#In fact as I understand it having a diagnosis CAN detriment you

[hajihiko]

yeah that!

[syscultureis]

Plural culture is just vibing and then seeing a singlet explain why you shouldnt self diagnose being a system and you just having. To sit there like. 'Bitch what I am I gonna do, pretend my alters dont exist? I tried that once and it was beyond detrimental to my mental health'

SINGLETS. PLEASE. GOOD GOD. Yes being professionally diagnosed is better than self dxing BUT 1. I HAVE MET SYSTEMS WHO HAVE TRIED TO BE DXED AND TURNED DOWN and 2. not being professionally dxed doesnt magically make your symptoms not impact your life until you are. Omfg.

A diagnosis is an *explanation* and something you can use to get accommodations, its not something that gives you the disorder fucking hell

Ppl in general just need to understand a diagnosis doesn't mean you start having something, it means you've had it the whole time.

And a lot of ppl DO notice their symptoms first. In fact, with ALL of our mental disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD, paranoid personality disorder, ADHD, autism) we had ti self diagnosis first!!

We had to bring up that we thought we might have something, and want to figure out if we're right or not and then figure stuff out from there!

And ya know what, if you're wrong the worst that would happen is a therapist can help you figure out what it really is, and then you get help with that!

Also diagnosis can be expensive! Or unavailable! Or the only ppl you can afford/reach don't believe in your disorder, or aren't educated enough on it, or any other reason and then someone can't get a diagnosis!!

Self diagnosis means you recognize something isn't normal, and you can find ways to make you function in a way that benefits you.

[aleck-le-mec]

It's wild to me how some able-bodied people only think of disabled culture as a concept and they haven't ever actually experienced it. To me the biggest tell that somebody has never experienced disabled culture is their lack of knowledge about something I call Societal Manufactured Disability Theory.

This theory posits that an aspect of disability is manufactured by societal norms, stigmas and labeling.

People with disabilities like myself will tell you that people do treat you differently based solely upon the fact that you are disabled. When my hand writing is too messy to read do to Dysgraphia people assume I'm not trying hard enough to be neat, and if I'm lazy enough to slack with hand writing I must always be lazy. When I tell people I have Dyslexia they think I'm less intelligent, unable to read or incapable of understanding the written word. When I tell people I have a connective tissue disorder which is an invisible disability they think I'm a liar, scheming to take resources away from "real disabled people".

The societal norm here in America is to push forward, laziness is not an option we see it repeatedly in the rhetoric surrounding young people. News sources constantly talking about how "no one wants to work these days" or "young people are taking everything for granted".

There is a huge stigma around having Dyslexia that most people don't notice. In American society where we have a 79% literacy rate it is expected that you can read, so when you can't or you have trouble people think you have a lower IQ. Dyslexia can be genetic so I'm actually a fourth generation Dyslexic from my dad's side with all of them men being the ones to pass it down. My dad has always said that my great grandfather had no support for his Dyslexia, nobody cared and in fact the term Dyslexia was only coined in 1887. When my dad went to school they attempted to alleviate some of the symptoms of Dyslexia by making him watch his hands as he crawled on the floor, believing that the root of the problem was in a lack of eye coordination. To this day I and many other Dyslexics will avoid talking about our diagnosis because of the stigma behind it. I have had many experiences in my life where as soon as people learn that I am Dyslexic they assume that I can't spell anything or that they need to read everything to me. That's what stigma does, it makes people hide away just so they can live in peace and be respected.

It is extremely common for people with invisible disabilities to be labeled as liars, this is mostly due to a lack of education and representation. The general public's idea of disability is limited, but the truth is that disability is one of the most dynamic aspects of human beings. Invisible and dynamic disabilities make up the majority of disabilities; in fact, 1 out of every 3 Americans is in fact disabled. When people see me, a young, healthy-looking man, they never think I'm disabled. If I tell them I am, they may think I am lying. People generally do not like liars, and having such a label attached to your name can be detrimental to your social integration.

You can see that none of those setbacks I mentioned are symptoms of my disabilities. The perceived deviance, stigma, and labeling are not things you'll find on a medical report. However, they do harm me socially and potentially medically when it comes to stigma; these things disable me. Thus, part of my struggle as a disabled person is manufactured by society itself, in the norms we hold and the way we treat others.

I have come to that conclusion repeatedly, as have almost every other disabled person. It's a conclusion that is often reached in the community as a whole. However, it is in able-bodied culture where these stigmas, labels, and perceived attacks originate. So, if someone is completely averse to accepting the Societal Manufactured Disability Theory, it suggests that they have probably never fully been a part of any aspect of disability culture.

[duchessofostergotlands]

Just read your last post on autism and well you sound like me. I don't even have a diagnosis because it could stop me from becoming a public servant which I want to be (governmental prejuidice is amazing, isn't it?). However, I also have ADHD as a possible side "quest" on my laundry list. Everything I learned about it in women in recent years screams my experience. However, no one thought to test me because I did academically well like you in school and didn't have issues conforming to classroom rules. Back then you had to be a boy, running around constantly and failing classes to even get a consideration for ADHD here. No one saw that school was my own personal dopamine farm and that I constantly quietly fidgeted with something.

Idk where I'm going with this here but yeah I just felt seen by your post. I think I want a diagnosis eventually after I got my public servant position but I'm also scared of looking for one. Because what if it isn't depression, autism, ADHD and/or even BPD? What if I'm just a lazy slob that peaked in school and someone who is just easily distracted and not great at social interactions I haven't played through in my head a thousand times before?

Hello :) The internet can be a terrible thing but the best part of it is there will be someone, somewhere, who has experienced what you are experiencing. So yes, totally relate to what you're saying. I have similar thoughts all the time. "Maybe I'm just lazy, maybe I'm just sensitive, maybe I'm just a bitch" lol. To be honest I think genuinely lazy people probably don't ever think about the fact they're lazy or get upset about it so it's probably an indication you're not. Like I often think "am I actually a good person?" but I don't think genuinely bad people ever consider that!

I did see something helpful a little while ago. The comedian Aisling Bea did an interview where she talked about her ADHD and the shame she felt when she believed she was just lazy. She said that she loves acting and she can get given a script and learn three pages of dialogue over night - her dialogue and everyone else's - and people are astonished. But you give her a simple task like filling in a form and she just can't do it. I suspect you might find you're the same way. If someone gives you a task you enjoy or find value in then you can probably do it more quickly and to a higher standard than other people. You are capable of hard work. But if it's a task you don't enjoy or think is pointless you will feel like there's some kind of forcefield stopping you from doing it. I also think if it was just laziness, if it was a choice, then no one would ever choose to be lazy about things which are detrimental to them. The call it took me 3 months to make was to register with a doctor. It was really important, it was harmful to me to not have a doctor, and yet I couldn't do it. If I could have gone online and done the whole process there I would have. But I couldn't do it because I had to make a phone call which I struggle with. So if you 1) find that you are capable of putting in hard work in certain things and 2) find that the kinds of tasks you struggle with are important tasks and not doing them is potentially detrimental to you, it isn't just laziness. I think it comes out in a lot of women when we leave school because we don't have structure, routine, someone caring for us. The fact so many neurodivergent women were high achievers in school and burnt out later in life is not a coincidence!

But also, something I don't see talked about that much is how sometimes we are lazy but that laziness is a totally natural response to how exhausting it is to be neurodivergent. Having to be constantly aware of how you talk, how you sit, how you write all day to fit in with a world that you don't fully understand but you know if you get it wrong you could lose your job, your home, everything. The stress, the anxiety, the energy involved in that. After years and years of dealing with this, you are going to crash. So when we do have a rare good day where we feel energised, sometimes we choose to do the fun thing instead of the task we have to do. Other people can be productive because they know that they will probably have the chance to be lazy later in the day or the next day or the next week. Whereas I don't know when I'll next have that opportunity. So sometimes we are being "lazy" but it's to try and repair the years and years of exhaustion and anxiety and stress that has built up! Other people are allowed to be occasionally lazy but we punish ourselves for it so much.

[nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos]

Hello, I'm the anon that spoke about autism, sorry about the asks being so close together, but I just read your response.

I entered the Psychology field to be able to treat patients from a ND's point of view and offer a different brand of understanding and comfort than I've seen myself and a thousand others (especially people who have schizophrenia, Tourette's and DID) be given.

I have a newfound brand of respect for you ( I am clarifying, because text is tricky, that I already respected and quite admired you as it is, it's simply increased) for the response you've provided. Thank you very much.

