. fortunately I don’t actually have to pay for the medication itself bc I have a medical card.

so yes, it can be expensive! all told it’s cost me almost €2000 to get it all sorted and will keep costing me maybe €300 a year from now on, so it’s definitely something you have to budget for. especially depending on where you live, I imagine things are v different from country to country. also I’m very fortunate bc I still live with my family so I’m free of some financial pressure and I’d been saving for it for a while but I know how hard it is to countenance paying out that kind of money, and wondering whether it’s worth it.

as to whether it’s difficult to achieve I think you’ve got to break it down because official diagnosis is only part of it. so if you think you do have ADHD I’d look at it from a couple of different angles:

1. self acceptance/understanding is absolutely the most important thing. I know people who’ve never been to a psych who know they’re autistic/adhd and really flourish, I also know people who have official diagnoses but who won’t accept it themselves and reject help/support and they’re making things so hard for themselves. so the most important thing is to educate yourself about what adhd means and, more importantly, what it means for you. everyone’s brain is different and understanding exactly how your brain works and why you think/behave the way you do is the most important thing you can do. there are a lot of resources out there, especially online, - I’ll put a link to a google drive of books and things I have at the bottom - and it can be good to connect with others online as well. having people who Get It and can help you is really paramount, I know often our irl families/friends can sometimes let us down so sometimes the only support you can get is from following ppl on twitter or something. the adhd subreddit is weirdly helpful and supportive, it’s great to be able to throw out a question like “I think like this am I insane y/n” and have other people go “nah ur fine” it’s very validating (also validation/external perspectives is super important for adhd bc we can be extremely bad at self assessment). so yes, the most important thing is firstly to know thyself by 1) educating yourself and 2) listening/connecting with others like u.

2. is it important to have an “official” diagnosis? no and yes. obviously you don’t need a diagnosis from a doctor to know what you are, and 70% of the things needed to help you flourish are going to come from your own research and the support systems you make. and if you cant afford or access a psychologist or psychiatrist it doesn’t make it any less real or bar you from educating yourself/accessing resources etc. HOWEVER. if you can get a good diagnosis then I really would go for it, bc: 1) it opens a LOT of doors to official resources, whether that’s access to welfare, supports and accommodations at school or college, medication, etc etc. a lot of the time the supports we need are behind this diagnostic paywall, which sucks but it is what it is :/ so that’s one consideration. 2) it can be really validating and help set your mind at ease about whether you “really” have adhd or if you’re “faking”. like I said I didn’t believe that I was “allowed” to be autistic before I got diagnosed. I also didn’t consider that I might have adhd, I went in thinking I’d just get the autism diagnosis so it wasn’t something I would have found out on my own probably. so it can be good to get an outside opinion, especially as, like I said, we can be really bad at self assessment. 3) it feels good to know you have a piece of paper to throw at rude family members/teachers/doctors who don’t believe it’s real 4) if you can find a good psychiatrist/psychologist it can be such a good thing to have that support and to get genuinely good advice from a professional you trust. doesn’t always happen but if u can find one it’s a godsend

wow this got long. to summarise, if you think you have adhd or anything else I would

research and educate yourself. for adhd probably the best thing to do is read driven to distraction and delivered from distraction, written by two psychiatrists who are adhd themselves. they’re both in this google drive along with loads of other resources I’ve collected, there’s also books about autism as well. as a disclaimer not everything/everyone here has my 100% endorsement some of it is there for academic/historical interest or only parts are helpful but by and large it’s useful. also watch this video and feel Seen

look for a good psychologist/psychiatrist if you’re going for a diagnosis. see if there’s an adhd organisation in your country/area and if they can recommend anyone. a lot of the time you’re better going to a child/educational psychologist who’ll see adult clients as they tend to Get It more. do look for someone who is clear about having experience in adult adhd bc unfortunately even qualified psychologists get a LOT wrong so make sure you get someone who knows what they’re doing before you give them your money

yes it can be really expensive. but if you’re needing to access things like medication or welfare I think it’s well worth the trouble and the money. my sister got diagnosed in her second year of college and was able to save her degree bc of extensions on projects and things like that (I didn’t get diagnosed until after college and spent four years torturing myself I WISH I had known) and it can be something that’s better done sooner rather than later. So if it’s something you can do without putting yourself in financial danger I think it’s good to bite the bullet and go for it. like I used up basically all my savings BUT I now can access disability payments and medication so it was worth it for me. it’ll be different for everyone so use your judgement obviously

anyway hope this helped! let me know if you need anything else! and good luck on your journey