#epilepsy can be scary

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

The Scary Thing About Being Autistic

Neurodivergent Lou

[kylejsugarman]

i think something people genuinely don't know and don't think about when epileptics and their advocates make a big deal about there being explicit seizure precautions in place for things (warnings before films/commercials with strobing lights, widespread seizure first-aid, etc.) is that there's a medical phenomenon known as "sudden unexpected death in epilepsy" where epileptics, particularly younger ones, are significantly more likely to die unexpectedly and as a result of seizures than the general population (u might remember this is how disney channel star cameron boyce died). we don't know a ton about it yet in terms of its pathophysiology, but we do know it's linked to increased frequency of tonic-clonic seizures, not being able to adhere to medication regimens/being consistently exposed to triggers, and lacking first-aid/nighttime care. seizures are of course acutely hazardous in that there's a high potential for injuring oneself or even killing oneself when one occurs, but there's a chronic, lifelong, genuinely terrifying threat of sudden death that gets compounded with each seizure and threat to treatment of those seizures. epileptics legitimately cannot afford in any way to have seizures and living in a world that offers zero protection from triggers is not just an annoyance or a hassle, it's a literal death sentence.

[neurotichunter]

My cat was just diagnosed with epilepsy (on top of having a heart condition) and I just can't.

[otamotone-dnp]

idk if I’ve ever said this on here before but I have epilepsy (haven’t had a tonic clonic seizure since I was 16, knock on wood) but a couple of times a year when I don’t get enough sleep or I’m stressed I will feel really “seizurey” for lack of a better word, I can feel the electrical energy in my brain and I get this awful feeling of impending doom. yeah feeling that today :(

[downsteepy]

if i may speak about my epilepsy out of nowhere for a moment . i rarely see other epileptics or just people in general talk about how like.. frankly just fucking annoying it is wrt the concept of driving. you have seizure. you are recommended to not drive for at least 6 months. this is worse if you're someone that has seizures everyday or every other day. im in seizure jail i cant drive right now even if i wanted to. why is my brain taking a part of my independence away

[rise-my-angel]

.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Torn V

Kewis x Child!Reader

Summary: You go to the doctor

Usually, when you go to the doctor, it's because Mom has to have another checkup on her knee.

Lately though, it's because of you.

You go to the GP and then you go to another doctor and then another one.

Mom and Mommy are worried about you but you don't know why. They speak in hushed tones together and always make sure to squeeze you extra tight during bed time cuddles.

You don't understand what's going on, even as you're taken to the special doctor and have sticky things stuck to your head.

Mommy says that it's to check you're healthy. You don't know why you have to be checked like this all of a sudden but it's not too bad.

Mom had surgery before. That's scary.

Having weird things stuck to your head isn't scary, not really so you force yourself to be brave.

You get to hold your favourite dino toy nice and tight as you look up at flashing lights and the nurses set you up for the rest of your tests.

Things are weird but you must be brave like how Mommy was brave to move across the world to be with Mom and how Mom was brave when she had her knee surgery.

You have to be brave because Mom and Mommy are brave all the time and you don't want them to see you scared.

You go for more appointments too, to get your blood drawn and to be checked over.

Then, it's a round of waiting.

Mom and Mommy don't tell you what's going on, not really, but they hold you more often.

You're sitting in the doctor's office again when your moms get told the results.

Kristie's been anxious all morning, knee bouncing as the doctor pulls up your file.

Any number of things could be wrong with you.

She'd doom scrolled through google last night, reading about cancer and tumours for so long that Sam had to take her phone from her and hold her as she cried.

You'd never been sick like this before. Sure, you'd had the flu and a tummy bug before but your random zone outs are nothing like that.

Kristie doesn't know how long you've been having them, doesn't know how long they've been ignored for. She doesn't know if they're going to get worse or if you've already hit the worst of them.

She takes Sam's hand tightly in her own, eyes darting down to the floor where you're amusing yourself playing with your dinosaur toys.

"Alright and this is for the little one, right?"

Kristie nods.

"Can you confirm her name?"

"y/n Mewis-Kerr."

"And birthdate?"

Kristie answers easily and squeezes Sam's hand.