Autism, even nowadays, has a ton of misconceptions even for professionals who are biased. It is still diagnosed as Asperger's (even though the term has been in disuse and was taking out of the official Psychology term and had the reasoning well explained, due to its disgusting story), and nobody bothers to tell patients about it, or even worse, people don't care enough to know the difference or change their view of it even when told. This, paired with the whole view that Autism is an illness, that vaccines can cause it, and a thousand other misconceptions, make it so even getting a diagnosis becomes detrimental to people getting a job in the future, and so, people become isolated. The way you've immediately pointed out that both children were vastly different even when they were both autistic is heartwarming and it is the reason Autism is an spectrum. Once again, thank you.

Because I have no personal knowledge on your own case, nothing but textbook understanding from my field of study, I won't comment on it, but I agree with you wholeheartedly. Even as someone who does not have to live with it, it is disheartening to have to constantly see, both in cases and in day-to-day life, how any kind of mental illness, neurodivergent, etc, ESPECIALLY Schizophrenia in any capacity, becomes the go-to for shows and movies' killers and bad guys, or is boiled down to either comedic relief and/or something 'quirky'. It seems to never be taken seriously and talked about it maturely, and I despise it. Please, know that at the very least one of your followers is deeply understanding of this and that you should feel free to speak about it without fear of judgement.

You've made a safe space for us, allow us to make a safe space for you too. You're a very kind soul and I wish you the best.

Your writing is wonderful, and you've made me feel incredibly secure and comfortable in reading any other set of headcanons you've made for the rest of the characters (especially Mihawk in this case), because now, thanks to you, I know how they're going to react to my ND and my mind doesn't get to try and be self-detrimental. I know it seems silly, but in a way, you've done something extremely important to change a small part of my life and I sincerely thank you ❤️.

First, please don't feel like you ever have to apologize for asks here, close together or otherwise. I'm always happy to respond when I'm able to.

Second, it's my dream to be able to go into psychology as a profession, for the same reason, to be able to help people with similar problems who are often misdiagnosed and misrepresented.

Third, on autism specifically, the fact that there are STILL people who believe it can be "triggered" by vaccination honestly disgusts me. It's misinformation that leads to people keeping their children from getting protection against potentially deadly illnesses, and as a result potentially exposing other children to said illnesses. Absolute bullshit.

Autism is a fucking mental health disorder. It's not "triggered" by anything. It's also not something to be feared. It's a thing that happens, something that some people are born with and some aren't. The only reason it's more prevalent now than it was in the past, in my opinion, is because neurodivergeant kids in the past were just dismissed as "probelm-children" and given no further attention, so it just wasn't given as much attention in the past. We've come a long way since then, but that ideology does still exist and it frankly disgusts me.

So fourth, I do thank you for your understanding, regarding schizophrenia. There are a lot of people who consider "schizophrenic" synonymous with "psychotic serial killer." Definitely not the case here. As I said in the last post, my main symptoms are auditory hallucinations. Most of my auditory hallucinations revolve around insulting me and making me feel insignificant. It's like there's an army of little goblins that live in my head and exist for the sole sake of second-guessing everything I say and do.

I hate it, but it's what I deal with.

And I don't want anyone else to have to ever deal with that.

I want everyone here to be happy and comfortable.

[ukftm]

I’m currently on Dr Lorimer’s (GenderCare) waiting list for an assessment for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and then hopefully top surgery. This goes for anyone who can refer for surgery, but it’s stated on his website that you have to be “psychically and psychologically stable” to be referred.

I’ve currently been diagnosed with borderline traits, but my psychiatrist and I are discussing a full diagnosis of BPD. I have numerous diagnosed anxiety disorders as well, along with ASD.

What’s the likelihood of me being refused treatment for being “psychologically unstable”? I’ve been fully socially transitioned for 3 years straight, no waverings in my opinion that I am trans. I know for a fact that my other mental health diagnoses have no bearings on what treatment I want, but I’ve had such bad experiences with healthcare professionals in the past that I have an unwavering anxiety I will be refused treatment.

Can anyone with a personality disorder share their experience of going through the trans healthcare conveyer belt? With any gender specialist. The PD is mostly what I’m worried about, considering the stigma around it. Would it be wise to hold off on getting the full PD on my record until after I get surgery? All of my diagnoses are on my GP record so they’re not hard to hide anymore.

Thank you!

Hi Anon,

This is just a general statement that clinicians make when diagnosing GD.

Everyone is assessed for their mental stability and understanding of GD.

All they are looking for is stability in your feelings of GD and what detrimental impact this has had on your life. As long as you can express your unwavering feelings of GD and talk about the ways in which you have changed your life to live in your chosen gender and the positive impact this has on you, you should be fine.

Always be truthful about your mental health with your clinician, as covering up things will later trip you up and may result in them questioning your ‘capacity’ to go through treatment.

[tiredqueermushroom]

Not really what I talk about on here but whatever:

I saw this comment thread on a tiktok under a luckyleftist analysis video of how Blackbeard from Our Flag Means Death can be interpreted as having Borderline Personality Disorder due to his behaviour meeting 5 out of 9 diagnostic criteria. (Also, you should totally follow luckyleftist if you're into an in-depth analysis of mainly music and other forms of media!)

I would like to profess this by saying I am a self diagnosed black autistic person and have been studying psychology for multiple years now.

I've seen this type of take pop up lately, especially in autistic spaces, so I wanted to throw my hat in the ring.

Now, I feel as if op is trying to say 4 things here. The first being in a similar vain of "the curtains are just blue sometimes." The second is that non-white experiences are often over analysed in order to make said experience more palettable/understandable to white people. The third is that even if Ed did, in fact, have BPD, the current "eurocentric" diagnostic criteria for it would be inappropriate. Finally, despite all that, Ed is still a very traumatised individual. (These are just my interpretations of what op is trying to say. This may not be what op intended to say AT ALL!)

Now, my 'issue ' arises at point 3. I understand and have seen how psychology in itself is very eurocentric from the theoretical all the way down to the participants used in studies. As well as the general conversation about mental health and wellness being dominated by white people. Diagnostic criteria's are slightly different (this is not to say that there can NEVER be biases), but I feel like people are conflating Criteria with Presentation.

My point is that while the presentation of symptoms is heavily impacted by gender, culture, race, etc. The symptoms themselves seem to remain consistent. An example from OFMD, Ed, is often triggered into bouts of anger by racist individuals such as the entire boat party incident or killing the French men who referred to him as a slur. This would fit the diagnosis criteria of "Sudden and intense feelings of anger and aggression, and difficulties controlling anger" (NHS Choices). However, the presentation of this symptom is impacted by Ed's upbringing, case in point, growing up half indigenous with an abusive white father and and indigenous mother who most likely worked as a maid for other white people.

Or Ed, not having a strong sense of self and being unclear about his own self-image (NHS Choices). He feels undeserving of 'finer things' a sentiment he internalised from his indigenous mother how internalises this message through racist white people.

There 100% should be a discussion about how black and other POC can not stim in public out of both fear and the very real threat of being straight up killed or harmed. Or how having communication difficulties is especially detrimental to non-white autistics as our cultures were bulid and maintained through collective community as a survival mechanism through slavery and/or violent colonization. Not to mention how non-white bodies were and still are being used in experimentation.

All this to say that op made a semi valid point but missed the mark by conflating symptoms vs. how those symptoms present in different individuals. We should be having conversations about how the examples used alongside diagnostic criteria are, in fact, inadequate if you're not a white cis male. There should be an expansion of examples used to prevent non-white people and AFABs from being misdiagnosed/ not diagnosed at all and not getting the resources we deserve.

[weirdmageddon]

i’m thinking again about this article, read it if you havent

it concisely puts into words what ive been lowkey aggravated about online as a psych major and as someone diagnosed with ASD (and subsumed ADHD)

Social media incentivises reductive or sweeping statements, meaning that these kinds of distinctions often get flattened by the way we talk about mental health and neurodivergence online. Given that its platforms are mostly limited to 60 second videos, 10-slide infographics, or 280 character microblogs, it rarely provides the space necessary to tackle these topics with detail or nuance.

this is so important to recognize. i hate that i have to ask myself “does this person really neurochemically have adhd like me or did they self-dx because they relate to some generalized symptoms they saw on a ‘you may have adhd if x’ post”? if someone told they they had adhd 5 years ago online i would have believed them but now i can’t be sure if they actually have adhd like neurochemically or if they saw something online they related to. and i understand why people self-diagnose, our healthcare system is fucked and systemic racism and sexism still exist, but me and my mom (who works as a nurse in a psychiatric clinic and sees the entire DSM in her workplace every day) believe it’s gotten way out of hand to the point of being detrimental to everyone involved.

for me my disorder is a structural and connectivity difference during gestation which begets divergent thinking and neurochemical imbalances. (ADHD is almost always comorbid with ASD. in fact when i was diagnosed with ASD it was during the DSM-IV where it was dictated that a diagnosis of ADHD not be given along with a diagnosis of ASD because it’s subsumed into it, but DSM-V allows dual diagnosis now.) for me it’s purely nature but i think for a lot of others it’s a question of nurture.

