#It's an indirect result of not enough accessible mental health education | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lestcat-de-lioncourt · 2 years ago

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Okay so this form of ableism reallyyyy gets my goat. People with ADHD get this treatment a lot. It really unsettles me how often as well. Like, why do people so often expect someone with a mental health disorder which specifically surrounds focus irregularities, to focus at the exact same level as someone who’s not got ADHD?

Getting angry at people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for not being able to write/read giant blocks of text on demand is ableism.

We can do it when we can do it, forcing us is much more much distressing than a neurotypical person/someone who doesn’t have focus irregularity would feel, and even those people get distressed at having to do things like this.

I don’t care if you’re annoyed, I really don’t, and even less if you begin ambushing and bxtching about it, then guilt tripping or indirect posting acting like it’s being done to you because “this horrible person doesn’t care”. This is abuse and emotional manipulation to mentally disabled people.

There’s a big reason why many of us suffer in education and that’s because of teachers not being trained to accommodate our needs.

I know you’re not a teacher, and it is not your responsibility to “teach” us anything, but it is your responsibility to not lash out and punish us if we can’t give you big blocks of text, writing, chapters fast enough, big reviews, essays, and completed books/creations on demand. It is also useful if you accommodate us as well, and promotes mental health awareness and accessibility.

Our symptoms literally include the inability to control our focus, meaning it can express by the inability to focus and get distracted (especially under pressure, even with things we really want to do) with big and small tasks which need focus. Unfortunately you’ll have to make peace with the fact it may never happen, or don’t ask someone with this mental health disorder to do this stuff and preform ableist exclusion since you despise our symptoms so irately.

It’s either this, we will hyperfocus and overwork ourselves, completing tasks in an hour or at the very last minute, or doing hundreds of hours of things in massive blocks but still out of our control when this happens. Not to mention adding perhaps excessive information that may not be necessary and be occasionally hard to follow.

Many times we cannot stick with one project, and not one topic for a very long time.

If you have a massive problem with that, and begin to ostracise people for doing this as well, it’s ableism.

Stop targeting people with ADHD with your stigmatic opinions, and stop asking us to do things knowing we have it if you expect guaranteed results.

It’s okay to be privately frustrated, or a little upset it didn’t get done, but you can’t do much about that except learn, educate yourself, and attempt to understand and be compassionate afterwards and take time to realise it’s often not done to spite you or because we hate you. Not forceful and not punishing.

A person with a broken leg isn’t turning down going jogging with you “just to spite you”, or “because they hate jogging/hate how you jog”. It’s because they cannot even walk, obviously involuntarily and they’re not “choosing to not walk” or “just being lazy”. Don’t apply the same theories to people with mental health disorders.

This also stands with anybody, even for people that are neurotypical. If this person does not work for you and isn’t being paid to bring work to your table or finished projects, essays, writings, and more, then you have no right to become vicious/critical when they can’t or don’t want to commit 100% to the request they are asked to do/offer to do for free, or can’t finish it for whatever reason they communicate.

Also this applies between people with ADHD doing it to each other. You can be ableist/have internalised ableism if you’re disabled/have a mental health disorder as well. If anything though, if you do have ADHD, it’s a little questionable if you don’t consider any of this. Though no two persons experience is necessarily the same plus you may have a different type of ADHD/not have combined ADHD, plus, many people are misdiagnosed which would also be another reason you might not get these things.

ADHD is a kettle of fish which is both amazing and difficult to live with, in a world that rarely accommodates us, or especially won’t for free like neurotypical people would receive.

Making it harder and refusing to accommodate us isn’t okay, and condemning us for not being on par with your demands which are often unrealistic, isn’t acceptable. Don’t be surprised if we start to avoid you after this behaviour. It’s offensive and tiring to receive.

We probably have 70 other things we are trying to be doing rn, not to mention juggling a hectic life full of responsibilities whilst trying to commit to fun things, or over committing to too much at once.

It isn’t usually because we don’t want to either, this inability to do things on demand so easily is applicable to things we really want to do as well. Hell, if I can’t open and play a game I’m in love with, idk what to say! But it certainly isn’t on purpose haha.

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docfuture · 4 years ago

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Princess, part 12

[This story is a prequel, set in an alternate 2012, several years before The Fall of Doc Future, when Flicker is 16. Links to some of my other work are here. Updates are theoretically biweekly. Next chapter is partly done so I’m going to try to get it out early in September.]