"Right." The doctor types in a few more things before swinging his chair around to face them.

"Is she okay?"

"That depends on what your idea of okay is. We can make a diagnosis after seeing the results of her tests."

"And?" Sam asks, getting a bit impatient with this man trying to delay telling them.

He reaches across the desk to grab a pamphlet, offering it up to them.

"We're very confident that Miss y/n has CAE. Childhood Absence Epilepsy."

"Epilepsy," Sam repeats," She's been having seizures?"

The doctor nods. "Now, there's not much to worry about at this stage." He opens the leaflet and points to a section. "The type of seizure she's been having are absence seizures. These are normal enough and aren't as dangerous as others."

"So...So she'll be okay?"

The doctor purses his lips. "Most kids grow out of it by the time they're teenagers but..."

Kristie sighs. "Some don't."

"There is a chance that she'll develop a different type of epilepsy as she grows up."

"That's it?" Sam scoffs, something unfamiliar swelling in her chest. "Oh, your kid has epilepsy! Here you go?!"

"Sam!" Kristie hisses.

"Mom?"

The room falls silent as you twist around to look at Sam, broken out of your play by her loud voice.

"Are you okay?"

Sam looks at you, mouth hung open for a moment before she opens her arms up for you.

You go to her willingly, letting her lift you up onto her lap.

"We're talking to the doctor about you, chook," Kristie says," He's going to help you get better."

"But I'm not sick," You tell her," Am I sick, Mommy?"

Kristie shakes her head. "No, chook and we're going to keep you that way. Let's just listen to what the doctor has to say."

The doctor clears his throat. "From what I've seen and what you've told me, I'm going to recommend some medicine to keep her seizures under control. I'll send off the prescription in a moment and the pharmacy will call you when it's ready. All the dosages and instructions are on the bottle."

Kristie nods as Sam holds you tighter than before.

"We'll schedule another appointment in a month so we can check how she's doing on her new medication and we'll adjust as needed. She'll also need to be seen by her neurologist at least once a year just to check on how she's doing."

"And...And if she does develop a different type of epilepsy?" Sam asks tentatively.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

[wlwsoccerfics]

Caught by Surprise(VicPelovaXCatleyReader)

A/N: this Is just my own experience with it. Can look different for someone else.

Warnings: seizures(epilepsy)

Summary: after being seizure free for years they are back & your girlfriend is really concerned.

You are on the trainings pitch with your team. That included your girlfriend Vic. You were doing drills.

It was no secret that you enjoyed drills and that you were competitive. So when you stopped in the middle of the dribbling challenge everyone was confused & some even concerend. You were smacking your lips together repeatingly. Your sister Steph was the first one to react. Running over to you. Just holding you in place. Which raised even more confusion. All of sudden your girlfriend was by your side as well. It took around a Minute before you looked at Steph and then at Vic.

"you okay Babe?" Vic asked. Steph rubbed your back gently.

"y-yeah!" You answered.

"what happened?" Katie asked.

"seizure." You admitted.

"she used to have them when she was younger!but they stopped around 6 years ago." Your sister explained.

"i was diagnosed with epilepsy when i was 8 years old." You told them.

"why didn't you tell anyone on the Team?" Lia wanted to know.

"cause i don't have them anymore! The seizures i mean! I didn't want to anyone to think i was broken!" You explained.

"we don't think you are broken. we just want to know what to do in case something happens!" Caitlin told you.

"okay let's give y/n a few minutes to rest. We can talk about this later! Vic if you want to go inside with her feel free to do so!" Renée told your girlfriend.

"yes. Babe let's get inside and sit down for a bit. Maybe have something to eat!" Vic answered.

"i am fine really." You replied but still went inside with her.

You sat in the Lunch break room with her. In fact you sat in her lap. Cuddled up to her while sipping on a bottle of water.

"are you sure you are okay?" your girlfriend asked you, holding you close. You smiled at her.

"i am. It's a weird feeling afterwards, that i almost forgot about cause it has been such a long time!" You admitted.

"is there anything i can do when this happens again?" Vic asked. You played with her fingers gently.