“I think it's great to be able to relate to people and find a community based on your traumas and how fucked up and maldapted you feel to society,” says P.E. The issue is, however, that these overly-pathologised views of mental health and neurodivergence usually invite us to situate the root of the problem firmly within ourselves, and as fixed parts of our identity. “If more and more of us all feel so maladaptive to the point that we require medication, then perhaps we can all collectively realise that something larger is going on that does not have to do with the chemical composition of our brains. I think we need to realise that it's something larger than that.”

we shouldnt be so quick to turn everything into a diagnosis. if you dont actually have the neurochemical imbalances of ADHD, stimulants can fuck you up while they help me to do just basic tasks and leap over executive hurdles that other people have no problem doing without them because my brain is wired differently from the start.

i posted this thread on twitter and someone replied, “i managed to skim it, i wish i had the attention span to read it in full. Very frustrating to see tik toks that have almost a million likes tell people that their behavior is a result of trauma while knowing that its impossible to undo the damage the tik tok has done”

and let me tell you i literally fucking hate tiktok. i’ll read this headline “people with OCD are finding community and support on tiktok” and be oh good for them but the thing with tiktok is like

it’s all about image. it’s focused on image. so what you’re going to get is people all dolled up in clothing and fashion and whatever with some bland ass music playing to some text on the screen and some kid sitting there silently running their fingers through their hair and pointing to the text with an air of sanctimoniousness about it. the use pathology as a topic for visual clout.. it’s not taken as seriously or as in as much nuance as it should. the focus isn’t fully there. it feels almost disrespectful to me.

im not kidding when i say tiktok has regressed our society and not to sound like a boomer but it literally was not like this before tiktok. tumblr had issues with romanticizing depression which was bad but it smoothed itself out because it was in writing and people weren’t pulled away by how someone looked so they could successfuly counter it. but now? i’ve never seen the talk about diagnoses so grossly oversimplified as they are right now especially on twitter too and it makes me feel like my real issues and the issues of other people with ASD and ADHD will become disgustingly trivialized like a game of telephone if this keeps up because of the association with these stupid fucking kids who think having diagnoses makes you “cool”. autism is cool in some aspects—i wouldn’t be me without it—but horrible in others (cant focus on what people are saying because all i can focus on is my ability to maintain eye contact, thinking im crazy for most things because no one else seems to notice or struggle with it, oversensitivity to sensory stimuli, being a picky eater because i have such an aversion to many textures and flavors and being made fun of for it and i feel horrible and disrespectful like i might come across as xenophobic for it if its with foods im not used to from other cultures, i can’t become friends with anyone if they dont share my interests, i don’t know i’m feeling emotion unless there’s a physiological reaction i can perceive. all of these things i hate about myself and are just generally unnecessary obstacles), there is nothing cool about living with ADHD (and im not saying this as to how i can benefit others. i mean i literally cant do the things i want to because of executive dysfunction, i dont process shit that was just said to me which is frustrating and embarassing for me, my mom gets fed up with having to tell me the same thing over and over or she thinks i’m lying that i didnt hear what she said to avoid doing something when i genuinely didn’t even process she said it), there is nothing cool about living with anxiety. but none of them, NONE of them should EVER be used as an excuse to not take responsibility for one’s actions or be used to appear more meek. this extends beyond ASD, ADHD, and anxiety btw im also talking about bipolar, cluster Bs, dissociative disorders, etc. these may serve as explanations for why behavior is the way it is but never an excuse. i can’t tell you how fucking tired i am of people using their hyperfixations as an excuse as to why they cant stop watching racist youtubers. literally as someone with autism and adhd and hyperfixations of my own if you have basic human morality you’ll feel guilt every time you interact with it so it will be aversive conditioning until you stop altogether or if you prevent yourself from watching it the hyperfixation will fade fast. it’s gotten out of control.

the worst offenders are for the most part teens who are Going Thru It and want to find an identity and answers. the teenage stage of life is the perfect recipe for all of this to coalesce and it’s no wonder we’re seeing all these serious mental health disorders on 13-16 year old’s carrds like bpd when you typically can’t even get diagnosed with personality disorders until you’re 18 because teenager’s personalities are still developing and clinicians are hesitant to give a diagnosis until then. knowing you have complex ptsd of some kind is one thing but treating it as a badge of honor to tote around to appear special because all the cool kids have it isn’t it and it further adds to the stigma of bpd as just being annoying attention seeking teenagers which bars the people who need help from getting it. pretty much every teenager has mood swings and emotional issues and image issues but those alone don’t create the diagnosis of a personality disorder which is why clinicians typically like to wait until the patient is an adult to diagnose them. the same thing with self dx’d psychotic and dissociative disorders too, this thread really tells it how it is.

so many teens. aren’t. doing. necessary. research. i’m talking like scientific articles on journal databases type of research. research that takes genuine self-reflection as to how your experiences align with formal diagnostic criteria for a year or two at least. and teens are being indirectly influenced by social and peer pressures to diagnose themself with something. don’t use social media like tiktok or twitter or tumblr as a means to diagnose yourself. it’s okay not to have something, in fact it’s a privilege. not everything needs a diagnosis.

it also makes me feel like there’s less of a community to turn to i can trust to know what i’m going through and what i experience in the same way as me and i know i’m not the only one feeling this. it’s not “everyone has a little ADHD”, it probably means there’s a societal problem and we’re being pushed beyond the limits of what human brains are able to effectively handle. and we also need to stop treating mental disorders as a way to appear unique and cool and immune to criticism and/or as a crutch to fall back on when we fuck up.

[op-sheepy]

One Piece Manga spoilers ahead...

Got a message from someone expressing disappointment that the recent OP manga chapters dashes their headcanons that the Heart Pirates are medically trained... or at least competent enough at it... I can see how the latest chapters could somehow change this perception which is a totally valid interpretation. (Likely to be canon too though it could all be interpreted some other way with our favorite headcanons intact.. :D)

Of course, bringing my attention to this could only mean that they wanted to be convinced otherwise. Using my favorite fandom tools of some recontextualization, selective interpretation, and some basic relevant medical tidbits (my friend preferred calling it me 'bulsh*tting' my headcanons into the realm of possibility, which fair) I did manage to convince them (it helps that they really wanted it to be true lol) and they've convinced me to share here. Remember to take the following with a grain of salt and to not take anything mentioned that's medically related seriously or as an absolute fact that would automatically reflect in real life. I mean, it's a manga and we're definitely stretching things here... Anyways, here goes...

Let me start off with this panel:

Now it's been years since I've had any use for BLS but still the first thing that struck me when I saw this was, 'That is not how one does chest compressions...'

You can do a quick search for proper hand placement for CPR and it will tell you that the heel of one hand is at the center of the chest with the other hand on top of the first hand, fingers interlocked. Now, I'm not really that good at making out details from manga panels but the hand placement does not look correct at all.

My first instinct was to make another WIP fic where their captain drills them and they review this (which I did do lol). And then made my assumptions if I go with the premise that the crew is doing their best to their knowledge.

This would bring up the following points:

As mentioned, the hands do not look correct for chest compressions.

Water is spouting from Luffy's mouth like a fountain suggesting that the pressure being exerted on the chest is pushing the water out.

The purpose of chest compressions in CPR is not to expel water but to emulate the heart beating and maintain circulation. (so the Oxygen can get to your brain continuously)

The incorrect hand placement would then suggest that Bolero Hat guy is not trying to maintain circulation but instead trying to expel the liquid from the lungs. Sort of like a lung massage. This is somewhat confirmed in a succeeding panel with them with someone trying to affirm whether they've gotten rid of all the water.

Basically, they are clearing the airway. Which they would only do if they've established that Luffy's circulation is fine and that the obstruction is the immediate issue that needs to be addressed.

Now, during drowning, generally, aspirated water should end up in the stomach because of laryngospasm (vocal cords spasming). For some reason, maybe force of will (because he did look like he was still screaming while he was drowning) or his strange anatomy (because he is rubber), the water somehow ended up in his lungs. We assume this because Luffy with water in his stomach looks like this:

Not as relevant but we can also assume that his rubber powers affect the displacement of liquids within the different membranes inside his body.. because otherwise, the next image wouldn't be possible (Bolero hat guy would have had better luck performing some modified thoracentesis with a spigot)

If you're still following my rambling, what we've pretty much established is that whatever the Hearts were doing it wasn't necessarily the chest compressions done in CPR or rather, it has maybe passed that (also note the lack of defibrillator use which should be available in that submarine).