Previous: Part 11

Recovery--and a start at change and learning. Flicker thought about the wrap up of her first session, and Stella's comments on paying a bit more attention to the ways other people were already helping. "... and I just suppressed thinking about it at all because the frustration got real bad when I didn't," Flicker had said. "Understandable," said Stella. "Did you consider talking to Armadillo?" "I talked to her about some general stuff, but she's... old." Stella nodded slowly. "I can see how the Database might have given you the impression that sex was invented sometime in the 60s. And Armadillo was already middle-aged by then." "That's not fair. It just that the primary sources were so indirect and coded about it. And left so much out. The Database doesn't..." Flicker frowned, then sped up to check a few things. After a while she slowed back down. "Well, crap," she said. "I learned most of my 20th century history when I was randomly bouncing around the Database reading whatever caught my interest when I was 11 or 12. So I missed stuff. And I didn't go back, and made some implicit assumptions." "You might find a discussion with Armadillo illuminating," said Stella. "Have you considered that Doc might not be the person contributing the most to the collective judgement of your social maturity level that the Database uses to set your default access levels? He seems willing to delegate to people he trusts, and of those, Armadillo clearly has had experience with children." "Oof. No, I hadn't thought of that." Flicker sighed. "Sometimes I wonder about the amount of time I spend mentally running circles around things without looking at what's at the center." "Don't be too harsh on yourself. You blame most of your social difficulties on mental differences, poor references, and lack of practice. But the form of your education mattered, too. You never went to school before your graduate work, and you did most of that remotely. You learned from Doc, the Database, and direct observation--primarily of static scenes because of your speed. And the bulk of educational material in the Database was written by and for typical humans, with all the embedded assumptions that entails." "I really like the Database. And the summaries help." Stella shook her head. "Not always. Not if you don't know what's missing. The Database AI made judgements when you were younger about what was appropriate at the time. This shaped your knowledge map, which was already going to be very different from most humans. So do your Database access restrictions. Information revealed selectively or out of order can harm. And if the Database can't reveal A to you--for, say, privacy reasons--and revealing B without A would cause harm, it will restrict B as well. I'm sure Doc must have warned you about that." "Yeah, but a lot of his restrictions seem arbitrary." "Many will, if done right. Database restrictions can and do cause bias problems, but overriding them is inherently risky. The Database AI has to balance that, and there are no optimal choices, because the whole idea of the Database as an 'objective' knowledge map is a illusion. The Database is biased by what gets recorded. Your access to it is further biased, and what you actually do access is even more biased. But the idea that you are necessarily getting closer to impartial truth when you override a warning is dangerous." "So I can mess myself up with overrides." "You already have. Repeatedly. Information shaping is one of my more powerful tools. Cruder forms of it are in widespread use and getting more effective every day. But perceptions come pre-shaped." Stella had sipped from her cup of coffee before continuing. "For example, you are highly proficient in many math-heavy technical subjects not usually mastered until graduate school, and awkward in areas typically covered by early childhood education or peer group socialization. So when you made your implicit assumptions? Of course you missed things. However." Stella was good at an 'I have a secret to share--eventually' style of speaking that was both mildly annoying and very effective at focusing attention. "Yes?" said Flicker. "Anyone would. You just missed different things. Others might have helped with some of them. But no one could predict them all. Not Doc, not the Database, not me. So do what you can, but don't be too hard on yourself when mistakes happen." "Ah. I'll try to remember that." ***** Flicker tried to follow Stella's initial guidelines, which focused on short term recovery, stabilization, and 'stop making this worse'. Avoiding patrols was the most important and hardest to follow advice. Physical therapy and exercise were tedious, but not difficult. The dietary changes... were trickier. Flicker had lost weight from the accident and the isotope exchanger sessions which she really couldn't afford. And her kind of pseudo-shapeshifter healing depended on adequate body mass. Stella forwarded some funny essays on cuisine and recovery for shapeshifters supposedly written by a French werewolf, and had the Database reset her food and drink related warnings, with an eye to both mental and physical health. She'd also pointed out to Flicker that it only took a few early incidents of plasma in the GI tract while pushing the limits of her entropy dumping to cause lasting aversion to eating much while on call. So when she later started to feel like she was on duty almost all the time, she stopped eating proper meals except with friends. Staying off patrol for now made it possible to change that, but not easy. Theoretically, she could eat like an Olympic athlete in training while exercising appropriately, and recover quite quickly, but that wasn't realistic. She was stubborn, but so were her habits. She couldn't patrol, but she could keep busy by surveying--updating Database geographical and obstacle data--and doing interior construction and finishing work on her house. Back-ordered materials had piled up. Flicker used power tools mainly for precision and delicacy; she had custom hand tools for speed and power, and boxes of regular hammers and screwdrivers to replace the ones she wore out or broke. Superspeed and robotic help let her make rapid progress in the half days she was putting in to it. Common areas and guest rooms were finished, and recreation areas, a wider variety of workshops, and Database node expansion rooms were all taking shape. Making time to talk and eat with friends wasn't sophisticated advice, but it was obviously helpful. She'd had dinner with Jetgirl and her husband yesterday. Good food, carefully non-specific sympathy, then after dinner, 'girl talk' with Jetgirl. Which meant tech geekery--they spent a few hours discussing the instrumentation and results from Speedtest, and Jetgirl's suggestions for some issues Flicker had encountered expanding her robotics workshop. Reliable comfort. The aftereffects from the cybernetic interface withdrawal were finally mostly gone, and Flicker's metabolism and appetite seemed to be responding to her exercises. She was definitely putting on muscle faster than a human could. And she'd mentioned her problem to Stavros, the owner of her favorite Greek restaurant, he'd gotten a look on his face like he'd been personally called upon to save the world, and now she had enough takeout in her fridge to feed a starving pseudo-mythological extradimensional being for a week. Today, a visit with Armadillo. She had promised something interesting. Flicker had once asked Armadillo why she hadn't picked the