"Just what Steph did. Hold me and be there for me when it's this kind of seizure." You explained. Telling her about different kind of seizures and what to do If one of them is ever gonna show up.

"that sounds scary, not gonna lie! But i will always be there for you. Because i love you so very much!" She told you. You pecked her lips.

"Love you too Babe!" You replied. "Thank you for caring so much! I will have a talk with my doctor about it just in case and i would like if you would come with me." You let her know.

"whenever you need me i will be there! Always and forever!" Vic whispered out, holding you close.

[estellan0vella]

Dr Yuji Older Brother Sukuna AU HFBU

You smooth out your clothes nervously, standing outside Sukuna's apartment door. This is a big step, meeting his little brother Yuji for the first time. Sukuna has talked about Yuji often, and you know how important he is to him. The sound of the lock turning snaps you out of your thoughts, and the door swings open to reveal Sukuna's imposing figure.

"Hey," he says, his deep voice softer than usual. "Come on in."

You step inside, feeling a bit more at ease when Sukuna gives you a reassuring smile. The apartment is cosy and welcoming, a stark contrast to Sukuna's often gruff exterior. You can hear the sound of a cartoon playing in the background and the pitter-patter of little feet.

"Suku!" a high-pitched voice calls out, and a small blur rushes towards you. Yuji, a bright-eyed four-year-old, skids to a stop in front of you, looking up with wide, curious eyes. "Hi! I'm Yuji!"

You crouch down to his level, smiling warmly. "Hi, Yuji. I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you."

Yuji grins, his excitement contagious. "Do you like dinosaurs? I have lots of dinosaur toys!"

"I love dinosaurs," you reply, and his face lights up even more.

"Come see! Come see!" he urges, tugging at your hand.

"Alright, alright, slow down," Sukuna interjects, his tone firm but fond. "Give Y/N a chance to breathe."

Yuji giggles and runs back to his toys, giving you a chance to stand up. Sukuna places a hand on the small of your back, guiding you further into the apartment.

"He's really excited to meet you," Sukuna says softly.

"I'm excited to meet him too," you reply, feeling some of your nerves dissipate.

The three of you settle in the living room, with Yuji eagerly showing off his dinosaur collection. You laugh and play along, enjoying the warmth and joy in the room. Sukuna watches, his usual stern expression softened as he sees you and Yuji getting along.

After a while, you start to feel a bit off. The familiar sensation of an impending seizure begins to creep in. You try to catch Sukuna's eye, but he's engrossed in a conversation with Yuji about the different types of dinosaurs.

"Sukuna," you manage to say, your voice shaky.

He looks over immediately, his eyes sharp with concern. He knows the signs. He quickly excuses himself from Yuji and moves to your side.

"Hey, it's okay. I've got you," he murmurs, his hand firm and steady on your shoulder.

Yuji looks confused, sensing the shift in the room's atmosphere. "What's wrong with Y/N?"

"Y/N just needs a little rest," Sukuna explains, keeping his voice calm for Yuji's sake. "Let's give her some space, alright?"

You feel the seizure coming on stronger now. Sukuna helps you lie down on the couch, ensuring you're safe and comfortable. He keeps a protective watch over you, his expression a mix of worry and determination.

Yuji stands nearby, clutching his favourite dinosaur toy. "Is Y/N gonna be okay?"

"Yes, she will be," Sukuna assures him. "Just stay calm and quiet for a bit, okay, buddy?"

Yuji nods solemnly, his eyes wide as he watches you. The seizure doesn't last long, but it's exhausting. When it's over, you feel disoriented and tired, but Sukuna is right there, his presence grounding you.

"It's okay," he whispers, brushing a strand of hair from your face. "Just rest now."

You close your eyes, the exhaustion pulling you into a deep sleep. Sukuna stays by your side, his hand never leaving yours. Yuji watches quietly, his little face full of concern.

After a while, Sukuna moves to sit next to Yuji, who immediately climbs into his lap. "Is Y/N gonna be okay, Suku?" he asks again, his voice small.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine," Sukuna replies, his tone gentle. "Y/N has something called epilepsy. Sometimes it makes her have seizures like that. It's scary, but we know how to help her."

"Can I help too?" Yuji asks, his determination mirroring Sukuna's.