Right after clearing his lungs of water, they move on to the next thing they need to address which is his lack of consciousness ('Open your eyes, man!') because from the image above the 'sh---h' sound coming from Luffy suggests that he is already breathing.

For alteration of consciousness, the treatment would depend on the underlying cause. Here the presumption was the lack of Oxygen (or whatever gas is being breathed in One Piece).

This is pretty much the scene that shows them seemingly not knowing what to do but given the circumstances, I thought it was understandable. Also, Luffy's physiology is pretty unique. I doubt squeezing the lungs would have been viable as a method of removing the fluid (it would have been postural drainage, some modified Heimlich, or straight up inserting a tube) had he not been made of stretchy rubber. Any further intervention without the accompanying knowledge could be more detrimental. Here is a picture of our other resident genius doctor saying as much regarding administering medication he doesn't know enough about.

Since no return to consciousness was imminent and there was no doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, the team is left to determine the next step by themselves. (Look at them looking for their captain who happens to be their doctor...)

'I don't know what more to do for him,' suggests that they've already performed all necessary procedures based on the circumstance and Luffy's unique anatomy.

If we dissect the scene further, their panicked suggestions could only come from people who have some passing medical knowledge.

Someone suggests giving him some pills and someone quickly rebuffs by suggesting giving him an injection instead. Between the oral route and intravenous injection for drug administration after drowning, the latter should be the preference (to maintain the airway and because of possible injury to any part of the airway). But they probably have prior experience on the difficulty of getting a normal needle through Luffy's rubber skin.

It also suggests that they have a specific medication in mind to give him as they are arguing route.

Someone notes that Luffy is pale. As we are assuming that they've established the lack of a possible cardiac arrest, they should be looking into addressing any other possible underlying cause. It could be blood loss, poor peripheral circulation, anemia, hypoglycemia, hypotension, etc.

Ultimately, though, the team was successful in reviving him. Given that Luffy pretty much recovers from eating excessive amounts of food, he'll be fine and will probably be rejoining the battle good as new. The same could not be said for the Polar Tang's food supply.

TL;DR: The Hearts did a good enough job. Their captain would still drill them but he'd still be proud. And now they really need to win that battle because they'll be out of food.

[cherry-gemz]

Healing Hands: Chapter One

Summary: You find yourself abroad in London as the Chief of Pediatrics. Everything has been running smoothly until you are faced with an undiagnosed case and the doctor assigned is anything but willing to face defeat. Will you be able treat the child's unknown disease in time, along while facing uncharted waters with love in the workplace?

Parings: Henry Cavill {Dr. Cavill} x Y/N {F!Reader}

Rating: Overall series 18+ only, Chapter is PG

Word count: 2200 +/-

Tags:  @evansamericanass @meowpurrbooks​ @lilithpaijiee @pterodactylterrace 

A/N: Trying something new at writing Henry fanfic. IDK if it’s any good, but either way wanted to start writing. LMK if you're interested, comments and tags welcomed! 💜

P.S. I am no means in any medical field or sorts, so if I get something incorrect on a term or process, bear with me xo.

----------------------------------------------------

You knew that it was a gamble moving to the UK for the Chief of Pediatrics position. But it was time for a change. You needed to leave Eugene, Oregon. Start fresh. There was too much pain there and you had to get away. So when your cousin, who was a nurse from Brighton informed you that there was a need at her hospital for the highly-visible role, you thought why the hell not? You'd score a free round-trip to England of anything and actually see some family you've never met if it didn't pan out. 

Little did you know that you'd fall in love with London: the weather, the people, the imagery of it all. Oregon weather wasn't all too different, so you acclimated well. It had been a few months of you settling in: understanding more of the language barriers despite it still being English. Knackered, cuppa, trollied. 

That is until you had a run in with the division chief of Pediatrics, Dr. Cavill. The staff adored the renowned and painstakingly handsome doctor. And while you could appreciate the view as well, you never were on the same page with his ideals. His defiant behavior of undermining your direction of the unit was becoming a thorn in your side. 

But this time, this time you'd had enough. He mentioned to a patient's parents, while with the speciality case, the hospital could take on their son's situation as priority and receive around the clock care. You threw down the patient's file on your desk and pinched the bridge of your nose. It was a lost cause, you had looked into the patient ever since you started the role.

The child seemed perfectly healthy and lab tests may show no signs of illness. But the chronic pain and fatigue were unexplainable. You empathized, but the poor child has undergone so many tests that at this point it was about providing facts to the parents. And right now, there was no cause of alarm. You weren’t a Dr. House, this wasn’t television. You didn't have the staff to dive into any research or clinical studies. You had a hospital to run, employees to pay, other lives needed saving. 

You picked up the phone to the case nurse on the pediatric floor. 

"Hello? Yes, this is Dr. Y/LN. Can you please remind Dr. Cavill of our 5pm? He's late. Thank you." 

Slowly hanging up on the phone, you turn back to the patient's file. The boy, Jon Foulger, was just shy of his ninth birthday. No positive results for Lupus or Guillain-Barré syndrome. But This case had been bothering you, poor Jon had been in the hospital for three months and still no progress on a diagnosis. While you were never known to give up on a patient, you knew giving false hope to the parents was detrimental not only to the family, but to the same of the hospital's integrity. You were in a high esteemed role now, you knew that you had to discuss further with Henry on his actions. 

Twenty more minutes passed by and you checked your watch. Fuming, you stood up from your desk and headed down to the pediatric floor by the lift. 

As you briskly walk down the hall corridors you can't wait to give Cavill a piece of your mind. You turn the corner and ram right into a brick wall, or so you thought.  Your hands instinctively pick up and see placed on the doctor's firm chest. You immediately flush and lose composure. 

You knew he was a good-looking man, but this up close and personal was a whole other level. His dark hair and curls were fluffy and good enough to touch. His piercing steel blue eyes looked at yours and made immediate contact. His bone structure made the Michaelangelo's David blush. 

"My apologies, Dr. Y/LN. Didn't see you there," his voice was like butter. 

You straightened out your white coat, "Ahem, yes. Well I seemed to have been lost in thought. My apologies as well."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, almost an hour ago…" you shifted your weight to stand a bit taller. He towered over you with his muscular frame and height. 

"Patient...Jon Foulger. We must discuss the repercussions of your current actions."

"Jon-Jon," he replied stoic. 

"Excuse me?"

"He likes to be called Jon-Jon."

"Well yes, let's go to my office and discuss further, please Dr. Cavill."

"As you wish," he replied and pivoted his heel to the nearby lift.

The rise up to the 12th floor was a quiet one, awkward overall as you knew you had to give a coaching and hated the notion. You missed practicing medicine; while you enjoyed the administration of your position, the thrill of helping others and using your hands were erased with cases of employee performance reviews, reports, budgets. 

He coughed into his fist and then held his strong hands in place in a clasp. 

He finally broke the silence, "Enjoying London?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Have you had any time to take a holiday?"

"Um, no. Been too busy."

"It might do you some good," he replies as he looks to check his watch. 

You huff, "Somewhere you need to be, Doctor?"

"No, just checking the time."

His arrogance irritated you and now you weren't feeling as badly to give him his coaching. 

The lift opened as you arrived at the floor and he held out the door for you to exit first. You nod and walk to your office, your kitten heels clicked on the hospital's linoleum floor and the sound echoed through your ears. 

As you both enter your office you stride quickly to your desk to assume dominance of the room. 

Henry stood near the doorway, admiring your photos and certificates on the wall. 

"I knew you were American, but Stanford Medical? Interesting, thought you were from Oregon. When will you be returning?" You can't read him if that was a compliment or sarcasm. 

"Dr. Cavill, would you be so kind to shut the door," you state firmly and sit down, ignoring his comment about your return to the states.

His brow peaks and he nods, turning to close the door. 

"Please, have a seat," you say. 

"I'd rather stand, thank you," he replies and you know this is going to be a difficult conversation. 

"Well this will only take a moment then. Your recent behavior with the Foulger family, while I commend you for your dedication, has been slight askew with the hospital's protocols."

"Is that so?" His voice dropped and his brow arched. "In what way, Dr. Y/LN?"

You cough as the drawl of his mouth turns upward and you can swear there's a smug smirk across his face. 

"Well...for one...you've promised around the care of the child. Now simply put, we've exhausted all efforts for a diagnosis and until Jon...Jon-Jon…shows any new symptoms, we are at liberty to provide him comfort care for the remainder of the evening, but he will need to be discharged in the morning. We've exhausted him enough with MRIs, blood tests. I'm at a rock in a hard place, Dr. Cavill."

