#but like. other than that. multiple mental disorders and other mental conditions that are less disordered but still There

[nexus-nebulae]

the body: *wheezing a lot*

ant: dude why are we coughing so damn much

fir, grabbing our inhaler: we have asthma, dude

ant: ANOTHER PROBLEM??? HOW MANY NERFS DID THIS DAMN THING GET????

[koibitogata]

hey hatchet!! hope youre doing okay, could i request some angsty romantic headcanons between ticci toby and a gn!reader? maybe like if they argue about toby's behavior and whatnot

hey there darling! i’m actually doing great, and i hope you are too! i absolutely love the sound of this request, so here we fucking go (disclaimer i am not an expert on his MULTITUDE of conditions, which practically make up his whole person atp)

arguments about Toby’s behavior are not uncommon.

Toby was born with multiple diseases and disorders; though he doesn’t know his own past, you figure that if his parents did even a little less for him, he would be way worse off than he is now. in fact, you’re pretty sure this is as good as it could get.

but oh, there are so many things you simply do not love about this man.

his CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis) prevents him from feeling pain, and as such he has not felt pain since he was born. as such, completely lacking the concept of pain and never remembering that others are susceptible to it, he is often a little too rough with you, not just in bed. sometimes, he grabs you just a little too hard, and it gets to you.

you know he is as dense as he seems, but just in case, you hope hard that he never realizes you’re slowly becoming distant from him. you simply can’t do it, not with his roughness and lack of reverence on your body.

and oh, this is just scratching the surface of his behavioral issues.

Toby is also diagnosed with BPD (borderline personality disorder). this is what you consider to be the worst part of his behavioral issues.

you had the misfortune of ending up as his favorite person (though in his defense there are not many others around him so his poor mentally ill brain pretty much has no choice).

you talk to the cashier at 7-11 for a millisecond too long? suddenly as you walk out, Toby is gone from where he was waiting for you and when you look back, the cashier’s gone too. but you know somewhere behind the store, the poor cashier’s blood is being spilled.

and even if you need just a small something from his fellow proxies, they’re not immune either.

though, you have to say, you prefer asking a random person instead.

because even though tim and brian may be punished by Toby, you feel like you are the one being punished the hardest.

he’ll give you the cold shoulder and guilt trip you and manipulate you.

it’s to the point you don’t think you know what a normal relationship feels like anymore. are boyfriends supposed to be loving? or are they supposed to scowl at you, go silent and cold the moment they notice you talking to someone else, even if it’s absolutely necessary?

and so you do the only thing you can do to rebel: argue.

you first start out gently, chiding him when he does something he’s not supposed to do. you correct him and explain to him why it’s wrong.

but you’re not sure if it goes through to him at all. you genuinely cannot tell, between his desperate apologies right after and the blatant repetition of his behavior.

for a while, it’d just been the apologies and repetition. though you disliked it, you soon came to realize that it was better than apologies, repetition and THEN arguments, guilt tripping and manipulation.

“why can’t you just love me for who i am? do you not love me after all? i was right all along. you’re desperate to get rid of me.”

and the truth is, you are.

[frankiensteinsmonster]

The most liberating thing for me as a 'newly' (no idea when it began. Dissociation is a Bitch and a half.) physically disabled person who's already been dealing with multiple mental health disorders is just.

Blatant acceptance of having a chronic condition. I do what I can to lessen my symptoms, but I don't do every little thing that's suggested to me. Mostly because I've done it all before. I've spent so long fighting with my mental health, never accommodating myself, never taking a day off, masking and hiding my symptoms as best as I could, no one ever went easy on me and I didn't know how to stop it.

But now I couldn't hide it if I wanted to, and wouldn't even if I had the chance. I'm disabled. Full stop and that's just the way it is right now and it may stay that way forever. But with the way things have been, if I kept treating myself as something less than my top priority, frankly, I wouldn't be able to go on.

I let myself lay down, I learned that my gritty attitude isn't always a good thing and wearing myself to the bone just to keep up and perform ability isn't just a couple days in bed anymore.

I've started demanding respect. Enforcing my boundaries. Complaining loudly and snapping at people who touch my aid if I feel they deserve it. I started taking up space. I stopped moving for people on the sidewalk because the world doesn't "belong to everyone but me" (something I've felt for a long time). As a disabled person, I need to make sure I know that I matter-- for my sake and for the sake of other cripples.

I'm less friendly. It's on purpose. I give less grace. I'm bitter and I cut my eyes and I suck my teeth at the ignorant people who annoy me and get in my way. I'm no fun by choice and I like it that way. I refuse to be a novelty, I refuse to beg god to make me better, I refuse to hurt myself for the sake of others, I refuse take shit from doctors that won't listen and I like myself more because of it.

I don't need to make a point of making myself appear to be stronger or more resilient than I am, because I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I'm learning to Truly ask for help when I need it, and to accept help when it's offered. Riding this wave of shit hasn't been a breeze by any means, but making it my own and writing my name on it has made it a hell of a lot easier.

Td;lr? If you're disabled, try being a little bit of a bitch. It's fun and good for your mental health <3 (read post for context)

(I say this as someone who's been taught that assertiveness and prioritizing oneself is a Bad Thing, we're not actually "bitches" for wanting basic respect or for caring about ourselves!! And if we are, so the fuck what?)

[thecouncilofidiots]

@cytochrome-system asked to be tagged <3

Something we've been wanting to say, but hadn't been able to articulate

But because apparently some people don't know

Plurality is an umbrella term and spectrum

There are multiple types of systems, each with different origins and levels of functionality and ways of existing

Traumagenic means their system formation is attributed to trauma. Traumagenic systems tend to be disordered because trauma often results in dissociation and PTSD. However, disordered systems don't require trauma for diagnosis, only disfunction in daily life due to dissociation -> it's a dissociative disorder, not a trauma disorder.

The brain is a weird, unpredictable thing - trauma doesn't present the same way in every being. It's not the action, but the brain's response to the action -> the same event can be devastating to one person and no big deal to another. Trauma CAN'T be quantified, and thus, can't be used as a measure of validity for systemhood or disorder.

It's possible for traumagenic systems to not be disordered, to be functional/non-dissociative despite their trauma, or to be disordered and through therapy/healing reach a level of functionality (functional multiplicity) [or final fusion, each system's healing journey is different, and whatever they choose is best for them is valid]. That doesn't make them any less valid.