name Glyptodon instead, because that seemed closer in size and fearsomeness to her appearance. Armadillo had laughed and said she'd never heard of them at the time--the late 40s. The two of them were at Armadillo's house, sitting at a table with an impressive feast. It was not unusual for Armadillo; with super strength, near invulnerability, and half a ton of mass, she ate a lot, and saw no reason not to enjoy it. Armadillo was cheerful and a good friend, as well as effectively family. And at an age of 98, she knew a lot of history, especially the kinds that didn't usually get recorded very well. The main reason Flicker didn't visit more often was an embarrassing one: When she'd been younger she'd had episodes of severe insomnia. But Armadilo knew how to spin a story to help. So when the biological part of Flicker's brain was working, it associated Armadillo's stories strongly with drowsiness. Which didn't mean they were boring. Armadillo was sharing some anecdotes from the late Pre-Net era--the 50s through the 70s--when Luce Cannon, Belle Tinker, and One-eyed Jack had been prominent superheroes. They had set precedents that ended up shaping the way the Database had been assembled. The norms Luce had established as a practical way of preserving relationship privacy and security without centralized infrastructure required narrative indirection and implication in order to discuss certain subjects at all. Armadillo was very good at the style needed. Unfortunately, that and the lack of unrestricted Database references hindered the usual ways Flicker updated her memories, so she was having trouble with details. But there were definitely differences from the way she'd thought about the origins of the Database. "Huh," she said. "I always assumed that Doc decided everything important when he first built the Database, and the rest was just legacy format and historical records." "Not entirely," said Armadillo. "Luce knew all about records and careful access--she built her own intelligence operation, after all--and Belle was already starting to convert some of them to electronic form and building early bots in the fifties. But reliability for anyone but Belle was always a problem, and she didn't have the level of conscientiousness about documentation that Doc did." "Um. Doc isn't always that great about documentation. He gets--" "The Database AI or someone else to do a lot of it. I know. But someone does. Heck, I've done my share. Belle was way ahead of her time, but we never found anything but cryptic notebook scribbles for some of her weirder stuff. Left a bit of a mess after she was gone. Doc brought in organization, documentation, robustness, and speed, and then extended it to everything. But the first Database grew out of what he built for Luce not long before she died. And Luce set some access conditions, which Doc won't change without a good reason. So don't blame Doc for all of them." "So the age restrictions are from Luce?" "Some of them, yeah--but they aren't hardcoded, they're more flexible; we knew they'd have to accommodate aliens and extradimensional beings and whatnot. It's really a maturity threshold." Armadillo smiled. "But I have a treat for you." "Oh?" "There are a few things I have personal discretion about. And you've hit a block involving one of them twice now. It's a good example of how we handled a few things back in the day, and might help you understand some of the ambiguity. I can show it to you, but you'll have to put your visor on locked standby or take it off--no unrestricted electronic images of this are allowed." Flicker frowned, but arranged a protocol with the Database and pulled back her hood. Armadillo pushed back a plate, picked up a small case, opened it, and pulled out a large photographic print. "This is a copy of the last known good photograph of Belle Tinker. The original is in my family photo album in one of Doc's vaults." Flicker moved her chair closer to get a better look. It was a group photo, centered on a younger Armadillo. "What's that blacked out area?" "Non-superheroes with living relatives. The photo is from my 60th birthday party in 1974." Given the date, Flicker wasn't surprised that Armadillo was a bit narrower--she'd still been slowly adding mass. But... "Head spikes?" Armadillo laughed. "Yeah, that was my last try at regrowing them. I'd been on a trip to Tokyo the previous year, and there was a translator around during a Kaiju attack. I ended up stopping it by talking to the big fellow about the relative effectiveness of head spikes for challenge bellowing. We had a nice talk, and everyone went home happy. No property damage, even. So I decided to give them another try. But mine were only a little stronger than steel, so they kept breaking off--same kind of problem you have with your hair. I finally gave up in 75? Or maybe 76? But really, I'm the least interesting person in that photo. I'm curious what you think about the others." "Okay," said Flicker. "But that goblet you're drinking out of... Is that a demon skull?" "Yep. The goblet was a birthday present. It would have been rude not to try it out." Armadillo nodded towards a nearby cabinet. "I still have it, but I hardly ever use it anymore. Little call for it, and it's tricky to clean." "Um, okay." Flicker studied the image of the woman with red hair, a lab coat, safety glasses, and an expression of indulgent patience. "Belle has the same kind of 'I could be in my lab working on something cool' face I've seen Doc make. Most of the contemporary sources I found in the Database were really bad at describing her. She'd have been, what, in her late forties? She looks younger than that, fit, and tough, I don't understand what was going on." Armadillo smiled. "There were a few that treated her reasonably--but they tended not to emphasize appearance. Belle did not fit any 'feminine' stereotype back then, there were a number of media bigwigs who really didn't like her, and she didn't humor patronizing reporters. So it was common for them to distort or belittle her intelligence and accomplishments, insult her appearance, attack her character, or just use bad pictures. If they had to write about her at all. That's one reason why the quality of much of what you found about her is poor." Another woman with short dark hair was leaning against the table with a relaxed smile, but a very clear presence. "Did Luce Cannon always look like she was in charge?" asked Flicker. "I mean, it was your party, but..." "She could hide it, but she was keeping an eye on someone who could get overenthusiastic." A girl wearing a black outfit was smiling intently at the camera with a predatory look. She appeared to be around eleven; it was hard for Flicker to judge ages. "Is that a toy sword?" asked Flicker. "It looks awfully realistic." "Nope. That was Katya's first magic sword. She outgrew it; it's in the vaults now." "Magic sword? Wait... Katya? That's Jumping Spider?" "Oh, goodness no; she wouldn't use that name for years. That's Katya the... Hunter, I think? She switched from the Devastator sometime around then. This was only a year after Luce started teaching her." "Did... What... Why is she waving a sword around at your birthday party?" "It was a compromise; she wanted to make a little pyramid out of the other skulls for the picture, but Luce vetoed that as unsanitary. Just as well; Belle said they smelled pretty manky." "Other skulls?" Every time Flicker got a question answered, she immediately had several more--and she couldn't speed up and check the