"The rock or the hard place where you give up on a child's well-being simply because you haven't thought to see him as a person? Rather as a number on your statistical analysis of how functioning this hospital is?"

His eyes pierce through you and make your knees grow weak. The nurse staff usually talks about him being a cuddly bear, always making the children laugh and smile. But this man before you, why he's no cuddly bear. He was a beast of a man. A grizzly in fact. 

"Now see here, I will let you know that this case is very important to me. All the children are. But what you fail to see is that for whatever reason you've gravitated to this particular case, you're chasing something that doesn't exist." 

His broad shoulders and strong neck tense at your words. He blinks methodically, as if he's scoping out his prey. No, don't let his charm and rugged good looks distract you. This is a man who is used to getting what he wants and you are a woman who knows perfectly what to do with that.

"And I believe you're blind, Doctor."

"Excuse me?" Your voice was shrill and short. "This is borderline insubordination. I'd be careful with your next words, Cavill."

"Pardon my frankness, Dr. Y/LN, but I've been here longer and know these patients in and out," his voice raised and you could see the hint of a vein showing on his thick neck. "Some of the children come from very poor and debilitating environments. We can't just cast them off once a diagnosis doesn't stick simply because we need the bed or we're done trying!"

"DR. CAVILL," you exclaim and let out an exasperated sigh. His demeanor changed and his upper lip curved slightly. 

“Dr. Y/LN. With all due respect, I think you’re making the wrong judgement call here. Things are not adding up with Jon-Jon, if we just give it a few more days...I feel like we’re making progress and I’ve labored enough research into it-”

"Again, while I appreciate your passion...”

“Passion which you need to show for the patient-”

You raise your hand to silence him, “This is not up to you, Dr. Cavill. As Chief of Pediatrics, this is my call. We will discharge Jon tomorrow if he does not show any new symptoms. If you disobey any further protocols, I will have no other choice but resort to disciplinary action. Do I make myself clear, Doctor?"

You press your hands on your desk and lean inward, portraying your stance. 

"Perfectly," he responded. 

"And another thing, I -" you start, but he turns and abruptly walks out of your office, leaving your door open. 

The nerve! Did he really just do that? Where does he think he's going? Didn't I just tell him I'd resort to disciplinary action?!

You rush out of your office and you see him striding through the hall. His strong posture, shoulders back eluded to years of boarding school perhaps or military. You noticed his fists were clenched and it gave you slight satisfaction that you chipped away ever so slightly at his ego.

It was going to take a lot more than that to send you packing, you thought. 

----------------

The next day came and went. You had confirmed that Jon-Jon was discharged with the floor nurse and while you were relieved to have handled that quite professionally, you knew it did not bear well with the rest of the staff.

You were still getting your feet wet and learning more about your team. It was solid overall, many years of expertise collectively, but they treated you like the outsider you were. No requests to meet for lunch or drinks after work. No camaraderie birthday cards seeking your signature or date night advice. Just the normal days in and out, pulling many late nights in your office, up to the point of exhaustion. You'd collapse in your double bed after work, stare at the ceiling of the small room you rented from your cousin, Laura, and try to drown out all the bustle of seven people in the same 3 bedroom flat. 

Just like any other day, You sat alone during lunch. But that never really was ever a bother being used to it now. You were excited about an audiobook you were meaning to dive into and right when you were about to use your airpods, that's when you noticed him enter the cafeteria. 

His presteen, crisp white lab coat was tight around his build. You could tell he took fitness seriously and wondered what he was hiding underneath it all. You unknowingly licked your lips as you watched him search for a fruit out of the bowl off the commons counter. Curious to know what he fancied: was he into a sweet apple or something more tart like cherries. 

He picked up a peach and squeezed it with his massive hand, making it look quite comical considering his size. His eyes met yours and you quickly looked away, trying to now draw any attention to yourself. You fumbled with your phone as you connected to the audiobook and heart his footsteps approached your empty table. 

"Good afternoon," he said. His voice was deep, smooth, and inviting. Not at all like the day before in your office. 

You play coy and don't bother to look up, fidgeting with your sandwich. 

"Hello," you reply distantly. He made you nervous. Would he bring up yesterday's conversation? Will he continue to look that delectable each day?

He smirked and took a bite of the fuzzy peach. There was a slight crunch as he dug his pearly whites into the rounded fruit. The velvet and thin layer of skin eased off and entered his mouth; he chewed slightly and let the piece swirl around with his thick tongue. 

You peered to look at him and his stare hadn't relented. He took another bite. This time the luscious juice slips out of the white-yellow fleshed fruit and down slightly on his chin. Oh, to be that piece of fruit and have him ravish you that way.  How he’d expertly use his hands over you and taste you with those lips.

He can tell you're still distant, however he notices you're unable to tear your eyes away from him. 

He walks over, closer to you now, and you can smell his cologne: a woody aromatic scent tied with a hint of suede. It's downright delicious and with the mix of the peach, your senses are in overdrive. 

What is it with this man and his ability to excite and anger you all at once? You not only want to put him into his place, you want to do so right here on the cafeteria table and have your way with him.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" He smiles devilishly and places the half eaten fruit on the table next to your phone and walks away. 

Your cringe and use all your might to not look back at him. He's going to make this very hard for you, very hard indeed. 

[symptoms-syndrome]

I feel like there's probably some detrimental effect to the approach I'm seeing a lot of people wondering if they're "systems," vs questioning DID.

Under the cut because I'll likely ramble. Minor mention of sy/scourse. I'm fine with comments but no reblogs for now just because I would prefer not to have drama or discourse. My statements are my opinion alone and not a greater statement on any community.

This might be confusing to read. Hold your tongue unless you've read through and understand please, I am making a lot of statements I think can be misunderstood out of context. You don't need to understand this either, they're just the rambling thoughts of a stranger on the internet.

I see a lot of people wondering/asking, either in the tags or in people's inboxes, whether they're "a system."

I feel that there's a flaw to this sort of thinking, primarily because of the focus on systemhood, alters, etc.

I did not recognize what I was experiencing as "alters" (which I will henceforth be referring to as "parts," language I'm personally more comfortable with) before my diagnosis. I definitely experienced parts, and parts related things! But not as "people in my head," or anything I feel I could or would have labelled as "plur/ality," with rare exception. Instead I experienced a lot of blackout amnesia, people saying I acted very differently with me not knowing what they were talking about, things in my room changing without me remembering doing it, feeling like I wasn't in control of my actions. I had a lot of thoughts I didn't feel were my own.

It was only after my diagnosis I was able to recognize and label my experiences as parts-related. Then things sort of retroactively made sense.

I think that what's often talked about as the typical experience of "systemhood," at the most surface level (which is what most folks talk about related to this, because we're (royal we) more likely to talk about our actions, behaviors, and experiences on a surface level when just...talking casually instead of doing deep introspection, which isn't bad per se but is, as I said, surface level) without background context, can be attributed to a lot of things! If I were to post exclusively about, for example, my experiences with "voices in my head" type deals, and someone saw that then saw I identified as a system (which I do not personally) they might question themselves to "be a system," especially if "system" is the only word used without the context of DID.

The use of the word "system" as an identifier, I personally feel reduces DID to simply parts. I don't think that's universally bad, I don't think I have a horse in the race because I don't use the term for myself. If others do, I assume they have reason and that's their choice to make, not mine, so it's none of my business and I won't make any judgement calls on the word itself.

But regardless of one's stance on "sy/scourse," it is impossible to argue that there is only one experienced tied to the label "system" or "systemhood," regardless of ones personal opinions on the validity of those various experiences. Again, no horse in that race because I do not identify as a system or with the idea of plura/lity.

I think that, for a lot of folks, if they wanted to they certainly could apply the label of system to themselves following what people on the internet say is part of systemhood without having DID, because the only universal constant I see in the use of the word "system" is that everyone who uses it seems to agree that it's the experience of feeling like there's more than one person in their brain or body. Again, the validity of that is not what I'm arguing here, only that it does happen and is in the greater internet sphere.

DID (and OSDD, but I'm too lazy to type /OSDD every time, so just substitute "DID" with "dissociative disorders involving parts,") on the other hand, is a diagnosis with a lot of different gears turning with each other. Dissociation, amnesia in many cases, PTSD symptoms. The question of whether someone can identify as "a system" is, comparatively, a simpler and lighter one than whether someone has/is questioning/etc DID.

I'm losing my point. My basic point is that often when I see people asking/wondering if they're "a system," they often provide evidence such as hearing voices, feeling like there are people in their head, having changing preferences and styles, etc. Which can, without context and background, be attributed to a lot of things that aren't DID but could in some circles be considered "systemhood."