Endogenic means their system formation is attributed to something other than trauma. There are many sub-categories, as each experience is different, though they often get lumped together because of syscourse and anti-endo sentiments. There are spiritual origins (which, like with all spirituality and religion, is as real as it is to the believer, and thus can't be rendered invalid unless you're an intolerant asshole); protogenic - meaning their systemhood has existed for as long as they've known (perhaps even since birth), and considering that each brain forms differently (some develop "properly", some have developmental disorders, ect) who's to say a brain can't naturally develop with multiple self-aware entities? We don't even know how sentience works for typical brains, can't measure existence/awareness except in external assumptions, so to dismiss the existence of natural plurals? *pointed silence* Neurogenic encompasses systemhood caused by neurological conditions (distinct from protogenic in that neurogenic tend be caused by other disorders, such as having a personality disorder that causes disrupted sense of self, ect). Like with protogenic, brains all work differently. Otherwise, neurodivergence wouldn't exist, but it DOES. And these differences in brains, affect how the brain works. Can affect self-perception, can affect singlethood. Does everyone develop plurality? No. But some DO, and they deserve the same respect and acceptance as everyone else. While there are no doubt more endogenic origins, the last one I'm gonna mention is willomancy. Contrary to what some may believe, willomancy is NOT "wanting a disorder" or "pretending to have a trauma" - plurality in and of itself is not a disorder. It is nothing more than a state of being in which there are multiple self aware entities sharing a mind/body. That being said, willomancy is the intentional formation of plurality through mental exercises (I do not have knowlege of the specifics, that's for others to share if they wish). It can be done for coping reasons, or just for fun, and either way - it is a valid form of plurality. Not all endogenic systems are intentionally created, but those that are aren't "taking resources" or "making a mockery of a disorder" because having a different experience than someone doesn't make their experience wrong or lesser. The same goes in reverse - having a trauma-induced disordered system doesn't make you more valid than other systems.

Probably controversially, but fun fact! Endogenic systems can also be disordered because endogenic doesn't mean they have no trauma, just that they don't attribute their system formation to trauma. And like I mentioned before, brains are fucking weird. Say someone was born a system, yeah? But they went through some shit and developed a dissociative disorder. Neither of their experiences are rendered invalid by the other, and they shouldn't have to hide to avoid being targeted and hated for existing in a way others don't like.

When you take into account mixed origin, and the multiple vs mediple vs median vs pluralet vs ect? Brains are weird! Brains are cool!

The problem is, we can't know anything about the brain for sure - and that includes not being able to disprove things that aren't readily understood. Not only is there not enough research, science is an ever-evolving field. Science isn't how the world works, it's how we UNDERSTAND how the world works - and that changes depending on the tools we have, how we interpret them, ect, at any given moment

So to say only trauma can cause the "separation of self" "required" for plurality is presumptuous as best, malicious at worst.

All things considered, I'd rather listen to each plural's lived experiences, and accept them, than fakeclaim them for existing in a way differently than me, for not following what sysmed "science" says (though, there IS scientific research validating the existence of endogenic plurals btw <3)

Plus, endogenic systems existing isn't ableism/saneism, it doesn't HURT traumagenic systems. They aren't "taking" resources, most resources aren't finite, and IF they're using the finite ones, it's because they need it too, and withholding resources from someone who needs it really fucking shitty. Especially when using resources encourages the production of more because it proves there's a demand for it...

All this to say

Be kind to one another

((Also, personal pet peeve, but upholding and promoting the values of a corrupt institution (psychiatry) to invalidate and harass a group who's existence doesn't hurt anyone (endogenics) is literally the opposite of punk ideology, and anti-endo/sysmed "punks" are fascists in disguise <3))

[thewindowsystem]

Istg the average r/fakedisordercringe user has never picked up a medical textbook in their life. I don't really touch the sub anymore since it's just generally not good for my mental health since I can be pretty suggestible at times and often ended up internalizing many blatantly false ideas on there to the point of trying to quit meds an absolutely falling apart without them.

But atleast from what I remember the amount of posts fake claiming shit quite literally written in the motherfucking DSM 5 TR and the regular 5th edition is fucking insane like how are you gonna try to act like an authority on mental health when all anyone has to do to debunk half of your points is to read one of the most common diagnostic manuals in the west 🧍‍♀️

And before anyone tries to say I'm dick riding the DSM yes obviously it has it's flaws but I'm talking abt the kinda shit that is already widely agreed on.

One of the most common cases of people who don't know what the fuck they are talking about on that sub is literally every fucking post claiming that someone with D.I.D having multiple other disorders is faking. Despite the fact that D.I.D has such a long list of comorbidities without even mentioning how many of those comorbidities also have long lists of comorbidities themselves and the trauma that causes D.I.D To develop in the first place is also associated with the formation of many other disorders. D.I.D patients are kinda known for often having a lot of other conditions on top of D.I.D, it's more likely for someone with D.I.D to be diagnosed with 5-7 additional conditions (that's the average) than to have less than that

[spiders-notagain]

Misc Headcanons

[Stuff I don't know how to make its own post]

legendary lost city buried under the sand somewhere; minecraft buried cities style

cliff cities- used to be a big fortress now just used for daily living

mostly specific monasteries

extremely good water recycling system- technology to make water out of hydrogen and oxygen in the air

if breakfasts are things that are easy to obtain then plomeek must be obtained regularly (e.g. grown throughout the year, incredibly hardy plants)

valley cities- alderaan style

shikahr historically very good land, less earthquakes and harsh conditions

large areas of the planet irradiated by radiation and theres not much they can do about it, no ones allowed to go there without special protection

some areas that are civilized have been ruined by their ancestors and are only just starting to restore its natural state

no birthdays but some places have a quincenera coming of age equivalent * sometimes in addition to the kahs-wan and taloth trials

Vulcans are pretty direct and so an acceptable form of making friends (although its really more like conversation partners) is to go up to a person and tell them that you share an interest and would like to talk about it. This is no guarantee youll ever interact again though.

Vulcan has a lot of jobs that are restricted to native citizens

Need mental contact to survive as babies the same way humans require touch

Tight knit families heralding from olden days. Almost mafia like in its web of connections. Additionally, alliances with certain clans meant status and power.

Alot of infighting between clans in the earlier days also

Similar to Ant colonies underground

Buildings have sections above and below ground

Above ground, buildings protected from sandstorms. Few windows, more doors. The less open to the elements the better.

Sehlats were tamed more recently than dogs, usually they would offer protection to the vulcans in exchange for food

Black and brown hair extremely common, genes for blond or red hair extremely rare

Early books made out of leather and a cotton-like fiber

later books made out of stone paper

Water very rare, lots of it is a sign of wealth.