Database because her visor was off. "Besides the one Jack and Belle turned into the goblet for my birthday present. It was Katya's idea, so she got to hunt the demons, and she went a little overboard getting spare skulls. Jack took her to the dimension where they lived--nasty place, but they were immune to poison, which was handy." "...it's a magic goblet." "Oh, yeah, it detoxifies anything in it," said Armadillo. "If I ever want to be absolutely sure I can't be poisoned or I'm worried about contamination, I use it. But it's usually overkill, it makes most non-alcoholic beverages taste kind of funny, and properly cleaning the precipitate chamber is a pain." "Doc never let me hunt demons when I was ten," muttered Flicker as she studied the figure standing next to Belle in the photo. "Mores change, and your adoption process wasn't complete yet. It would have been awkward to explain." "Did One-eyed Jack ever show any sign of aging? It doesn't look like his appearance changed at all in pictures." "Nope," said Armadillo. "At least not from when I first met him in '50 or so until he disappeared in the nineties. White hair, neatly trimmed beard, and the eyepatch. He almost always wore that hooded robe and carried that staff with the magical doodad on the end. Occasionally he'd switch to a really old style suit and a dress cane--he could do an impressive Offended Aristocrat act. But his apparent age never changed. I suspect he was some kind of shapeshifter, and I know he could create illusions, though, so I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure." "Wait. Disappeared? The Database lists him as 'presumed dead' with supporting evidence; someone found his eyepatch and a scrap of robe near a small crater in the Topaz Realm and Doc verified they were genuine." "Yep. Doesn't mean he died. He might have just decided it was time to stop being Jack. Hard to believe someone as careful as him would botch a portal like that, and it seemed awfully pat that it happened somewhere with enough ravenous scavengers to ensure the lack of remains wasn't suspicious. If he was a shapeshifter, there could be someone with his memories who looks quite different running around somewhere. And he had a saying: 'Sometimes you see something coming and all you can do is get out of the way.' I think that's what he did." Armadillo grinned. "But then, I've been accused of being sentimental from time to time." "Okay," said Flicker. "If you're suspicious about Jack, what about Belle? She was declared dead, but all the Database says is that something catastrophic happened to her portal generator late at night and she was gone afterwards. Jack is recorded as testifying that as far as he could tell, she hadn't been murdered or kidnapped, definitely wasn't alive on Earth, and he wasn't able to tell quite what happened with the portal. But Doc said that if she really wanted to burn her bridges, she could have set the portal generator to self destruct, then gone through to somewhere before it blew. He still has the remains of it in the vaults." Armadillo looked out the window. "All true. She seemed kind of withdrawn for a while before that. Well, withdrawn for her--she was always full of more ideas than she had time to try. She'd had a disagreement with Luce and the Volunteer for a couple of years over... I guess you could call it public policy. She made some predictions that turned out to be pretty accurate, and the first part of one of them had just happened--that was '80. It's conceivable she might have just been tired of Earth. But then she was kind of close to Jack, and he was pretty down afterwards--and if she went somewhere else, I don't know why he wouldn't be able to visit. I tried talking to him about it once, and he just shook his head. So I really can't say." "Were they a couple?" asked Flicker. "Database is ambiguous--they at least pretended a few times, but it wasn't clear what was going on. I assume it's okay to ask about that now that they're both gone?" "Heh. It's not forbidden to ask, and they worked well together in the lab when Belle wasn't out causing trouble with Luce. I'll say this; Belle never showed interest in most men--she'd roll her eyes at most of my jokes--and Jack never showed any interest in anyone but Belle. But it could just have been cover; a convenience for both of them." "Oh." Flicker frowned at the last figure--a middle-aged man in nondescript clothing, leaning back in the chair beside Armadillo. His glasses were perched precariously on the end of his nose, his fingers were laced over his chest, and his eyes were closed. "Who is the guy beside you, and why is he asleep?" Armadillo smiled. "Oh, he'd had a long day, then a nice meal, so he just was catching a little nap. He sometimes answered to the name of Chandler Devon." Okay, now I know I'm being tested. Flicker sped up. The name was vaguely familiar--why? She glanced at Luce again, then remembered. Chandler Devon was connected to Luce Cannon in some way, perhaps one of her agents, or possibly romantically linked--but that had been a shaky source. Documentation about him had been really spotty, with large gaps. He'd been a skilled enough amateur geologist to get a few articles published, later in life. But his fondness for volcanoes had apparently done him in--he'd disappeared during the Mount Pinatubo eruption a few years after Luce's death. That made the third nominally dead person in the picture with a missing body. The only person who was definitely dead and buried was Luce--she'd died of cancer in the late 80s. There were several odd things that required explanation about 'Chandler Devon'. Why was he even at Armadillo's party? Had Luce brought him? Why hadn't anyone woken him up for the picture? It was a memorable occasion. Was it a prank? Wait. Armadillo had said she was the least interesting person in the photo. What could possible make him more interesting than her? If he-- Oh. So that's what he looks like when he's asleep. But how did he manage... Luce. Of course. She was the original super spy. Jumping Spider's teacher. If anyone could cover everything he'd need, it would have been her. That explained so much. He'd gone more than fifty years without anyone-- Idiot. Everyone in that picture probably knew. He'd always had a family. A family of choice. They just never, ever gave it away. Even when they disagreed with each other. But still, a few years after Luce died, he decided it was time to stop being Chandler Devon. Could he still maintain cover? Probably; Jumping Spider was 27 by then, and Doc was 17, with the Database up and running. But the Lost Years were about to start, and Doc had seen that coming. No longer worth the trouble, maybe? How much had Luce meant to Chandler Devon? A lot to think about, most of it not even about Belle. But there was etiquette to be observed. And as far as Flicker could tell, it was to indicate obliquely that she'd guessed, but not say anything unambiguous. She could come up with something. She slowed back down--and found herself blinking back tears. "He looks like... someone who works very hard," she managed. "And doesn't get a chance to relax very often. I'm glad no one woke him up." Armadillo nodded slowly. "So was I." She started to put the picture back in the box. "Wait," said Flicker. "Who took the picture? I thought I knew, but now I think I was wrong." Armadillo paused. "Another time, maybe. You probably have enough to cogitate about today already." "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Next: Part 13