"You did great by staying calm," Sukuna says, ruffling Yuji's hair. "That's a big help. And you know what else? When Y/N wakes up, she might need some cheering up. Think you can handle that?"

Yuji nods vigorously. "I can do that!"

Sukuna chuckles, the sound rare but genuine. "I know you can, little man."

You sleep peacefully, comforted by the sounds of Sukuna and Yuji's quiet conversation. When you finally start to wake up, the first thing you see is Yuji's concerned face inches from yours.

"Y/N!" he exclaims, his voice a mix of relief and excitement. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm feeling much better, Yuji," you assure him, your voice still a bit weak. "Thank you for being so brave."

Yuji beams and runs off, returning quickly with his toy doctor's kit. "I wanna give you a check-up, to make sure you're really okay!"

Sukuna can't help but laugh at Yuji's earnestness, and you join in, the sound easing the last of the tension from the room.

"Alright, Dr. Yuji," you say, smiling. "What do I need to do?"

"Just sit still," Yuji instructs, mimicking the serious tone of a real doctor. He pulls out a plastic stethoscope and places it against your chest. "Breathe in and out."

You follow his instructions, and Sukuna watches with a soft smile as Yuji goes through his whole routine, checking your reflexes by tapping something against your forehead and even pretending to give you a shot.

"You're all better now!" Yuji declares proudly.

"Thank you, Dr. Yuji," you say, ruffling his hair. "I feel much better after your check-up."

Yuji grins and sits back, clearly pleased with himself. Sukuna pulls you closer, his arm around your shoulders.

"See? I told you he'd love you," Sukuna murmurs, his eyes full of affection.

"You were right," you reply, leaning into him.

Yuji climbs into your lap, snuggling close. "Are you gonna stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to," you say, looking at Sukuna. He nods, his expression warm and inviting.

As the evening progresses, you find yourself more and more at home in Sukuna and Yuji's apartment. Dinner is a simple affair, filled with laughter and conversation. Yuji chatters away, delighted to have you there, and Sukuna watches you both with a contented smile.

Later, after Yuji has fallen asleep in your lap, Sukuna gently carries him to bed. You follow, watching as he tucks his little brother in with a tenderness that belies his tough exterior.

"You two looked pretty cosy," Sukuna remarks as he closes Yuji's door.

"He's a sweet kid," you reply, smiling. "You're doing a great job with him."

"Thanks," Sukuna says, his voice gruff but appreciative. "Means a lot coming from you."

You reach out, taking his hand. "I'm really glad I came over today."

"Me too," he says, pulling you close. "And about earlier... I know it's tough. But I'm here for you. Always."

You nod, feeling a swell of emotion. "Thank you, Sukuna. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Good thing you don't have to find out," he replies, kissing the top of your head.

As you stand there, wrapped in Sukuna's arms, you feel a deep sense of belonging. The apartment, once an unfamiliar space, now feels like a place where you can truly be yourself, supported and cared for by the people who matter most.

The night passes peacefully, and you wake up the next morning to the smell of breakfast wafting through the apartment. You stretch and make your way to the kitchen, where you find Sukuna at the stove, flipping pancakes, while Yuji sits at the table, coloring a picture.

"Good morning," you greet them, your voice still a bit groggy.

"Morning," Sukuna replies, his tone softening when he sees you. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah, much better," you assure him, touched by his concern.

"Y/N!" Yuji calls out, holding up his drawing. "Look! I made this for you!"

You walk over to see his masterpiece—a colorful depiction of the three of you, complete with smiling faces and a big, yellow sun. "This is amazing, Yuji. Thank you!"

He beams with pride. "I'm glad you like it!"

Sukuna plates the pancakes and brings them to the table. "Alright, let's eat before these get cold."

You all sit down together, enjoying a leisurely breakfast. The conversation is light and easy, filled with laughter and Yuji's endless stream of stories. Sukuna watches you both with a satisfied smile, clearly content with how well you and Yuji have bonded.

After breakfast, Yuji insists on showing you his favorite park. Sukuna agrees, and the three of you head out, the morning sun bright and warm. The park is a short walk away, and soon Yuji is racing ahead, his laughter echoing through the air.