Given the newness of logic, theyre not very good at it and struggle to apply it in day to day life. Additionally theyre good at lying to themselves about what emotion they may or may not have

Multiple different sects bc everyone has a different opinion on whats logical

Some are better adjusted than others because some try their absolute best to

Very preppy- high ego, strong social classes, pretentious, hide any faults, care alot about their reputation, fear being ostracized in their own community, many social rules

vulcans generally prefer to keep humans away from their sehlats because humans try to be overly affectionate with them and end up severely harmed

Vulcans get hit with winter depression even harder than other species but deal with it better. Their own ships are set up to have sun lamps all over the ship.

vulcans view mental illnesses with the same seriousness as physical ones.

not only can vulcans pass on mental disorders to their children but also strong phobias (and some philias) even those obtained through later trauma

typically mothers during pregnancy thought to occur during the mental bond

the prenatal mental bond can pass on memories as well but are typically suppressed till adulthood. its more of a folk wives tale thats corroborated enough that most people agree but technically had little proven evidence until recently

vulcans think murder by drowning is one of the worst most senseless murders ever

vulcans be like  🤓☝️well actually-

vulcan school systems dont have an above and beyond grade because the highest possible grade to get is by default you meeting the acceptable standards. that said, they do have extra awards given out for such behavior. although acceptable standards by vulcan standards is somewhat higher than is what is the case for human standards

vulcan kids still do the same 'kid logic' thing as humans because theyre trying to reason and understand the world using the logical reasoning skills being taught to them but they dont have enough information to make it accurate

Vulcan vegetables are bred to have a higher concentration of nutrients, a project that has been in development for the thousand some years since the awakening

passive cooling methods going back thousands of years; more advanced than human technologies

windcatcher like structures built to incorporate: the structure of the house, local weather, local geographical phenomena, etc.

heavily populated cities may have hybrid cooling systems that are integrated with modern technology to increase efficiency, this is less common in more rural areas where ppl are more likely to be 'if it aint broke dont fix it'. in most cases though they were so well designed that not much is needed aside from general maintenance

depending on the location, most vulcan homes are designed with the concept that a bedroom is exclusively for sleep and like wardrobe changing. you dont usually engage in hobby activities, doing those in a separate entertainment room or in the equivalent living room

like the rest of their society, vulcans incorporate more circles into their architectural designs than humans do and less squares than humans do

glass art is one of the oldest vulcan art forms. their planetary conditions work very well for it: lots of sand, high heat. and its an art that features alot of mathematically appealing shape language

ex. those curvy glass vases with the holes, floor mosaics with tinted glass, stained glass windows, suncatchers, etc.

in ancient times, betrothal jewelry (and other ceremonial purposes) were made partly with copper wire crafted from the blood of their enemies. some of these pieces (and spare wires) still exist. Vulcan clans that still practice this, obtain the blood ethically from dead animals (or in extremely rare occasions, consenting dead relatives)

STARSHIPS

Constructed so that every system is at max efficiency when used exactly perfectly how its meant to.

Its interlocking systems mean that it has millions of tiny unobtrusive glitches that can happen to the point where one can reasonably predict based on the type of glitch exactly what deeper system is failing and why

While it has normal passwords it mostly relies on each person to have their own special bioelectric pattern that is measured each time a user touches the console in order for them to input anything at all

They dont like outsiders on their ships as crew because they make tiny mistakes that while easily fixable, can mess up major systems

Sun lamps all over the ship as natural lighting, they gradually turn off according to the vulcan solar cycle and are replaced by a secondary lighting system that mimics candlelight. Although its kinda dark for humans its just fine for vulcans

Because of the size of their ships, they often have really large 'halls' that take up multiple decks and serve as visual space for the different wings connected to them

the vulcan warp rings compared to the human twin nacelles serve different attributes with the analogy being like a train versus a car. trains are faster but theyre also bulky, dont slow down well and arent designed to make quick on the spot diversions

[olrastrologytarot]

Humanizing Individuals with Cluster B Personality Disorders

Cluster B personality disorders, including Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD), are among the most stigmatized mental health conditions. Often misunderstood and feared, people with these disorders are frequently dehumanized and reduced to harmful stereotypes. They are labeled as "toxic," "manipulative," or "dangerous," and their struggles are minimized as personal failings rather than symptoms of mental illness. To challenge these misconceptions, we must focus on humanizing individuals with Cluster B personalities. This involves moving beyond judgment, fostering empathy, and understanding the complexity of their emotional and psychological worlds.

Understanding Cluster B Personality Disorders

To humanize individuals with Cluster B personality disorders, it’s crucial to first recognize that these are mental health conditions, not moral failings. The behaviors associated with these disorders stem from deep emotional and psychological struggles that are often rooted in trauma, attachment issues, and neurological factors.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): People with NPD are often seen as self-centered, arrogant, or manipulative, but their behavior frequently masks deep feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Behind the façade of grandiosity is often a person who feels deeply vulnerable and fears rejection or failure. Humanizing someone with NPD requires understanding that their behavior may be a defense mechanism, protecting them from emotional wounds they have struggled with for years.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Individuals with BPD experience intense emotions, fear of abandonment, and unstable relationships. They are often labeled as "needy" or "emotionally unstable." However, these behaviors are often a response to unresolved trauma or neglect, leading to an overwhelming fear of rejection. People with BPD are sensitive and struggle deeply with regulating their emotions, making it vital to approach them with patience and empathy.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): Those with ASPD are commonly seen as criminals or sociopaths, as they exhibit a disregard for the rights of others and may engage in manipulative or deceitful behavior. However, ASPD is frequently the result of childhood trauma, neglect, or abuse. Humanizing people with ASPD means recognizing the potential for rehabilitation and growth, as well as the possibility that they, too, are products of environments that failed to nurture empathy and emotional connection.

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD): Individuals with HPD are often dismissed as attention-seeking or overly dramatic, but their behavior is driven by an intense need for validation and approval. Humanizing them means understanding the underlying fear of being ignored or unseen, as well as their desire for meaningful emotional connections that may not have been met earlier in life.

The Importance of Humanizing Individuals with Cluster B Disorders

Humanizing individuals with Cluster B disorders is essential for multiple reasons:

Reducing Stigma: Stigmatization and labeling are major barriers to understanding and supporting people with Cluster B personality disorders. When individuals are seen only as "narcissistic," "manipulative," or "dangerous," their humanity is overshadowed by their diagnosis. By shifting our focus away from their behaviors and toward the emotional struggles driving those behaviors, we can reduce stigma and foster a more compassionate society.

Encouraging Empathy: Humanizing individuals with Cluster B disorders helps cultivate empathy. When we see them as people with complex emotions and histories, we are less likely to judge them harshly and more likely to offer support and understanding. This empathy not only improves relationships but also allows individuals with these disorders to feel seen, validated, and understood, which can contribute to their healing.

Improving Mental Health Care: When individuals with Cluster B disorders are treated with compassion and respect, they are more likely to seek and engage in mental health treatment. Unfortunately, many people with these diagnoses avoid therapy due to fear of being judged or rejected by healthcare professionals. Humanizing these individuals by recognizing their struggles as valid and treatable encourages them to seek the care they need to manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives.