#FallofDocFuture #FallMisc

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houseinva · 5 years ago

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The effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking spill over to the workplace in numerous ways, introducing significant costs and safety concerns. The CDC has estimated that domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking cost nearly $8 billion a year in lost productivity, health care costs, and earnings. In addition, domestic violence threatens the safety of both victims and their colleagues at work. These crimes often cause emotional trauma and physical injury.

Domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking have the potential to affect every Federal workplace across the United States. It is the policy of the Federal Government to promote the health and safety of its employees by acting to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking within the workplace and by providing support and assistance to Federal employees whose working lives are affected by such violence. This Guidance for Agency-Specific Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Policies provides agencies with direction to enable them to fulfill the goals identified in the Presidential Memorandum on “Establishing Policies for Addressing Domestic Violence in the Federal Workforce,” which was issued on April 18, 2012. As the nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government should act as a model in responding to the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the workplace. Some agencies have already taken steps to address these issues. By building on these efforts, the Federal Government can further address the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on its workforce, promoting the health and safety of its employees and improving the quality of its service to the public.

Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behavior, including acts or threatened acts, that are used by a perpetrator to gain power and control over a current or former spouse, family member, current or former intimate partner, current or former dating partner, or person with whom the perpetrator shares a child in common. This behavior includes, but is not limited to, physical or sexual violence, emotional and/or psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, stalking, economic control, harassment, threats, physical intimidation, or injury. Domestic violence can occur in any relationship, regardless of socioeconomic status, education level, cultural background, age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. Domestic violence can occur in heterosexual and same-sex intimate relationships, including marital, cohabiting, or dating relationships that are not dependent on the existence of a sexual relationship.

Stalking refers to harassing, unwanted, or threatening conduct that causes the victim to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a family member. Stalking conduct may include, but is not limited to, following, spying on, or waiting for the victim in places such as home, school, work, or recreation place; leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers for the victim; making direct or indirect threats to harm the victim, the victim’s children, relatives, friends, pets, or property; posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth; and obtaining personal information about the victim by accessing public records, using internet search services, hiring private investigators, going through the victim's garbage, following the victim, or contacting victim's friends, family, work, or neighbors. Stalking may occur through use of technology, including but not limited to, email, telephone, voicemail, text messaging, and use of GPS and social networking sites.

The Presidential Memorandum outlines agency roles and responsibilities for the development of agency-specific policies to address the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 1) Pursuant to section 2(b), within 120 calendar days from the issuance of this Guidance, each agency shall develop or modify, as appropriate, agency-specific policies for addressing the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on its workforce, consistent with this Guidance. Each agency shall submit for review and comment to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) a draft or modified agency-specific policy. OPM recommends that: a. Agency-specific policies should address each of the main components outlined in section 3.0 of this Guidance and should be consistent with applicable law. b. Agencies that already have policies should review those policies and make any necessary changes to ensure alignment with the principles and components described in this Guidance. c. Agencies that do not have policies should develop policies that are in alignment with the principles and components described in this Guidance. 2) OPM will review agency-specific new or modified policies for addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and provide recommended modifications for agency consideration. Pursuant to section 2(b) of the Presidential Memorandum, in reviewing the draft agency-specific policies, the Director of OPM shall consult with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other interested agency heads. 3) Each agency shall issue a final agency-specific policy (whether new or modified) within 180 calendar days after submission of its draft policy to the Director of OPM. Basic Steps for Policy Development Addressing Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking have the potential to affect every Federal workplace. There are many different approaches that agencies can take in developing agency-specific policies 9 consistent with this Guidance. This section provides some general steps that may be helpful for structuring this process.

Various types of workplace flexibilities are available to an employee when the employee and/or the employee’s family member(s) are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. To the greatest extent possible, agencies should work in collaboration with the employee to provide leave and/or other workplace flexibilities to help the employee remain safe and maintain his or her work performance. All possible leave options should be considered for an employee in this situation. When the need for time off is foreseeable, an employee must provide reasonable advance notice to the agency. An agency may choose to develop a policy that would allow an employee who is a victim and/or the employee’s family member(s), as discussed in this section, the opportunity to request leave or other paid time off through a third party, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator, if the employee does not feel comfortable speaking with a supervisor. Although the supervisor is the only person who can approve the leave, the leave request may be made through the third party. Employees are not required to provide personal details in their requests for leave. However, employees are required to provide enough information in their leave requests so their supervisors know which type of leave is appropriate (e.g., sick leave, annual leave, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), etc.). Supervisors should consider whether an employee is entitled to a certain type of leave (e.g., FMLA or sick leave) or whether an employee’s request for leave other than under the FMLA should be granted. Details on the administration of leave will be provided by the agency. An agency is not required to ask for verification or proof of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, but it may accept the employee’s credible statement as verification. If necessary, verification or proof may also include, but need not be limited to, a service provider’s statement, a protection order, medical records or doctor’s statement, or police or court reports. Under no circumstances should the agency require the employee to contact law enforcement or otherwise report the violence as a condition for accessing leave. To do so could place victims in greater danger. Below is a list of available workplace flexibilities that should be incorporated into agency-specific policies for addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It is important to note that these options can be applied to situations in which the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking is currently taking place or to situations in which the trauma related to a past situation involving violence is causing a negative impact in the workplace. Note that the intent of this Guidance is not to expand or restrict how these flexibilities are used generally, but simply to explain how they can be applied in the domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking context.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). An employee is entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under FMLA if domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking results in a serious health condition26 for the employee that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her position. FMLA leave can also be used to care for a spouse, son or daughter (under 18 or over 18 but incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability), or parent of the employee with a serious health condition as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Annual leave, sick leave, and annual leave donated under the Voluntary Leave Transfer or Voluntary Leave Bank Programs may be substituted for unpaid leave under FMLA.

Flexible Work Schedules. An employee on an approved flexible work schedule may adjust his or her work schedule, such as reporting times and work hours, to accommodate events driven by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking in accordance with agency internal policies and/or collective bargaining agreements.

Absence Without Leave (AWOL). An employee is charged AWOL when the employee is absent without permission. Employees who are missing as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking may substitute a form of approved paid or unpaid leave upon return to work and with supervisor approval.

Employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking may inadvertently react in a manner that results in disciplinary action. For example, an employee may be charged with AWOL for absences arising from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. In such cases, once the supervisor becomes aware of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking issues, the victimized employee should be referred to the resources within the agency for support and assistance. In addition, the impact of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking should be taken into consideration as a 17 mitigating factor in determining the appropriate discipline in cases involving the victim. Agencies should work to make sure that workplace policies do not re-victimize victims to the extent possible, while maintaining appropriate workplace standards.