"You sure you're up for this?" Sukuna asks, his eyes scanning you for any signs of fatigue.

"I'm fine," you reassure him, touched by his vigilance. "Really. Let's just enjoy the day."

He nods, his hand finding yours as you walk. "Alright. But let me know if you need a break."

At the park, Yuji immediately heads for the playground, his energy boundless. You and Sukuna sit on a nearby bench, watching him with fond smiles.

"He's really something," you remark, your heart swelling with affection for the little boy.

"Yeah, he is," Sukuna agrees, his gaze fixed on Yuji. "He's my world."

"And you're his," you add softly, squeezing his hand. "You're an amazing guardian, Sukuna."

He looks at you, his expression serious. "I try. But it helps having you around. You make things better."

"I'm glad," you say, leaning your head on his shoulder.

You spend the rest of the morning at the park, playing with Yuji and soaking in the joy of the simple moments. When it's time to head back, Yuji reluctantly leaves the playground, but not before making you promise to come back again soon.

Back at the apartment, you all settle in for some quiet time. Yuji takes a nap, exhausted from his morning adventures, and you and Sukuna find yourselves on the couch, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

"Thank you for today," you say, looking up at Sukuna. "For everything."

He pulls you closer, his arm around your shoulders. "No, thank you. For being here. For being you."

You smile, feeling a warmth spread through you. "I love you, Sukuna."

"I love you too," he replies, his voice deep and sincere.

As the afternoon sun filters through the windows, casting a golden glow over the room, you realize that this is where you belong. With Sukuna and Yuji, in this little corner of the world you've carved out together. It's not always easy, but it's real, and it's yours.

[macgyvermedical]

Are the posts and you normalizing hallucinations or saying/ trying to say that it's okay to have them it doesn't make anyone abnormal.

Would you say that it's best to get any hallucinations checked out

Or normalize having them and just live with them.

Where is one supposed to draw a line for when it is normal or not to have hallucinations.

Isn't acceptance different than sweeping it under the rug as normal.

PS I mean no offense, just that i know of people who did not seek help early on considering hallucinations to be normal.

Hi!

So, there’s always a fine line one walks when talking about stigmatized mental illness.

For one thing, you want to be like: “hey! You’ve had these symptoms too! Lots of people do! They don’t make us scary to be around!” For the people who might be afraid of the illness because of what they see on TV and how secretive most of us need to be IRL about it.

For another, you want to be like: “hey, I take 4 medications to control these symptoms because I don’t like them! They’re a part of who I am, they’re a natural part of life, but also they’ve caused me problems and I couldn’t work or have good relationships if I didn’t take the meds and go to the appointments!” For the acceptance piece when talking to other people who might experience psychosis symptoms.

And still another: “mental health symptoms like hallucinations are sometimes associated with things like epilepsy and brain tumors, and really you need to rule those out before you can make a firm diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychosis, because the treatment is different.” Because that’s also true.

And it’s really hard to encapsulate all of those into a single post without a lot of parentheses and caveats. Being an educational blog, I tend a little hard on the “hey don’t be afraid, look at this thing you’ve experienced and scale it up. Does that make you dangerous? Scary? Probably not. Doesn’t make me that way either.”

But it is good to keep in mind that the other 2 approaches exist and are important for a balanced view on the topic.

[max1461]

Can someone please explain what's happening to me? It's terrifying and I don't understand at all. It's so weird and I can't convey the symptoms properly. There's probably(?) some kind of nerve or motor component, or something, it's like half my face is missing, or fucked up, or something. And all my thoughts and emotions are wrong. And my memories are fucked up. I can't imagine other people's faces, I can't see them in memories. There's some "mental block" fucking with my thoughts and emotions, and it feels like it has an actual shape, a 3d shape, that's always the same, blocking my thoughts, but sometimes I perceive it in different places on my body? My taste and smell are fucked up. I feel like I can't calm down and when I start to calm down I get weird effects, I start gagging, partial-vomiting (vomit doesn't come all the way up), yawning a ton. Sometimes my uh, like the bottom of my throat suddenly sucks in? Like by my clavicle, that little indent in your throat? It like sucks inward intensely for no reason. Uh. This stuff tends to happen when I "start to calm down", and then I don't calm down. Weird pains in specific places on my back. Feel like I haven't slept since this started, having weird disturbing dreams all night and it feels like I'm not even sleeping. But I'm sleeping for 12 hours every night.