Strategies for Humanizing Individuals with Cluster B Disorders

Humanizing individuals with Cluster B disorders requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, empathy, and a commitment to seeing beyond their diagnosis.

Educate Yourself and Others: Education is one of the most powerful tools in combatting stigma and humanizing individuals with mental health disorders. By learning about the underlying causes of Cluster B disorders—such as trauma, genetic factors, or attachment issues—we can better understand the reasons behind challenging behaviors. Educating others helps to spread awareness and shifts the conversation away from blame and judgment, making room for compassion.

For instance, understanding that someone with BPD is not deliberately trying to be "difficult" but is struggling with an overwhelming fear of abandonment helps to reframe their behavior as a response to pain rather than manipulation.

Recognize the Person Behind the Diagnosis: One of the key aspects of humanizing people with Cluster B disorders is to see them as individuals, not just as their diagnosis. People with NPD, BPD, ASPD, and HPD have unique experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities. By acknowledging their individuality, we move beyond labels and see the whole person—their likes, dislikes, passions, dreams, and struggles.

For example, someone with NPD might excel in their career due to their drive and ambition, but they may also struggle with deep feelings of inadequacy. Humanizing them means acknowledging both their strengths and their vulnerabilities.

Practice Empathy and Active Listening: Empathy is essential when interacting with individuals with Cluster B disorders. Active listening—truly hearing and validating their feelings and experiences—can help them feel seen and understood. People with BPD, for instance, may feel intense emotions and act out of fear, but by responding with empathy instead of judgment, we can help de-escalate their emotional distress.

A person with HPD who constantly seeks attention might feel unheard in their everyday life. By giving them space to express themselves and acknowledging their emotions, we can help them feel valued and reduce their need for external validation.

Challenge Media Portrayals: The media plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions of mental health, and individuals with Cluster B disorders are often portrayed in a negative or exaggerated light. Challenging these portrayals is essential in humanizing them. Media representations often focus on the most extreme and damaging behaviors associated with these disorders, neglecting the emotional struggles and vulnerabilities of the individuals. By advocating for more accurate, compassionate portrayals, we can begin to shift public understanding.

Focus on Trauma-Informed Care: Many people with Cluster B disorders have experienced trauma, neglect, or other forms of emotional injury. Trauma-informed care, which recognizes the impact of trauma on behavior, can be a more compassionate and effective approach to treatment. Understanding that behaviors such as emotional outbursts or manipulative tendencies may be coping mechanisms for deeper psychological pain helps caregivers and mental health professionals respond with empathy rather than frustration.

Provide Support with Boundaries: While it’s important to humanize individuals with Cluster B disorders, it’s also essential to set healthy boundaries in relationships. Offering support and empathy does not mean tolerating harmful or abusive behavior. By setting clear boundaries while maintaining compassion, we can create healthier relationships and environments for everyone involved.

For example, someone with ASPD may engage in manipulative behavior, but setting firm boundaries while offering opportunities for rehabilitation or support can help foster personal growth and accountability.

Conclusion: Embracing Compassion and Understanding

Humanizing individuals with Cluster B personality disorders is a vital step toward reducing stigma, fostering empathy, and improving mental health care. By understanding the complex emotional and psychological challenges they face, we can move beyond the harmful labels and stereotypes that dehumanize them. Through education, empathy, and trauma-informed care, we can create a more compassionate society that recognizes the humanity in every individual, regardless of their diagnosis. This not only benefits individuals with Cluster B disorders but also helps to build a more inclusive and empathetic world for all.

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

Can being overweight be healthy?

This is a complicated question, anon. My go-to question is: over what weight? We know now that the BMI scale is largely inaccurate and does not take into account height differences, muscle training, breast size and other factors. I also know that many people have different ideals of what's a normal or "ideal" size.

I'm not a doctor. I do know personally know many people whose natural weight - as in no dieting, but no overfeeding - set them as being considered fat. I also know that a lot of those people ended up feeling shame for this, and spent lots of time putting themselves through restriction, various crash diets, and a traumatic level of hatred toward the bodies they lived in. Many of them did lose weight doing this, but at great cost to other aspects of their health, such as their hearts, gallbladders, brains, stomachs, and GI tracts. Would it have been healthier to leave well enough alone and stay fatter? I think so.

But I also think that health can be really complicated and a lot of people end up having to make choices as to what aspect of health they must prioritize. So, for example: say you need a medication that has a side effect of weight gain. Do you accept the weight gain, or do you deny yourself medication that you might need? Say that you used to be a runner, but then you got a permanent knee injury and gained weight from being less active than usual. Do you prioritize treating your knee, or do you keep running on your injury to maintain the same weight? Or do you give up something else, like restricting a favorite food, for no other reason than because you feel you must retain that body shape at any cost? Say you have recently given birth to a baby, and the pregnancy caused you to gain weight. You want to breastfeed, but you're struggling to produce enough milk when you diet. Do you focus on the diet? Or do you focus on your journey with your new baby? Now say you are diagnosed with an invisible disability. Your doctor advises you against heavy exercise because it would be dangerous, but your natural weight is bigger. Do you choose to exercise anyway and risk the consequences of further disabling your body? Or do you think that you should have to restrict your food intake simply because you have a disability? Now what if you also have a comorbid diagnosis that impacts your GI tract, limiting what you can eat already? (Yes, some people are in the situation of having multiple disabilities.)

Do you think that people with these conditions should have to disclose all of their personal health history in order to be accepted for being fat?

(How many people disclose these personal things, do you think, and are not believed anyway?)

If you live with these conditions, and are making the best decisions you can for your own health in every given moment, do you think that it's a healthy choice to accept a co-occurring hatred for your own body at that given time? Do you think it's always the healthiest thing to pursue thinness?

Life is not simple. Managing one's body needs will not always come down to a series of simple choices. It's always going to be a balancing act where each individual needs the liberty to choose what THEY are going to prioritize to live well. And it won't be easy for everyone else to tell, at a glance, what those carefully-selected choices looked like for that individual.

I'm someone who is not fat, but who does have a chronic health disorder. Am I more healthy than a fat person who does not have the same disorder?

All you can do, anon, is focus on the choices that are right for you. That might mean giving up restricting if your body feels better when you don't, even if that comes with significant weight gain, just as an example. It might mean you've spent so much time hating your body that preserving your mental health means avoiding dieting or diet culture. I can't tell you what the right choices are for you as an individual; I can only tell you to listen to your body's cues and use the information you have available to you in order to set your balance of choices as close to "correct" as you possibly can. Nobody else could understand your process for this, nor could you understand theirs if you don't live their life. And that means nobody else gets to judge you, or your body, at a glance. Loving it properly means taking care of it to the very best of your ability, and yes, sometimes that might mean letting it be naturally fat. And I think there'd be a lot fewer EDs in the world if we weren't always so afraid of that.