The only point I have here is that I think that clarity is important. Regardless of personal opinions on the validity of other views of "systemhood," it's undeniable that those opinions exist, and I would be cautious of saying that because someone experiences what may be described as "a system" would mean they have DID, because DID is more complex than the experience many describe as having a system. Just because someone has symptoms that align with that aspect of DID, if one doesn't have the greater context, I would be cautious of labelling that experience as DID, or saying unequivocally that experiences described as "systemhood" always indicate DID. The idea of "other beings in one person" has existed for a long time in many contexts, and often without enough detail or background to label it dissociative or spiritual, even children having imaginary friends could be put into the pile of "other beings in one person's head," and that's a remarkably common experience.

I mean overall I am against the idea of confirming or denying a diagnosis for any internet stranger. These are just thoughts.

For the record, I try not to engage myself in sy/scourse beyond the fact that I believe people with DID and people who experience what they label as plur/ality or systemhood in other ways should stay in their seperate spaces when discussing the experience of having parts/alters. I am not someone who wants to make any judgement calls on anyone else's experiences, as long as they stay in their own lane and don't equate their experiences with mine, or decide anything about my experience. I stay in my space and you stay in yours.

-I feel like I should sign this to take responsibility for it in case other parts see backlash. I feel that my opinions here may not align with the rest of my parts. They'll likely know who this is though.

[armandyke]

The link between diet and autism: a critical analysis of the recent Earth Locker episode and a chance for River to relive her lab report title writing days

Link to the original video

So as I already mentioned I’ve seen a few people talking about the recent episode of the Earth Locker (a podcast by Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper, and Bryon Knight) where they talk with Tom and his wife Laura about their experiences raising their autistic son. I watched the whole episode and while there were a lot of good points made, there was also some misinformation, statements that were poorly explained and could be misinterpreted, and a couple of pretty harmful ideas put across which I’m gonna go into below. 

Disclaimer one: I’m gonna be saying a lot of stuff that I’m not going to be posting sources for. This is because everything I’m saying comes from my experiences as an autistic person, my experiences working as a support worker for adults with autism where I am currently a key worker for two autistic individuals, my work related training on autism, mental health, and diet & nutrition, and my knowledge from my psychology degree in which I also spent a lot of time studying biology and physiology. This is all just stuff that I know, and at some point I might try to add some sources but I’m writing this fresh off watching and making notes on this video so my energy is already running a little low and I’d rather focus on getting my points across instead of having to take time to source every piece of information. 

Disclaimer two: The purpose of this post isn’t to attack or defend any of the people involved in the podcast. This is also in no way a criticism of Tom and Laura’s parenting. This is purely a criticism of the discussion that took place on the podcast, not on any of the choices they’ve made for their son.

Disclaimer three: I’m going to be using the phrase “challenging behaviour” a lot while I’m explaining things as this is the term used in most modern research and is what we use at work. This basically describes any behaviour that causes harm to the individual or to other people around them, or behaviour that is detrimental to the individual’s wellbeing. 

So the main thing I want to go into with this is the misinformation and misinterpretation of information that was central to the discussion in this podcast, and that was around the connection between diet and autism. Most of the things Tom and Laura said about the effects of diet weren’t incorrect, but it wasn’t explained accurately and missed out on some key points so let’s go: 

In terms of whether diet can “cause” autism: no it can’t. There’s absolutely no evidence to suggest it does. It also can’t “worsen” autism because autism isn’t something that can get “worse” or “better”. A person with autism can develop and learn new skills and they can also regress (and diet can influence this, which I’ll go into further on), but an autistic person at a lower stage of development does not have “worse” autism than a person at a higher stage of development. 

Poor diet can have an impact on autistic people in the same way as with neurotypical people. If we eat junk, we tend to feel like junk as a result, and when we feel like junk it can be harder to concentrate and carry out our usual day to day tasks. However, autistic people are also significantly more likely to suffer from digestive problems and food intolerances, and so for a lot of autistic people (or parents of autistic children) diet may be something that requires close attention. So saying that an autistic individual’s challenging behaviour could be a result of their diet isn’t necessarily untrue, but it does massively oversimplify the issue. The challenging behaviour is more likely a response to pain or discomfort, (as well as frustration if they are unable to communicate this), which is caused by a diet unsuitable for this specific individual, which is caused by an intolerance or digestive problem, which they were at greater risk of developing due to their autism. It’s worth mentioning that medical professionals still don’t know why this comorbidity exists. 

So, referring back to Tom and Laura’s experience with their son, they were explaining that their son’s challenging behaviour spiked while he was on a high-sugar diet. Laura also added that he had been suffering from increasingly frequent infections in his ears and throat while eating these foods, which makes sense because high blood sugar levels can weaken the immune system and make us more susceptible to infections. They then explained that these infections stopped following a tonsillectomy and a change to a sugar-free diet, which then also lead to a complete reduction in their son’s challenging behaviours. Again, implying that the reduction in behaviours is a result of cutting out the sugar is oversimplifying. It’s most likely that their son’s challenging behaviours were a response to the pain the infections were causing, which may or may not have been linked to his sugar intake. Either way, autistic people are all individuals and so while a reduction in sugar intake has benefited their son, by no means does that mean that all autistic people should be following a low-sugar diet or that this would be beneficial for them. 

This isn’t entirely on topic but there are two other things I want to address in terms of what Tom and Laura said while talking about their son, the first being when talking about their initial approach to their children's’ diet before they were aware that their son was autistic. Laura essentially said that she wanted their children to be able to try different foods and that the focus would be on education about health and diet rather than cutting “unhealthy” foods out of their diets completely, which I thought was a great way to approach things. However she then added that, had they known about their son’s autism at the time, they may have approached things differently, which I was confused about. I think (and hope) she was just trying to say that if they had known upfront that sugar particularly seemed to be detrimental to their son, they would have reduced that straight away rather than having to use a process of trial and error which makes sense, but just the way it was phrased set off alarm bells because it sounded like she was implying that they would have controlled his diet more strictly if they had known he was autistic. Hopefully this isn’t the case because autistic people don’t need to have their choices limited if there is no detriment to their health or wellbeing. 

Another thing I was confused about, and I’m not sure if this was supposed to be more of a weird analogy rather than factual information, was when Tom started talking about “sensory glands” when talking about their son’s hypersensitivity to sounds. I think his exact words were something along the line of saying that the high sugar levels were causing his “sensory glands” to “swell” which was heightening his sensitivity. And like... unless I missed something there is no such thing as a sensory gland and they certainly don’t swell up when we’re over stimulated or when we have a lot of sugar. Sugar triggers high dopamine responses in our brains which then leads to cravings and can cause spikes and crashes in mood, and it can also cause inflammation, all of which can cause discomfort and in turn could lead to an increase in sensitivity, but as far as I know sugar doesn’t have a direct effect on our senses. 

Now on to the elephant in the room and the two big, glaring no-no's in this podcast, both of which were said by Tom (these are not direct quotes because I didn’t get a chance to jot them down in time so I’m paraphrasing slightly):

“we cannot ignore the correlation between rising autism rates and the increase in fast food consumption” (spoiler alert: yes we can)

“I really want to get to the cause of autism and see if there’s something that can be done to prevent it”

So, first of all, autism isn’t something that needs to be prevented. Autistic people are not a detriment to society. We don’t have an illness, we just experience the world differently and, in some cases, require additional support to live our lives as fully as possible. Obviously it can’t be ruled out that fast food, or anything else, has a part to play in rising rates, but there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that it does and correlation absolutely does not equal causation. Gay representation in the media has also been steadily rising with rates of autism diagnosis. Does this mean that seeing gay people on TV makes people autistic? No. As Laura briefly mentioned, it is far more likely that the rising rates are actually due to an increase in understanding about autism and the accessibility of diagnosis, especially when you consider how many people are still slipping under the radar even with all the knowledge we have today.

I appreciate that most of this podcast is just a conversation between friends about various topics, but when the goal of this podcast is to “raise awareness”, and with the shared platform the people involved have, casual statements like these are incredibly dangerous. With the general implication that if everyone lived a healthy, clean, and organic lifestyle, we could reduce the number of autistic people in our society, this not only puts the “blame” on parents of autistic people, and on the individuals themselves, but is also dipping into eugenics territory. And while I don’t think the intentions behind either statement were malicious, they were incredibly ignorant, and the fact that they went completely unchallenged was concerning and made me pretty uncomfortable. 