Anti-seizure meds have done nothing, don't even think these are seizures to be honest anymore. I mean it's all day, the weird mental block and fucked up thinking is all day every day, with no up and down or anything like you'd expect from a seizure. I can't calm down. Feels like one side of my body (right?) can't calm down, while the other can. I feel it in the back of my throat, all the time, uh, like a weird tingle or something on the right side that needs to pass for me to calm down and go back to normal, but it won't pass. I can't control my face properly. I can't make the expressions I want to make, my face isn't quite following my orders. My eyes ache all the time. I'm scared, I don't know what's happening and it's CONSTANT.

I'm been to a neurologist. He said it's focal epilepsy but like I said the meds aren't doing shit. I've had an MRI and nothing abnormal. Feels like I'm missing something, normal sensation in my face? Can't fucking think right. Teeth fucking hurt, feels like my face is frozen in a weird position even though it isn't. I don't know what's happening at all and it's scary.

Is it in my nerves, my brain, my body? What is happening. I haven't even really explained it here. I'm so scared.

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for systems who hallucinate!

Experiencing psychosis can be scary, alienating, confusing, and isolating, but for many systems, this is a fact of life! Systems who hallucinate are cherished, beloved, and valued members of the plural community, and they belong in our spaces just as much as anyone else! This post goes out to all the systems who hallucinate out there!

💜 Shoutout to systems who are hallucigenic, psychogenic, schizogenic, or whose plurality was caused by their hallucinations in some way!

💙 Shoutout to systems who experience hallucinations that mainly affect their senses taste, smell, and touch!

💚 Shoutout to systems who struggle to determine whether the voices they hear and figures they see are hallucinations, fellow headmates, or something else!

💛 Shoutout to systems whose hallucinations are often paired with delusions!

🧡 Shoutout to traumagenic systems who struggle with trauma-based psychosis!

❤️ Shoutout to systems with hallucinations caused by Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, lasting effects from drug use, or anything else!

💗 Shoutout to systems whose hallucinations have made it more difficult for them to access the care they need or be taken seriously by guardians and healthcare professionals!

❤️ Shoutout to systems who are troubled and distressed, totally indifferent, or comforted and cheered by their hallucinations!

🧡 Shoutout to systems who often deal with denial or a fear of faking because of their hallucinations!

💛 Shoutout to systems who have been hospitalized, voluntarily or involuntarily, or who have been called “dangerous” or “scary” by others due to their hallucinations!

💚 Shoutout to systems whose experience with hallucinations aligns with many stereotypes regarding hallucinations, and to systems whose hallucinations are nothing like the common stereotypes accepted by society!

💙 Shoutout to systems who take medications, are in therapy, or otherwise are seeking treatment to help manage their hallucinations!

💜 Shoutout to headmates who are symptom holders for psychosis or who are the only members of their system who hallucinate!

For any system who hallucinates, for any reason, we want to remind you that you are loved and you belong in the plural community just the way you are! Having hallucinations doesn’t make you any less valid as a person or as a system. We love you, we value your insight, and we want you to know that your presence is wanted in our spaces and your experiences are absolutely worth sharing!

We believe that every person’s understanding of reality is deeply personal and subject to their own perception and lived experiences. Regardless of how you and your system view your hallucinations, know that your voice deserves to be heard and you deserve to be taken seriously and treated with kindness and respect! We truly hope that you can find acceptance and joy among the people in your life, and that your future will be filled with happiness, purpose, and meaning. Thanks so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!

[wheelingwithgrace]

Might of just lost my job.

The stigma around Epilepsy and Seizures in general in the workplace is disheartening. I understand that it’s scary not only for me (or another person seizing) but also the person witnessing it. But we are treated with such fragility and such fear.

Specifically in the workplace my biggest experience is despite educating my coworkers and managers, they still aren’t prepared for when it actually happens so it freaks them out and brings out fear within them. The second issue is that we (epileptic and seizure disorder community as a whole) are seen as such a huge liability risk.