I hope this helps!

[maaarine]

Eating disorders are the most lethal mental health conditions – reconnecting with internal body sensations can help reduce self-harm (April Smith, The Conversation, Jan 31 2024)

"Did you know that anorexia is the most lethal mental health condition? One person dies from an eating disorder every hour in the U.S.

Many of these deaths are not from health consequences related to starvation, but from suicide. (…)

Here’s another question for you: What do you do with things you don’t like?

For instance, what do you do when you encounter someone you dislike, a food you can’t stand or an overwhelming list of chores?

Do you care for or accept them? Probably not. Most people tend to avoid, despise or criticize the things they don’t like.

This allows them to separate and disconnect themselves from these loathed things.

But when you think negatively about and try to avoid your body, you end up disconnecting from it and losing the ability to understand what’s going on inside your body.

You start to see it not as your body but as an object.

That ability to recognize, interpret and respond to internal signals in your body actually has a name: interoception, also known as the sixth sense.

It refers to your ability to recognize, interpret and respond to a variety of bodily sensations, such as emotions, hunger and fullness, temperature and pain.

Interoception can be divided into various components, and interoceptive accuracy, or how accurately you notice various internal sensations, can be measured in various ways.

These include psychophysiological measures like a heartbeat perception test, which compares a person’s perceived number of heartbeats without taking their pulse to their actual number of heartbeats over a period of time.

People with greater discrepancies between their perceived and actual heartbeat counts are thought to be worse at sensing cardiac sensations and thus have worse interoception.

My research over the past decade has found that the worse your interoception is, the more disconnected you are from your body and the less aware you are of what’s going on inside it.

And the more disconnected you are from your body, the easier it becomes to harm yourself, whether that be through an eating disorder or suicidal behaviors.

Interoception is crucial to understanding and caring for your body. For instance, you need to be able to perceive hunger and fullness in order to properly nourish yourself.

If you were unable to perceive pain, you might end up hurting yourself.

And you need to be able to understand the emotions you’re feeling in order to respond adaptively to different situations.

Research suggests that interoception is integrally related to mental and physical health, and impaired interoception is considered a risk factor for various mental disorders.

For example, if you are unable to sense when you’re hungry or full, that could lead to restrictive or binge eating.

Conversely, if you are hyperaware of your internal sensations, such as your heart rate and breathing, that could lead to panic disorder symptoms.

As you lose connection with your body, it becomes easier to harm your body as an object you’ve grown to loathe.

Research from my team has found that people who have attempted suicide have worse interoception than people who haven’t, and people who have attempted suicide multiple times have worse interoception than those who have only attempted suicide once.

People with more recent and lethal suicide attempts have worse interoception than those with more distant or less lethal attempts.

Impairment in interocepton is more strongly associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than other risk factors like hopelessness, gender and post-traumatic stress."

[covid-safer-hotties]

Long COVID fatigue tied to brain connectivity patterns, study finds - Published Sept 22, 2024

by Eric W. Dolan

A new study published in Psychiatry Research explores the relationship between fatigue in Long COVID and specific patterns of brain connectivity. Researchers observed that fatigue, one of the most common and debilitating symptoms in Long COVID patients, is associated with certain patterns of brain structure and function, particularly in the frontal and cerebellar regions. Notably, mental and physical fatigue were linked to distinct brain connectivity patterns, suggesting the possibility that different neural mechanisms may be involved in each type of fatigue.

Long COVID, also known as post-COVID syndrome, affects individuals who continue to experience symptoms months after recovering from the initial COVID-19 infection. Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of Long COVID, affecting an estimated 35% to 60% of patients. Fatigue in these patients can be physical, cognitive, or both, severely impacting their ability to work and quality of life.

While fatigue has been widely studied in conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis, much less is known about its neurological basis in Long COVID. Researchers wanted to investigate whether fatigue in these patients is related to specific patterns of brain connectivity, and how these patterns might differ between mental and physical fatigue. Understanding the brain’s role in fatigue could help guide treatments and improve patient outcomes.

“Among symptoms in Long COVID, fatigue is one of the most frequent and most disabling, and is usually persistent. Fatigue has been proven to have an impact on the patient’s quality of life and working status. We aimed to investigate the neural basis of fatigue in order to better understand the pathology and improve our knowledge to help design better treatments,” said study authors Maria Diez-Cirarda and Jordi Matias-Guiu of the Neurological Diseases Research group at Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid.

For their study, the researchers recruited 129 individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 at least three months prior. Participants were screened to exclude those with other neurological or psychiatric disorders that might interfere with the results. The average time since their initial COVID-19 infection was about 14 months, and most of the participants were women.

Each participant completed a detailed clinical and neuropsychological assessment. Fatigue levels were measured using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), which assesses both cognitive (mental) and physical fatigue. Participants also completed a Stroop test, a well-known measure of cognitive control, to assess mental fatigue more objectively.

In addition to the psychological tests, participants underwent MRI scans to assess brain structure and functional connectivity. The scans included resting-state fMRI to measure functional connectivity and diffusion-weighted imaging to examine the integrity of white matter in the brain. The researchers were particularly interested in whether patterns of brain activity and white matter integrity were linked to the levels of fatigue reported by the participants.

The results of the study revealed that 86% of the participants reported significant levels of fatigue, with both mental and physical fatigue being prominent. Importantly, the researchers found that mental fatigue showed a different pattern of brain connectivity than physical fatigue.

Functional connectivity analysis revealed that both types of fatigue were associated with activity in the frontal areas of the brain. Physical fatigue was linked to increased connectivity between the cerebellum and the temporal lobe, while mental fatigue showed reduced connectivity between frontal regions and the cerebellum, as well as other areas of the brain, such as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex.

The study also looked at the integrity of white matter, the part of the brain that helps different regions communicate with each other. Both mental and physical fatigue were associated with changes in white matter diffusivity—specifically in areas like the forceps minor, the anterior corona radiata, and the cingulum. These findings suggest that differences in white matter integrity may be related to both physical and mental fatigue in Long COVID.

Interestingly, the study also found that subjective cognitive complaints, such as memory and attention problems, were closely linked to both physical and mental fatigue. However, these complaints were more strongly associated with physical fatigue than with objective measures of cognitive function, such as performance on the Stroop test. This discrepancy highlights the complex relationship between fatigue and cognitive symptoms in Long COVID patients.