There were still a lot of positives in the podcast. I’m really glad Laura was also involved because she definitely came across as being the most educated on the subject of the four of them and did make a point of bringing up issues with diagnosis (particularly among girls with autism), her and Tom’s privilege in terms of being able to work with doctor’s to find out as much as possible about their son’s dietary needs and to then provide him with a tailored diet, and also addressing the issues with “high functioning vs low functioning” when Rob asked about the “severity” of their son’s autism. However there was still an undeniable amount of inaccurate or poorly presented information, as well as some things that were just plain incorrect and offensive. I appreciate that a lot of this was coming from personal experience rather than being generalised information, but I think this could have been communicated a lot more clearly and effectively considering the intention was to spread awareness, and the episode would have massively benefitted from the input of an autistic adult. Rob specifically had a lot of questions about autism in general and I think they would have been much better answered by somebody with autism, rather than a parent giving an outside perspective of their child’s experiences. It’s always a little uncomfortable to watch four neurotypical people discuss autism, regardless of how positive their intentions are, and I don’t think it would have been a great challenge for them to find an autistic person who would have been willing to talk about the topic with them. 

[recurring-polynya]

This was very silly. Byakuya was an infinitely patient man. He constantly honed his patience on the whetstones of a thousand obnoxious relatives, the dysfunctions of the Gotei, and his ridiculous adjutant. You knew this would happen, a tiny voice whispered to him. This is why you stayed away from her for so long. She is turning you back into the person you have spent so many years driving away. (Thx!)

call me back when the war is over (ch 6)

My writing doesn’t always end up getting published in the order that I write it. I started writing Call Me Back in the summer of 2019, and it didn’t get published until January of 2020, so it may not be evident that this was the story where I learned to write Byakuya.

The Heart is a Muscle is a slow-burn romance, but it’s not just that, it’s also the story of how Byakuya came to love his sister and... whatever it is he feels for Renji. It’s pretty clear in canon that the second Byakuya stops actively ignoring Rukia, he’s calling her “his pride” and cutting his tendons for her. It’s pretty sudden, but I also think it’s pretty accurate for Byakuya. The man is either all the way in or all the way out. Unfortunately, falling in love with Rukia is one thing. Living with her is another.

Call Me Back is an important turning point story for Byakuya. I’d already established in Between Tides that Rukia had come to mean a lot to him, but he hasn’t really had to consider what that means. I also wanted to bring in the idea that Renji is sort of instrumental to Byakuya and Rukia’s relationship-- that they are too prickly, too sharp-edged, they need a buffer, and this is a role Renji plays well, even when it’s to his own detriment, a fact that forces Byakuya to upgrade his lieutenant from “good-for-nothing” to “good-for-a-few-things, occasionally.” 

Obviously, this necessitated some Byakuya POV sections and I... was not prepared. Byakuya is not really a character I cared about or had empathy for up to this point. I enjoyed writing him in a sort of overblown comedic way (the scene where he makes his 3rd Seat make him tea, Renji-style in See You On the Other Side is still one of my favorite things I have ever written) but I’d never had to really dig into him as a character.

The place I started was: what did I like about Byakuya? Well, I like the fact that he keeps getting charmed by Rukongai dirtbags, that’s a positive thing. I also like that he loved his wife a lot. I went down an entire side path of trying to figure out Hisana, a thing I had sworn I would never do, but that’s a whole other story.

In the middle of this, I wrote Portions for Foxes, a story where Byakuya dies and Rukia and Renji spend the whole story throwing up their hands because they feel like they didn’t understand him and now they never will. They had done a fair amount of this in Between Tides, too, and I realized that it was much easier to write Byakuya when he wasn’t even there.

Along the way, I started deciding on a lot of things that made up Byakuya. He’s better at writing down his feelings than saying them, but he’s a pretty awful communicator, overall. At some point, I noticed that in battles, Byakuya tends to have favorite moves that he uses all the time, Senka, Rikujoukourou. In the Reigai Arc, whenever he fights his Reigai, they just use the same moves against each other constantly. I decided that he’s a bad improvisor, and when I was trying to figure out the Kuchiki sword form, I decided that it’s all pre-set chains of moves that you memorize, because you do them so fast that there’s no time to think and that there’s always a “correct answer” to every situation. Maybe Byakuya’s like that in all of his life, I thought. Maybe it’s hard for him to figure out what to do in social situations, except that since he was raised a noble, he was trained in all these scripts for what to do in various situations, and he just took that to heart because that’s easier for him anyway, and no one has ever really noticed how much he struggles to relate to others.

The more you think about Byakuya, the sadder you get. I, personally, recommend not thinking about Byakuya at all, but this is a grave I have chosen to dig for myself. His parents died, he’s got all these expectations on him, he met the love of his life and she was gone again in a blink of an eye, and then he got saddled with her lookalike. His solution was basically to shut off all of his feelings, and resort to his scripts and just be perfect and never really care about anyone again, and the fact is, no one even notices. He is the perfect Kuchiki Clan Head and Gotei Captain, he is not a person who is loved or even seen, and he has convinced himself this is good and proper. In fact, he regards his hot-headed youth as an outlier-- a mistake. If he hadn’t been so emotional, he never would have fallen in love with Hisana, and he wouldn’t hurt so badly now. He may be deeply lonely, but he feels like he is doing what is correct, so at least if he gets hurt again, he has that to hold onto.

What Byakuya really needs is therapy, and probably also an ASD diagnosis, but instead, he gets two idiots from Rukongai who show up and care about him, even though he doesn’t deserve it. At this point in the story, he’s still trying to convince himself he can love Rukia without changing himself in any way, but he’s wrong, of course, and the rest of the series is about him getting progressively wronger.

Apparently, I also thought I could somehow learn to write Byakuya without caring about him, and I was also wrong. I am pretty good at writing him now, but I still haven’t decided if it was worth it.

[ichayalovesyou]

Hey so from your blog I understand you are neurodivergent? Correct me if I'm wrong. If you are, sometimes I wonder if I have Asperger's Syndrome. When I look back on my childhood there are some questionable aspects that I got over, I think, but with a lot of effort. For example I used to watch the same movie over and over again till I had big chunks of it memorized and I played it in my head when I went to sleep? And I was obsessed with puzzles, I did and redid them many times. And lots of repetitive things. Also I don't know if I was just being sensitive or something, but I always cried at the tiniest disapproval of adults.

I'm sorry if this comes off as stereotypical, but those are things my peers found weird and not actually "normal" and it was pretty hard for me to get over them.

Lol I don't even know where this is going, I guess I'd like to see some insights from a neurodivergent person, because I've never had the chance to interact with one. How did you figure out you were neurodivergent? Can a person on the autism spectrum learn to communicate effectively with other people on their own? (because I think I can do that, but it's not always a pleasure haha).

Feel free not to respond to this, I don't want to bother, but you seem..... Approachable😂. I'm not one of those people who self-diagnose through an internet quiz and try to make themselves appear special....You know the ones. I'm genuinely curious haha. I'm probably fine, it would still be interesting to see your response. Thanks.

I’m going to be perfectly real with you

I do not have an official diagnosis for anything aside from “generalized anxiety” but I only got the chance (until very recently) to get therapy for a year.

But I do feel like there’s a difference between wanting to feel “special” and going into self-diagnosis territory half-cocked. And looking at your life, tallying up the evidence, making an educated guess, and then making an effort on finding out whether or not you’re guess is correct from a professional.

For instance, in my case (I’m about to get into “tragic” backstory stuff just to give a clear picture):

I come from an emotionally abusive situation in which, even when I had teachers, pediatricians or other moms suggest I (at the very least) had ADHD my mother got offended, denied it and insisted I was fine. In fact, the only way in which she has treated my as any sort of neurodivergent is the “generalized anxiety” diagnosis I got from the six months of therapy I got 7 years ago. Even then she uses it as a tool to invalidate my feelings. She never considered it may be a symptom rather than a source until my baby brother got diagnosed with autism.

My family has a loooooong history of autism/adhd and other mental illnesses, all of my siblings and cousins above the age of 3 have one or both, I also wouldn’t be surprised if my father has autism and my mother has ADHD even if they went undiagnosed from the same stigma that kept my mother from getting me help (and only getting my younger sibling help when essentially forced by the school system.)

It was only really when my brother exhibited behaviors and got an autism diagnosis (and my mother and I started reading up on the topic) that I realized just how many of my behaviors were associated with textbook autism. I looked at my baby brother and I saw myself, the biggest difference between us is that I was hyper verbal (talking a bit before 18 months) and he was totally nonverbal until he was almost three (both of which, are symptoms of autism) that I really considered the possibility. Even my mother suggested I may be right, better late then never I guess.

I exhibit many of the exact behaviors you describe that are associated with both adhd and autism, I lined up toys, I drew the same picture on one sheet over and over. I take comfort in compulsively watching movies and shows over and over, I (for lack of a better words) stim sing and use movie quotes and references as eccholalia as stress relievers (especially in new social situations). I cried at the drop of a hat, when I was angry I’d repeatedly hurt myself by banging my head and arms against the myself or walls. I also do the “happy flappy arms” when I’m excited or nervous, I have a special interest in writing and making music (I have a hard time thinking about pretty much anything else). I had lots of trouble socially until about high school and none of my friends are neurotypical (or straight lol). So, I think it’s safe to say that I am either on the spectrum, have ADHD (which exhibits a lot of similar symptoms).