I can work, I am fully capable of working the job that I have. They do not let me return back after having one until I have clearance (despite this being a chronic condition that I have) in fear of them being liable. I was briefly fired mistakenly (in the sense that they had no choice but to rehire me because I could have sued them if they didn’t). My question is how can they be liable for something that isn’t their fault? For a medical condition, how are they liable?

Perks of being disabled /s

[glitchdollmemoria]

do people who disregard photosensitivity realize that seizures can fucking kill or do they just not care. do people not realize that their "aesthetic" "cool" flashing lights that happen without SUFFICIENT warning... are fucking capable of killing people. i dont even care if i sound pissy right now because i am pissy, im sick of feeling like myself and others with epilepsy arent even afforded the right to be an afterthought to most people. im not even photosensitive but ffs this shit makes me so angry.

seizures themselves can be deadly if they go on too long, theyre essentially electrical overloads in the brain, you know, that organ that controls the entire rest of the body? and seizures can result in injuries or death from falls. from choking on our own vomit. from drowning in our own bathtubs, if we think we might be safe to bathe and then get proven wrong. maybe someone just wanted to watch a video or movie while they took a spa day.

did you know that epileptics are more likely to die younger than those without epilepsy, with all those risks and more? and have you heard of SUDEP? sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, death without a known cause, a rare but very real possibility for us. it kills approximately 1 in 1000 epileptics a year, if not more since it may not be accurately tracked. thats thousands of us dead a year. we do not need you to add to our death rates.

"all these things are known risks, epileptics just have to be more careful-" epileptic people should not have to be on constant fucking high alert. how about instead, people just learn to give a shit about life threatening disabilities? it takes so little effort to just offer a CLEAR and VERY OBVIOUS warning AHEAD OF TIME, for a SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME, before your stupid flashing lights. or just dont add them at all. are they necessary? are they really necessary? would you really fucking rather photosensitive epileptics have to be constantly on guard, IMPOSSIBLY on guard, rather than you just considering their safety? nobody can anticipate every instance of unexpected flashing lights they might come across. but you, creators, are able to provide warnings, and if for any reason you arent, then hire someone else to edit the warnings in or just get rid of the fucking lights altogether.

again, my epilepsy is not photosensitive, but i will never stop being protective of my photosensitive siblings. my own life is scary enough with the form of epilepsy i have, i cannot imagine how terrifying it must be to have to maneuver through the world with photosensitivity, and i dont want careless assholes to go killing my fucking community because you dont give enough of a shit to worry epileptic people. i am pissed off and emotionally exhausted and the shit with elon musk having a flashing gif on his twitter account was the straw that broke my back today so youre getting a pissed off PSA. everyone better start doing a whole damn lot better.

link to the CDC page about SUDEP

link to the epilepsy foundation site page about seizure risks

people without epilepsy are encouraged to reblog but know that i am already angry and will not tolerate bullshit on this post. give a fuck about other peoples lives and safety or im blocking you.

[cripplecharacters]

I know that mysticizing disability by way of something like dwarves is bad, but what if all of the members of a fantasy race have a feature that humans consider a disability, but humans also have the disability? The story I'm writing has a few characters from Wonderland and I was going to have all members of that homonid species, Wonderlandians, who are very different from Homo sapiens, be autistic by human standards but completely average by the standards for their species. There are also human autistic characters. Is that still mysticizing disability?

Hey!

I think that's fine. If there are humans with the same disability it should be all good; the main issue I see with the "fantasy people have XYZ disability" is that they make being disabled into being a whole different species, which is not how it works and is fundamentally dehumanizing. But if there's just a species that happens to have more of something while humans also do, then that's cool I think.

With them being specifically autistic, you have a ton of possibilities for both worldbuilding and wide range of characters. Autism is a huge spectrum and it would be great to feature all types of autistic characters; nonverbal, intellectually disabled, late diagnosed, requiring major support in day-to-day life, having comorbidities that a lot of autistic people also have (cerebral palsy, dyspraxia, ADHD, epilepsy...). You can also think of how an all-autistic society would differ from one that's made primarily for neurotypical people, from architectural choices or education to just how communication/language would be structured. There are a lot of fun things you can think about.