“The present results revealed that fatigue in Long COVID is associated with structural and functional connectivity mostly in frontal areas but also temporal, and cerebellar areas,” the researchers told PsyPost. “These findings are relevant because they demonstrate that in patients with Long-COVID, brain dysfunction contributes to fatigue. In addition, these findings could help in the design of specific interventions, and pave the way to the use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to alleviate both physical and mental fatigue in these patients.”

“The results also highlight the relationship between fatigue and subjective cognitive complaints. These findings point out the relevance of the multidisciplinary assessment of patients with Long COVID with subjective cognitive complaints, in order to unravel the symptomatology beneath the patient’s complaints.”

The study provides new insights into the neural mechanisms related to fatigue in Long COVID, but there are some limitations to consider. The study used a cross-sectional design, meaning it only captured a snapshot of the participants’ brain activity and fatigue levels at one point in time. Longitudinal studies that follow patients over time are needed to determine whether these brain changes are permanent or temporary.

“We have performed a comprehensive assessment of these patients and published several papers on the topic regarding the cognitive and clinical symptoms in Long COVID and its cerebral correlates and biomarkers associations,” Diez-Cirarda and Matias-Guiu said. “Our next step is to assess these patients longitudinally in order to evaluate how these changes evolve over time. Longitudinal results will help in the characterization of the physiopathology of the disease.”

“Moreover, we are interested in the design of specific treatments to improve cognitive and fatigue symptoms in these patients using neuromodulation and cognitive training. We already published one study regarding the efficacy of neuromodulation over fatigue in Long COVID.”

The study, “Neural basis of fatigue in post-COVID syndrome and relationships with cognitive complaints and cognition,” was authored by Maria Diez-Cirarda, Miguel Yus-Fuertes, Carmen Polidura, Lidia Gil-Martinez, Cristina Delgado-Alonso, Alfonso Delgado-Álvarez, Natividad Gomez-Ruiz, Maria José Gil-Moreno, Manuela Jorquera, Silvia Oliver-Mas, Ulises Gómez-Pinedo, Jorge Matias-Guiu, Juan Arrazola, and Jordi A Matias-Guiu. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178124003986

[sophieinwonderland]

Someone Having A Disorder Doesn't Make Them Qualified to Educate About That Disorder

Let me be clear: I believe that any person with a disability or mental condition has the ability and right to speak about that condition, and that their own personal experiences should be trusted and believed.

When this becomes dicey is when these individuals think simply having a condition makes them an expert in it, and that they are an absolute authority in all of its presentations.

This came up recently when debating a singlet who made a post stating endogenic plurality wasn't real. Their attempts at "debunking" studies into endogenic systems showed desperation to prove their point, ignoring the opinions of actual psychologists and psychiatrists. Most of their post was misinformation based on a single Carrd. The sources they cited never even claimed what they said they did.

That blog talks about a lot of disorders and I said in my response to them that I don't think other people should put their trust in them on matters of other disabilities they talk about like autism.

The problem with this user and others like them is that they want to be seen as an expert and are presenting themselves as such. And I'm sure they do know more about autism than plurality, having it themselves. But I'm also sure that they're going to make broad assumptions based on their own experiences and try to apply that to everyone with ASD when you can't do that, and they'll present those assumptions as facts.

I am not saying to not trust them as a member of an endogenic systems.

I am saying to not trust them as a member of a system diagnosed with ASD ourselves. I do not believe people like this are trustworthy sources of information for my disorder, nor any other disorder.

All of this was before their reply, which only solidified my earlier opinions, and then some.

This is one of those posts that is just so bad that I need to break it down piece by piece.

It's not unethical to be part of a demographic you're studying. People with ASD can study ASD. DID systems can study people with DID. Muslims can study Muslims. Native Americans can study Native Americans. And Tulpamancers can study tulpamancers. Being a tulpamancer does not invalidate the study in and of itself.

This was why I gave the Varieties of Tulpa Experiences study that they ignored. It is true that the study they're referring to, Tulpas and Mental Health, was written by a tulpamancer. This was the source they initially tried to "debunk." Furthermore, what they didn't mention is that the journal it was published in is less reputable than others, and the author was a student rather than an actual expert. This is why I don't often cite that one as an example of evidence of endogenic plurality.

In contrast, Varieties of Tulpa Experiences was written by a psychiatry professor at McGill University and was published by the highly esteemed Oxford University Press. There is zero question as to the Journal's credibility or the experience of the author.

Transabled people identify as having disabilities. No, tulpamancers and other non-disordered plurals are not, by definition, transabled. We are multiple, but we do not have DID or OSDD.

And for the record, I actually have studied plurality. I'm not formally educated in psychology or psychiatry and would never pretend to be an expert in such, but I'm confident I've read more papers about different presentations of plurality than this singlet who only cites Carrds and blogs as sources.

I also know the difference between neuroscience and psychology... And maybe this is a petty point, but the fact that all their posts claim to be about neuroscience while focusing mostly on psychology and psychiatry is another huge red flag that they probably don't know as much as they pretend to.

Now, to the big one...

If you're trying to be a leader on mental health topics, don't be so blatantly ableist!

If you place the worth of a person on how "intelligent" or "competent" they are, perhaps you shouldn't be in communities for people with mental illnesses and disabilities at all.

These are extremely harmful and gross comments.

What you (readers) should take away from this: Take all advice on Tumblr with a grain of salt.

Yes, even on this blog. Be skeptical. Ask questions. Think critically. Double check people's claims when you can.

Don't blindly assume that just because someone has a disorder, like Autism, that they must be an expert in that disorder and that they'll be able to answer all your questions. Trust their own experiences. But have a healthy doubt of any broader claims they can't source.

[bluntforcespatter]

Why the new account?/genq

short answer: i had a mental lapse, deleted, saw posts i wanted to reblog & people i missed and remade. (missed everyone!!!)

long answer: i was stalked online and in real life. it unravelled my mental health to the point where i leave my house less than once a month. my groceries are delivered or bought out of town by my caregiver, whom drives 2 hours away to do this. (she's fine with this, she visits her mom on the way.) i have STPD or schizotypal personality disorder - it is a mental health condition that comes with severe paranoia. being stalked worsened this, i already had paranoia that i was being stalked by the people who trafficked me, but then i really was very tangibly provably stalked and it unravelled me. i was diagnosed (newer, 2020) with this (STPD) after being diagnosed (older, 2016) with dissociative identity disorder - this often means i have amnesiac episodes. (amnesia can be as severe as DO NOT REMEMBER AT ALL to DO NOT REMEMBER HOW THAT FELT [EMOTIONAL] OR WHAT I WAS THINKING.) having DID and STPD means all of my alternative states/dissociated states/"multiple personalities", (outdated, don't use that terminology) ALSO have STPD.

i have an introject of Simon Henriksson. (if you know, you know.) he doesn't handle paranoid thoughts well at all. he deleted my accounts (more than ONE sideblog!!) because he was convinced Rani was still stalking us. he kept any blogs that didn't have a mention of the area i live in.

so basically i got blackout paranoid, deleted my own account out of fear, knew i did it because the same time my blog went offline Si was online messaging his friend Josie, and realized i am some sort of genuinely insane freak that nobody likes for good reason. i didn't want to lie and say tumblr nuked me because i hate liars and i never ever tell lies, so i am explaining as best as i can even though it all sounds certifiably insane. i'd rather be an honest crazy weirdo than a lying passably-normal person. sorry this is so long i am trying to be thorough. i am also sorry for deleting my account, i have something wrong with my brain. i was not trying to freak anyone out or cause concerns or tell my mutuals i don't like them or anything like that!!! i apologize if this is worded condescendingly - not intentional, i just never know what other people know and often over explain trying to be understood - i often get tones wrong because of my mental illnesses. i am not trying to be rude, my brain just doesn't work right but i swear i'm not mean or scary or cruel i am just traumatized.