When I found this out, I started treating myself like I had these things instead of beating myself up for being “weird” and my mental health improved significantly. Mind you, it’s still not great because I am not (yet) in therapy and live in an overcrowded, emotionally abusive household, but I am making concerted efforts to remedy both. I’ve got my first therapy session in almost a decade arranged for next week and plan on moving in with another, less crowded, less abusive parent.

The best thing I can suggest is, read up on what you think you may have, look at the symptoms, compare them to you’re own, write it down, write how you feel about it. But more importantly read other people’s experiences with autism and ADHD, while medical professionals can help you get access to diagnosis and (if you need it) medication, sometimes the personal aspects get lost in the machine. At the same time of course be careful who you listen to, there are a lot of organizations and people out there who want to “help” by trying to force us to act “normal”, acting neurotypical does NOT equal living to enjoying your life to its fullest potential. On the flipside there of course people out there with and without diagnosis that will promote unhealthy thinking patterns and coping mechanisms, you’ve got to think critically and decide what is best for you.

Not all of us can get therapy, not all of us will get diagnosed even if we do, especially if you’re AFAB and have autism, or if you’re “well behaved” (ie pass as neurotypical) we slip through the cracks all the time. Try to get therapy anyway, a diagnosis can be really helpful (but in the case of autism it can also be detrimental because of the sheer amount of ableism around it, again, read other people’s experiences).

It’s okay to act on the idea that something is wrong, you know when something isn’t right with you, not even your parents can define that for you (I learned that the hard way). As long as you don’t wallow in it, operating under the assumption you have autism and/or adhd, using the tried and true coping mechanisms, being gentle with yourself, can be very, very helpful.

Hope this helped <3 💚🖖🏻💚

[your-turn-to-role]

guess what! Caduceus is autistic!

(ayyyyyy sometimes asks sit in my inbox for months bc i let time get away from me easily but anyone who's sent me anything i promise you have not been forgotten)

cad i honestly hadn't thought of as autistic before but i actually really do love this headcanon, because of the way cad grew up? like, so often when doing nd headcanons you kinda have to factor in the trauma of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, because it has a very profound effect on us and how we react to things

but cad's just been living in an isolated forest with his family his whole life. he doesn't give a shit what the outside world thinks he should be. he thinks the rest of the world is fascinating, and new, and sometimes scary, but it's never occurred to him to define himself by it

so he's just unashamedly unapologetically weird and he doesn't even really notice and i love him

specific traits:

black and white thinking. has a very defined view of how the world should be and what everything means, the rules it follows.

knows how people work on a one on one level extremely well, when he can individually learn that shit, doesn't know shit about how people work in general. big mood. (though honestly as much as this is usually seen as a bad thing or detrimental in some way when it comes to diagnosis, i actually like having this trait. i think learning how people work on a person by person basis instead of as a whole makes you understand them a lot more and you're a lot less likely to accidentally hurt someone with an assumption? but that's just me)

you know there's a thing around autistic people and personifying animals and plants and such, probably to do with the fact that a lot of us have very high empathy levels, but cad can literally talk to plants and animals. tal has even said on talks that he sees the m9's pets as just as much of people as the m9 are, and same for most of the trees and frogs and insects they pass, they're all friends, it's great

extremely good hearing

was fine with his home routine, has adapted now to being an adventurer and enjoys it but that was never the plan, and while he obviously missed his family, he managed for years in the same small place doing the same things every day, which tends to get boring for NTs, but instead tends to be comforting for us (and he could have done that his whole life)

eats very limited food despite not having religious reasons for it? he's mentioned eating meat is fine as a follower of the wildmother, he just personally doesn't do it. and also prefers if he can to stick to recipes using stuff he brought from home, or things he can recognise as being from home. same food as both a sensory protection thing and a comfort thing. (and honestly same, if i could eat the same food for every meal without missing out on a lot of nutritional value i would)

love that good good cow boy

[likeavisionfromgod]

Narcissistic Characters and NPD

So today I want to cover narcissists. Narcissists are a great character to put into your work, and if you're writing someone with these patterns of behavior, it's important to identify them and be sure you're being realistic with them.

So firstly, what's the difference between being a narcissist and having narcissistic personality disorder? Put simply, something is only a disorder if it's causing the person difficulties. We don't diagnose people simply because we don't like them. But just because it's not causing them issues doesn't mean that the person doesn't have the same patterns of behavior, and when it comes to your characters - or people you meet in real life - a diagnosis isn't important.

Let's go over the patterns of behavior you can expect from a narcissist. Narcissicts have very low to non-existant affective empathy, though they may have cognitive empathy, especially grandiose narcissists. On top of this, narcissists have a sense of entitlement and an over-inflated sense of self. Narcissists have a fairly shallow depth of emotion, and have a tendency to respond with rage when things do not go according to plan. Beneath all of this, there is usually a sense of abandonment and inferiority that drives a lot of their behavior.

Narcissists make excellent villains, partly because they are fairly irredeemable. Narcissists rarely ever think that they have a problem, which is why the difference between narcissists and npd diagnoses will always be prevalent. If a narcissist thinks there's a problem, the problem will be with the people around them. Even when a narcissist does try to work on themselves, change tends to be small.

Most narcissists have been abused when younger, probably even raised by a narcissistic parent. This does not mean that healing that trauma will fix them. In fact, a narcissist is likely to use their trauma to milk sympathy and a narcissistic supply from the people they've targeted.

What behaviors can you expect from your narcissistic character? Narcissists are dependent on the people around them for a narcissistic supply and will do everything in their power to keep it flowing. While there are many different types of narcissists, expect most to be incredibly charming because this feeds their self image and keeps people responding favorably to them. When in a relationship, the narcissist will care about their partner only when it suits them, and will generally ignore them otherwise. Gifts are commonly given by the narcissist, as there is a quid quo pro attached to them. Gaslighting is a common occurrence in relationships with narcissists, and it can be done very insidiously until the victim is truly questioning their own judgment and their understanding of reality.

The narcissist will try to isolate their victims from their friends and family, not out of malicious intent, but because outsiders may sway their victim from their side and cause them to lose their narcissistic supply. Along with that, the fear of abandonment will have narcissists clinging to their partners too tightly to allow them to go anywhere without them.

Rage is common, and is usually the first 'red flag' a person will see in a relationship with a narcissist. They aren't always physical, but their rages will be strong and quick and they will expect their victim to apologize for angering them afterward. Their own behavior, of course, is considered beyond reproach.

Confronting a narcissist about their behavior is a waste of time; they will twist your words and throw them back at you. They will never admit that they may have done something wrong as this will destroy their grandiose opinions of themselves.

Narcissists as parents can be very detrimental to their children's growth. I could write a whole post on narcissistic abuse to children, but I will sum up quickly here. Children of narcissists can be categorized as golden children, invisible children, and the scapegoat. We all know what a golden child is, a child that is considered beyond reproach and is doing everything correctly. The perfect child. This child is used a symbol of the narcissistic parent's status, and will be praised up until they reach the narcissist's level, at which point the narcissist may become competitive with the child and sabotage them to stay the best. They'll grow up thinking that they're the best, while at the same time knowing that losing their parent's love is just one mistake away.

The invisible children will be completely ignored and neglected. They do not add status, and are therefore unimportant.

Scapegoats are the child that is punished for everything that goes wrong. This child will try to please their parent for years before learning that nothing will ever be good enough. Some narcissists will purposefully sabotage and bad mouth their scapegoat children in front of everyone they know to lower the child's reputation. Often, scapegoats are the ones that have the ability to see through the narcissist's bullshit, and they are punished for it.

This is a really brief overview of narcissists, but I hope you learned something!

Also, if you want to talk about redeemable characters, please don't redeem your narcissists. This is a very dangerous message to spread because when it comes to real life, you cannot love a narcissist enough for them to change. Can the rare narcissist change with the perfect therapy and the right incentive? Sure, maybe. I'd allow the possibility. But if you meet a narcissist in real life, I wouldn't advise you to try it out. Too many people have lost years and decades to narcissistic abuse because they thought that if they could do everything right, then maybe the narcissist would love them, or heal from the wounds of their past. The notion that love can fix anyone is a dangerous one, and definitely not one to be applied to narcissists.

If you're interested in more indepth information on narcissists, check out DoctorRamani on YouTube! She works a lot with narcissists and the victims of narcissists and has a lot of great information.