Agencies should not discriminate against victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking in hiring, staffing, discipline, or other terms and conditions of employment. Such treatment re-victimizes victims.

Disciplinary Actions against Victims Employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking may inadvertently react in a manner that results in disciplinary action. For example, an employee may be charged with AWOL for absences arising from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. In such cases, once the supervisor becomes aware of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking issues, the victimized employee should be referred to the resources within the agency for support and assistance. In addition, the impact of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking should be taken into consideration as a 17 mitigating factor in determining the appropriate discipline in cases involving the victim. Agencies should work to make sure that workplace policies do not re-victimize victims to the extent possible, while maintaining appropriate workplace standards. Non-discrimination Agencies should not discriminate against victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking in hiring, staffing, discipline, or other terms and conditions of employment. Such treatment re-victimizes victims. For information about how the equal employment opportunity laws may apply to such situations, see the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's publication "Questions and Answers: The Application of Title VII and the ADA to Applicants or Employees who Experience Domestic or Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking."

It is critical that agency-specific policies highlight training, awareness, and EAP support. Both managers and employees should be aware of the sources of support that exist in their agencies that can positively impact an incident involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Agencies are urged to provide an appropriate and timely response to all reported or suspected workplace-related incidents involving these issues. All agency components may consider implementing programs to educate and train supervisors, human resources personnel, internal or external EAP personnel, and employees about the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on the workplace, including provisions for confidentiality and privacy requirements and employer and employee obligations under this policy. This training should include contractor, intern, and volunteer staff as appropriate. Support and Assistance Workplace support, including access to supportive services (such as an EAP), appropriate responses from supervisors, and referrals to culturally competent victim service providers for immediate and ongoing trauma-informed care and support, should be offered to employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking to minimize the impact of the violence on the victim and others in the workplace and to protect victim and workplace safety. Any worker who has a concern about the workplace impact of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking should be encouraged to contact appropriate personnel. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) EAPs can be a strategic partner and valuable resource in addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking as a workplace issue. The EAP should have the ability and intimate partner violence expertise to provide a variety of services to employees affected by these issues. The EAP should also be able to support agencies in their response to the needs of employees affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. To the extent possible, the EAP should work in conjunction with agency and/or building security, with the employee’s permission, to plan for the safety of the workgroup when incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking affect the workplace.

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ultrajonlewis-blog · 6 years ago

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Breaking News: Media Coverage Belittles Millions

The maintenance of inequalities is not something that is hard to do. Change is difficult, but maintenance is more easily handled. The media plays a big part in maintaining the inequalities that we see in our everyday lives. The media is an indefinitely expanding entity that broadcasts a wide variety of different ideas to the general public. The media ranges from everything on cable to social media plus everything in between. The billboards we see in big cities to the small signs seen out in the countryside, all of it can be the media. And all of it, without a doubt, shapes minds and opinions like no other force on the planet. Everything we see on TV, Instagram, newspapers, radio, etc. is all a range of ideas and messages being thrown at us, whether we are aware of it or not. This either reinforces our ideas as we know them or forces us to view things from a different perspective. The way we interpret media is either a result of our mindset or a contributing factor to how our mindsets are shaped. Again, whether we know it or not, messages pertaining to race, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. make their ways into our brains. This shapes the structures and institutions that we build in society. They provide the basis or foundations of these institutions, directly and indirectly. Furthermore, bell hooks provides some interesting commentary on the unique subject of the perspective or gaze of Black females, which is quite relevant to the conversation of media presentation and its effects on the public.

To be frank and possibly simplistic, the media is a huge contributor of the information we receive. Yes, the parents and teachers of society provide a bulk of knowledge for future generations. However, what happens in between the time spent with parents and teachers? Adults, teens, children, and even toddlers now have access to information like never before. The learning never stops with the pervasiveness of technology in this day and age. TVs, phone, tablets, laptops, etc. are widely accessible. Even at exorbitant prices, people manage to purchase electronics, all of which have the power to show you some form of media. Children watching cartoons on TV can take the shows they watch with them wherever they go, learning valuable lessons about sharing and caring wherever their parents take them. Teens continue scrolling through all platforms of social media from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Adults watch the morning news while getting ready for work, hear news while they commute, have their phones out all throughout the workday, and can end the day with nightly news. Movies and shows are made available to the public for indulgence at all hours of the day and night with services like Netflix and Hulu. There is a nonstop barrage of media we are able to consume in 2018 and it is only still the beginning of this massive technological revolution.

With all this media surrounding us at all times, it can absolutely have a negative impact on the institutions we have set up to enhance and enable the smooth flow of societal necessities. Additionally, it can have a negative impact on the mental health and schools of thought of many in the general public. When this does occur, we have individuals in society that are shaped by the on-goings of the world and this does not only affect those individuals. They bring this thinking to work, to school, to anywhere they take themselves and if they are notable individuals in places of importance (schools, business, prisons, media) they can harm others mentally, emotionally, even physically with their anomalous ways of thinking.

Let us take a broad example, a trend per say, of recent media coverage of politics that may (and does) reinforce or shape ways of thinking that can potentially (definitely) affect peoples’ lives in more ways than one. I will analyze here potential direct and indirect effects of this media coverage on an individual’s life. So, how can media coverage on politics directly effect a person’s life and maintain the inequalities we see every day? A “caravan” of migrants has been a big story in the media recently. The biggest development in the ongoing story has been the mention of US troops going to the United States/Mexico border to stop this “invasion” as it has been referred to by many. Regardless of what the story is about, talk of troops “protecting” the US automatically enables a sense of fear and subliminally identifies an enemy. Media coverage that describes troops protecting this country, no matter what it is from, objectively identifies a hero (troops) and a villain (something bad). This plays into the vilification of Mexican immigrants that has been ongoing for much of US history but has been very prominent and overt in recent years. So how does this directly affect the average American? Well, let’s take the case of the average Latinx-American who has to see these heartbreaking messages of people with whom they may identify. This not only affects their mental health directly but affects the way they go through the world. Within the workplace or at their school their race/ethnicity becomes overly apparent to them. They become hyper aware of their belonging to the “other”. They become the anomaly. They become a representation of the villain. At work, coworkers bring their thoughts on the matter in with them, and some are not too pleasant. At school, other kids make racially-charged jokes, whether they know how much of an impact that has or not on the Latinx in this example. Just because of media coverage, some people are introduced to ideas or have ideas reinforced that are neither conducive to a healthy society nor happy individuals. A person’s life is both directly affected by what they actually see for themselves and indirectly affected by the ideas or actions that other people may present to them.