[drdemonprince]

Hey Devon,

I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of there being a hard line between "autistic" and "not autistic". Do you think that there exists some kind of innate Truth about each person, that they are either autistic or not? I guess I'm referring to the concept of a neurotype, where differences run deep, and are bridged only at a surface level, by masking/compensation. Something which, if we could measure it well enough, would clearly and unfailingly differentiate between autistic and non-autistic people.

The alternative, I suppose, is that there are grey areas, people who are in between. In that case, I struggle to understand what autism is - a category that's defined by society more than by physical reality? In that case, can you be sort-of-autistic or almost-autistic or barely-autistic? I have the sense that this is the more common situation when it comes to psychology, but it doesn't really line up with how we talk about autism.

I already went through all this with gender some years ago, and I got the answers I needed there by slowly transitioning, but I'm not sure if there's a similarly satisfying path to closure when it comes to autism. I mean, I'm both self- and formally-diagnosed anyway, but it does niggle at me. I feel like I'm in that grey area if it exists.

Keen to hear your thoughts!

I think this article about sums up my thoughts!

There is no blood test for Autism, or brain scan, or single gene we can look for, or objective measure that gives a definitive answer. All we have are flawed assessments created by non-Autistic mental health professionals, and the observations and critiques written by Autistic people themselves.

When someone comes to me wondering if they are Autistic, I always have the same advice: read writing by Autistics. Watch videos by Autistic people. Try out resources designed for Autistics, like Ear Defenders, stim toys, and weighted blankets. Join an Autistic community space, whether that’s a virtual meeting, an in-person one, or a social media hub. Explore the possibilities, and focus less on discovering objective “truth,” and more on finding what helps you feel more happy, connected, and whole.

I don’t believe in drawing an arbitrary line in the sand and saying a sufficient number of traits (or intensity of traits) makes someone categorically Autistic, especially considering that many undiagnosed Autistics have been forced to hide their more obvious traits for decades. If you have some Autistic traits but not others, it’s possible you have generalized anxiety, PTSD, OCD, social anxiety, or ADHD. Look into those disorders and their communities too. See if there are resources that are useful to you there. You can be promiscuous — we won’t get jealous. A lot of us have multiple conditions anyway. Or feel at home in multiple mental health communities, if you prefer.

As your question acknowledges, Autism is a spectrum. Or as others have written, a sundae bar with a variety of toppings. If you are somewhere on the spectrum, you’re on the spectrum; you don’t have to be the most intensely Autistic person around to count. Even if you actually have a “sister condition” like ADHD, you might still feel at home among Autistic folks, and if that’s the case, you belong too.

I have said this many times, but people need the reassurance very often: if you feel at home in the community, if you benefit from resources designed by and for Autistic people, if you recognize you share common interests with us and you want to fight alongside us for greater disability justice, you belong in the neurodiverse community. Full stop. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

You can use whatever words for yourself you feel most comfortable with, Anon, or you can just enter neurodiverse community spaces without claiming a label. You don’t owe anyone proof, and you don’t have to be “Autistic enough” to matter and belong here. We are stronger together. We’re a big, diverse rainbow, and you are welcome inside it.

In other words, I think the conclusion is very much the same one we arrive at re: queerness. The real question is never "is this individual person Autistic", it's "are all people harmed by the social mandate that we all be neurotypical" and the answer to that one is always yes. How we personally reconcile that fact wrt our own lives and how we choose to identify is up to us. we can really answer that personal question however we like.

[thescreamcorner]

Rent Lowering Gunshots Time: this is not an invitation to debate. If this shit is offputting you, block me and move on. Dont make me do it for you.

> Im anti self diagnosis, circumstantially pro self recognition. It does more harm than good and im not gonna harp on about when there can or should be exceptions. Work on finding a care team, not validation seeking online.

> anti endo, anti sysblr, sick of even DIDblrs shit. All of yall get too content in spreading misinfo in favor of "everyone is valid and unique" rhetoric and I'm frankly sick of it.

> you're not smarter than the doctors who studied and documented DID, stop acting like you are. "Doctors can be wrong too" doesnt mean you get to wipe your ass all over diagnostic terms and expect people who actually struggle with those conditions to grovel at your feet about it.

> people with psychosis, delusions, and trauma that emulates them deserve more respect in these goddamn "mental health" driven spaces than to be used as a prop to validate roleplaying and calling it the same as a disorder.

> if you're so insecure about your experiences that someone saying something about it not aligning with diagnostics will make you have an episode, you should be in therapy, not on the internet.

> I would trust a supposed "singlet" who's sharing correct info over a self proclaimed "system" just on the basis that they label themselves as "part of the in crowd" and yall need to stop treating multiplicity/plurality/whatever the fuck else like it makes you more entitled to speak than anyone else.

> "fakeclaiming" from strangers (who arent doctors no less) is not the big deal yall make it out to be and some of yall need to get the fuck over yourselves already.

> its not "alter disorder" but having alters is what separates CDDs from other dissociative/trauma disorders, are literally CAUSED by the extreme dissociation and you can't have them without the disorder. Call it something else and leave disordered people/spaces alone.

> comparing LGBT discourse and syscourse is the biggest insult to both communities I have ever seen and I hope any of yall that do it with an ounce of sincerity have your elvis moment.

[teine-mallaichte]

Hey there! Thought it was time for a new, better put together, pinned post seeing as I vaguely know how to use this website now 😝

Fandoms

I mainly write One Piece and Dragon Age (focusing on ZoSan and Fenders). Two wildly different fandom experiences, but in some ways the same ship - seems I have a thing for the enemies-to-lovers dynamic!

I'm currently playing veilguard but trying to keep my posts on that topic to my side blog @teineplaysveilguard .