Also while I don't see any issue with the example you have here, in general try to be conscious what kind of disability you would be associating with a fantasy race, e.g. some could lead to boring stereotypes, or to harmful associations (especially if it'd be a monster or "scary" race).

I hope this helps,

mod Sasza

[enbyzombies2]

alright. ableism 101 for gravity falls fans. because we can't ignore it a second longer.

"Ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against physically or mentally disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as they are defined by their disabilities and it also classifies disabled people as people who are inferior to non-disabled people."

^ we are including mental illness under the category of disabled for the purposes of this post, as so many of you can't imagine a guy with ptsd being a person

disability is not worse than death. some people may view it that way for themselves, but you have no right to say it about another person, especially if you are abled. so don't even think about it. disabled life has value, period, full stop. stop calling people with serious brain damage vegetables, empty shells, etc. They have value just by being alive and disabled even if a machine breathes for them and they need 24/7 care

^ yes, some family members and people close to a disabled person will think this way, think that they're being compassionate for "not wanting them to live this way", but again, it is not really their place to have an opinion. they can have emotions about the situation but do not place those on the disabled person, who is likely having loads more complicated emotions than they are. the disabled person's life is just as important as theirs for not being diabled.

do some research before writing about a specific symptom or condition. too many fics about ford having seizures that clearly have no idea what happens after a seizure, let alone the first one a person has had (or at least one so bad it was recognized as such by themselves and the people around them). you don't get diagnosed with epilepsy because an ED doctor who doesn't specialize in this kind of thing looked at you after one seizure and said "yeap, probably". you get an eeg and a seizure study and trial run of various medications (that you cannot just go off of without serious consequences) and a whole lot more. this is a single specific example, but generally speaking, take some time out of your day to read up on what people actually experience and how it affects them. you might actually gain some compassion for them that way (/bitter)

polydactyly is a limb difference that, yes, people are discriminated against for, socially and professionally. it's not inherently considered a disability, but it can be one depending on a lot of factors. what i'm saying is, be normal about ford or i'll kill you.

be normal about autistic ppl. stop writing them as all the same person with the same symptoms regardless of what the character actually does in canon

be normal about ppl w (c)ptsd. their flashbacks do not make them "feral", even if they become violent and uncommunicative during them, and they are allowed to have emotions about the things that happened to them without someone else butting in to tell them how to feel.

be normal about ppl w personality disorders too. you can hc ford with npd all you want, that's cool, but for the love of god, think about who your audience is and what they will take away from you attempting to say that ford is a horrible person who *happens* to have npd.

be normal about ppl w psychosis. hi. formerly psychotic person here. we are not insane or crazy or deserve to be locked up for our experiences. we are rarely violent towards other people and are more likely to hurt ourselves, or be hurt by other people who are not psychotic. our symptoms might seem scary to you, but We are not scary.

TAKE. ABUSE. SERIOUSLY. that's the entire bullet point.

take a character's experiences seriously, because all of them have happened to a real life person out there. "haha stan did sex work for drugs isn't that so funny" no, because i know people who did the same, and it was not funny in the slightest. "haha ford was abused by a loser who can't even tie his own shoes" i can't tie my own shoes due to dexterity problems stemming from autism and muscle weakness, and i was also abused by a loser (aka. every abuser out there) so how do you think i feel hearing you say that. enjoy your lol toxic yaoi but maybe consider real survivors before you go around talking about how stupid ford is for (checks notes) being manipulated and gaslit?

i hate bill, but i am also a survivor of medical neglect and psychiatric hospitalization, and i can understand that bill being sent to "haha grippy sock jail" is not funny. it is horrible and it is disgusting to joke about how he's being medically abused as if nobody actually experiences that. yes, he is a horrible person, but not even abusers deserve abuse. nobody does, that's the whole point. nobody is obligated to forgive an abuser, but nobody should be subject to systemic violence that will go ignored because they did bad things so obviously they deserve it.

don't fucking use slurs. didn't think we had to spell that one out for you.

ok? ok.