Regardless of the type of media or the topic the media is covering, this example is analogous to so many situations. Whether it’s the topic of race in “Dear White People” (Netflix Original show), the coverage of the #MeToo movement in the local newspaper, or Breitbart posting something political on Instagram, media portrays a message and that message truly stays with people. That message can linger for an entire lifetime and this is a powerful sentiment. These messages shape individuals and therefore shape the institutions of which they become a part. This has drastic consequences on how some live their daily lives, and can unfortunately add to the inequalities many deal with all the time. Today, this isn’t something that can be turned off. It affects people 24/7. How can one not internalize these messages? If a person is told something enough times and/or for long enough, they will start to believe it, no matter how offensively outlandish that message might be. The media has the power to eat away at individuals if left unchecked. Even with all the good the media does, the negative side can absolutely have long-lasting negative effects on peoples’ psyche and well-being.

A notable and relevant reference to this commentary is bell hooks and thoughts on “The Oppositional Gaze”, with specific reference to Black female spectators. As stated by Manthia Diawara but mentioned by hooks, “Every narration places the spectator in a position of agency; and race, class and sexual relations influence the way in which this subjecthood is filled by the spectator” (117). Here, we have this ever present idea of media affecting the minds of individuals and that individual’s mind perceiving media in very distinct ways. Furthermore, hooks references “rupture” or the resistance of “complete identification with the film’s discourse” (117). I think this can be applied more widely, specifically to the resentment man feel toward many forms of media. This is again all part of the negative effects media may have on the general public. If you are told to believe something negative, perhaps many in society will refuse to accept this and shy away from media consumption or a particular message being portrayed. When hooks dives deep into that opinions of Black women she writes “[Black women] testified that to experience fully the pleasure of that cinema they had to close down critique, analysis; they had to forget racism. And mostly they did not think about sexism” (120). I think this is so relevant to the times; people can become so jaded by the negative role media may play (direct/indirect) in their lives that they may reject it altogether, in order to live peaceful lives. Unfortunately, this ushers in the thought of “ignorance is bliss”, which may not always be healthy. But this is the unfortunate reality with which many live. hooks continues by adding, “[Black women] consciously resisted identification with films that this tension made moviegoing less than pleasurable; at times it caused pain” (121). The relevance this has to my fictitious, yet very realistic scenario, is spot-on. The overwhelmingly affect media can have on one’s life truly is something awfully spectacular. It can really cause so much hardship for an individual, especially when these message of inequality are floating through the airways nonstop.

I do not know if there is a remedy to all this negativity. Somehow, throughout history, in the face of negativity people have found a way to resist and provide social change in this country. Classes such as AFS 363, for example, serve as a way to educate motivated individuals to create a more informed society. Other classes on race, gender, economics, politics, and so on also serve to better society and produce individuals more equipped to bring about change, even if that change is something as simple as one person providing their friend with just a little bit more knowledge than they had prior. Media that provides fair and moderate coverage or perspectives on very polarizing subjects, in light of much bipartisan frames of thought, also serves to push society toward a more fair and equal world. Still, we live in a time where media is a never-ending production of information that can affect people’s lives in so many different ways. We must be the change and further advance the change to eliminate inequality and internalize more positive messages about ourselves and others.

References

hooks, b. (1992). The oppositional gaze: black female spectators. In Black looks: race and representation (pp.115-131). Boston, MA: South End Press

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mentalhealthnurse · 10 years ago

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Mindset - some examples of mental health inequalities

Mental Health and Gender

There are differences in the patterns of mental health problems experienced by men and women. Some examples include:

The age of first experience of schizophrenia is earlier for men than for women.

Higher proportions of women experience depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

Patterns of suicide and self-harm are different between men and women.

Women experience mental health problems related to childbirth

Substance misuse is more prevalent among men.

There are also differences in the distribution among men and women of risk factors associated with mental health problems. For more information read Equal Minds - Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Scotland, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC), 2005

Mental Health and Ethnicity On the basis of the 2001 census, the minority ethnic population comprised just over 100,000 people or 2% of the Scottish population. Information on the prevalence and pattern of mental health problems among minority ethnic groups in Scotland, and in the UK, is very limited. Some studies show higher levels of suicide and self-harm among Asian women than women from other ethnic backgrounds. One study found that African-Caribbean people had a 60% higher rate of depression than white people; and the rate for African-Caribbean men was twice that of white men (Nazroo, 1997 as cited in SDC, 2005). For more information click here to read Equal Minds - Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Scotland, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC), 2005 A Race Equality Assessment of Mental Health (2005) carried out by the National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health (NRCEMH) identified the need for significant improvement in access to mental health services and the promotion of positive mental health for people from black and minority ethnic communities. The assessment identified 10 recommendations and priorities to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Click here to read the full or summary report.

Mental Health and Age The UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life co-ordinated by Age Concern (2006) highlighted that discussion about mental health and older people often focused on dementia, but the range of mental health problems in older age is diverse. They found that

1 in 4 older people living in the community has/has had symptoms of depression, often undiagnosed but severe enough to warrant attention.

At least 30% of older people in acute hospitals and 40% of those in care homes meet the clinical criteria for depression.

Overall, up to 60% of older people in acute hospitals experience mental health problems in some form.