Prompts

I try to take part in DADWC most  Fridays, taking prompts from here.

I'm also open to taking prompts at any time, whether from any of these prompt lists (include the full prompt and list in the ask) or just whatever prompt you feel like sending. Just send the prompt, list, and which character(s) - either fandom or OC.

Original Characters

I've been recently branching out into original characters and worlds.

My "Complex 27" universe is getting pretty large now. universe is expanding rapidly. It’s set in a dystopian and semi-apocalyptic future where an organization called “the Facility” operates multiple complexes worldwide, training, housing, and renting out living weapons. The narratives revolve around the assets/living weapons from Complex 27.

I also have my  Echoes of the Forgotten War universe which is currently on hold. It explores a fantasy world marked by a past war between humans and elves—details of which have faded from memory. Now generations later humans prosper, and the noble houses keep “conscripted elves” (descendants of prisoners from the war). However, free elves are a rare sight among humans - most having hidden themselves in self-isolated civilizations. The story follows a human mage intrigued by the lost history and an escaped conscripted elf who becomes his ally.

What I Like to Write About

Character Studies & Internal Monologues: I love digging into a character’s mind, making them face their own demons and dilemmas.

World Building: Honestly, I might enjoy building worlds more than writing the actual narrative! Though I haven’t figured out how to just share world-building alone...

Canon Divergence & What-If Scenarios: I’m a sucker for these, and recently I’ve been dipping into AUs as well.

Whump/Angst I Enjoy

Living/human weapon

Hiding injury/illness

Altered consciousness

Environmental whump

Manipulation

Gilded cage

Psychological whump

Whumperless whump

Conditioned whumpee

What I Don’t Write

Smut: I’ve tried, but it’s not my thing. Maybe one day, but don’t hold your breath!

Fluff & Comfort: Not my strong suit, but I try occasionally.

About Me

Day Job

I’m a personal trainer and run coach, specializing in marathon runners.

Peer Support Worker

I work with people who’ve experienced self-harm and eating disorders. I’ve also worked with people affected by abuse, psychosis, PTSD, and dissociation.

Education

I have a bio-med degree (physiology & neuroscience) and started graduate medicine aiming to become a doctor. Unfortunately, I had to drop out at 22 due to mental illness. Since then, I trained as a teacher (post-16, teaching maths and pharmacology), but long story short, I was shit at teaching.

I’m now studying forensic psychology.

Martial Arts

I’ve practiced kendo since 2008, HEMA since 2023, and aikido since 2024.

Mental Health

I have schizoaffective disorder, so I go through periods of psychosis, mania, and depression. Even when stable, I experience auditory hallucinations—my main voice is Nigel, who’s basically my annoying roommate. But when less stable I experience grandiose delusions, visual hallucinations, disorganised speech, and paranoia amongst other symptoms.

I am also in recovery from both self-harm and bulimia, aswell as having experience of dissociation, anxiety, and PTSD.

I’m really open about my mental health; I’ve written blogs for charities and give talks locally. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Neurodivergence

I'm also autistic and ADHD—not mental illness but felt worth mentioning.

Writing & Mental Health

I often weave my own mental health experiences into my writing—it’s that whole “write what you know” thing. After having to drop out of med school due to my illness, I’m now studying psychology as a mature student. So, in a way, mental health is “all I know.” 😅

Commonly used tags:

Tagged whump fics

Tagged Dragon Age fics

Tagged Complex 27 fics

Tagged Echoes of the forgotten war fics

My drawings

My attempt at writing guides on different symptoms for writers reference:

Let's talk hallucinations in whump/general fiction.

Expanding our use of dilirium within the whump community

[cdd-media-share]

Beaver County Times - 'Study Indicates Multiple Personalities Can Be Fused', May 22, 1985.

By Malcolm Ritter

AP Science Writer

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

DISCLAIMER:

The things in this article might not reflect current-day understandings of DID.

I am simply sharing this for archival purposes, and to generally share some old, neat things related to CDDs. I'm just sharing for fun and out of interest.

THIS IS NOT AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE!

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

DALLAS - Once the human mind has split into multiple personalities - as in the celebrated cases of Eve and Sybil - it can take years to fuse them, but the prognosis is good, a study suggests.

Patients have an excellent chance of keeping just one personality "if they hang in there" with treatment, said Dr. Richard Kluft, a Philadelphia psychiatrist who has treated more than 120 such patients.

At the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Kluft presented Tuesday a study of 52 of his patients whose personalities had appeared fused for at least 27 months.

The 14 males had averaged eight personalities apiece and the 38 women 18, he said. One woman had 110.

When evaluated 27 to 99 months after the personalities merged, only three patients showed multiple personalities, and eight others showed a related condition. Nine of these 11 in relapse reintegrated their personalities quickly.

Thirteen patients showed no related problems five years later and three months after fusion, showing that long-term stability is feasible, he said.

Kluft stressed that his study was limited and should be interpreted cautiously, but he said it suggests a good prognosis for patients who stay in long-term psychotherapy.

Psychiatrists trace "multiple personality disorder" to childhood trauma, like serious abuse or neglect. The child essentially tries to survive psychologically "by dividing the mind such a way that part of the mind believes it's not experiencing this terrible abuse," Kluft said in an interview.

The process can continue with repeated abuse, as "an ongoing way of placing pain at a distance," Kluft said. Each new personality gets memories and emotions of its own, and can take over the body.

Research shows the average number of personalities tops 13, Kluft said. Among the more famous cases are Eve, with 22, and Sybil, with 16.

Usually the victim seeks treatment because of problems like anxiety, depression, or amnesia, Kluft said. One study found it took an average of 6.8 years after a patient's first mental health assessment for multiple personalities to be discovered, he said.

Kluft found the condition in one of his patients when, after four years of treatment for another condition, the patient suddenly declared "you can analyze her, but I'm leaving."

Thousands of cases may be in therapy now around the world, Kluft said, but he noted some professionals believe the diagnosis is being applied to people who don't really have the disorder.

He said his treatment focuses on letting the patient's personalities realize, as they start sharing memories and thoughts, that "it would be more advantangeous to function as one."

New personalities are often uncovered in treatment, and "as soon as I know about them I try to meet them," he said. He asks "as many personalities as are willing to listen, to listen" during therapy, he said. The shared experience helps erode the barriers that separate them, he said.

A therapist who wants to treat a multiple personality patient "has to be psychologically ready to spend six years with that patient [in] careful, gradual therapy," although it usually takes much less time, he said.

Average treatment lengths in his study range from about five months for six patients who had three personalities, to five years for one patient with 20 personalities.

Kluft, who uses rosters to keep track of the personalities within most of his patients, said the personalities all must be dealt with.

"You can't leave anyone in the wings," he said. "You have to deal with the whole cast of characters."