Access to support services is limited for older people with mental health problems and only 6% of older people with depression receive specialist mental health care.

If tendencies continue, they estimate that within the next 15 years, one in every 15 of the population will be an older person experiencing mental health problems. Older people indicated that age barriers made some services inaccessible, indirect age discrimination is a major problem, stigma is powerful and isolating, many problems are disregarded and overlooked and services are fragmented and distant. Click here to read the full report.

The Office for National Statistics report on Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain (2004) found that 1 in 10 children and young people aged 5-16 have a mental health problem. These children and young people were;

More than twice as likely as other children to live with parents who had no educational qualifications

About three times as likely to live in households in which neither parent was working

More likely than other children to live in households with a low income

More likely to have time off school

Click here to read the full report.

Mental Health and Sexual Orientation There is consistent evidence of higher/different rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, self-harming behaviour, eating disorders and substance abuse among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. However, being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is not a cause of mental distress, nor is it a mental health problem. Homosexuality was declassified as a mental health problem by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 and the World Health Organisation in 1992.The significant factors are the social and economic disadvantages, discrimination, bullying, harassment, violence and exclusion that LGBT people experience (SDC, 2005). For more information read Equal Minds - Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Scotland, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC), 2005 Click here

Mental Health and Disability In relation to mental health inequality and disability there are three groups of people whose experiences need to be taken into account

People with mental health problems. In relation to disability most people think only about physical disability. However, the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) includes people with mental health problems where there is a substantial and long-term adverse affect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. As already outlined people with mental health problems are among the most excluded and disadvantaged groups in society.

People with physical disabilities. The socio-economic disadvantage, discrimination and stigma that can be experienced by people with physical disabilities can lead to poor mental health. Someone with a physical disability is more at risk of becoming socially excluded and social exclusion can lead to poor mental health.

People with both a physical disability and a mental health problem. A study in England and Wales (Morris, 2004 as cited in SDC, 2005) found that people had difficulty accessing mental health services because of their physical disability and difficulty using physical disability services because of inadequate recognition of their mental health needs and negative attitudes of staff towards mental health problems. This, along with a lack of communication between the two types of services resulted in the fragmentation of people's needs. (SDC, 2005)

For more information read Equal Minds - Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Scotland, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC), 2005

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realselfblog · 7 years ago

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Consumers Grow to View Food as the Prescription

Taking a page out of Hippocrates, “let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” consumers are increasingly shopping for groceries with an appetite for health, found in research published this week by the International Food Information Center cleverly titled, An Appetite for Health.

The top line: over two-thirds of older adults are managing more than one chronic condition and looking to nutrition to help manage disease.

Most consumers have that “appetite for health” across a wide range of conditions, with two rising to the top as “extremely important:” heart health and brain function. Other top-ranked issues are emotional/mental health, energy, and maintaining a healthy weight, along with other conditions and health aspirations shown in the chart.

A quick glance at the chart underscores the point that a majority of older consumers see food playing a role in virtually every condition polled, ranking them all very important or somewhat important.

Older adults are changing their health by changing their eating habits, with:

9 in 10 trying to eat the right amount and variety of vegetables and protein

6 in 10 reporting eating a healthier diet than they did 20 years ago

9 in 10 believing it’s never too late to make diet and lifestyle changes.

While the spirit and the flesh are willing, there are barriers to older people actually making these dietary changes. First, there’s the barrier of nutrition literacy: IFIC found that consumers don’t really know what foods can help achieve desired health outcomes. One in three older adults could not identify a specific food to either consume or eliminate that would help them achieve a desired health outcome. This speaks to the need for much more education about what healthy food looks like, and which nutrients tie to specific personal health goals.

The most frequently identified food-for-health was vegetables (cited by 28% of people), followed by protein (18%) and fruit (17%).

Older people were smart enough to identify that knowledge was the top issue standing in their way, followed by accessibility and physical ability as factors enabling a healthy diet. Additional barriers cited were cost and time, preventing people from eating healthier, people said.

The survey was conducted online among 1,005 Americans age 50 and older between January and February 2018. The research was supported by Abbott.

Health Populi’s Hot Points: As patients morph into health consumers, seeking food options that make health, they’re also savvy buyers, who clip coupons, shop private labels, and look for value-priced products in their lives. This applies to health and food, too.

Dr. Carolyn Scrafford and her research team presented compelling research this week in Boston at the annual Nutrition 2018 conference convened by the American Society for Nutrition on the subject of healthcare costs and savings accruing based on U.S. adults adopting healthy eating patterns.

The research methodology modeled cost savings based on two behavior change assumptions: that consumers’ adopted healthy dietary patterns, achieving a 20% or 80% score based on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and the Mediterranean-style diet (MED) regimes. Under the 20% scenario, the U.S. could save an average of $25.7 billion (HEI) to $38.1 billion (MED) in indirect and direct costs, resulting from reductions in cardiovascular disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and hip fractures. With the 80% scenario, cost-savings increases to a range of $66.9 billion (HEI) to $135 billion (MED).

Nearly one-half of the cost reductions would connect to heart disease because it is so directly influenced by diet quality.

These large macroeconomic national numbers would translate to individuals and their households in terms of patients direct and indirect costs for healthcare and disability, along with improved quality of life for U.S. health citizens.

IFIC’s research recognizes that consumers are connecting the dots between food, food-as-medicine, and health. If people can sustain healthy foodstyles, like the Mediterranean (or DASH) diet, or the Healthy Eating Index, we well find that the U.S. healthcare cost curve is bending based on the actions of American patients eating more healthfully.

For more information about these eating paradigms, check out these websites:

Mediterranean Diet from the Mayo Clinic website

DASH Diet from the Mayo Clinic website

Healthy Eating Index from the USDA portal

The post Consumers Grow to View Food as the Prescription appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

Consumers Grow to View Food as the Prescription posted first on http://dentistfortworth.blogspot.com

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maxihealth · 7 years ago