History of Bad Parties
Recommended posts about mental health issues, management & recovery from depression, anxiety, and other mental issues in relation the autism spectrum.
A new paper threatens to turn the world of autism neuroscience upside down. Its title is Anatomical Abnormalities in Autism? , and it claims that, well, there aren't very many. Published in Cerebral Cortex by Israeli researchers Shlomi Haar and colleagues, the new research reports that there are virtually no differences in brain anatomy between people with autism and those without.
M Kelter's series about specific ways that Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers and depression can intertwine.
I've decided that today I'm going to talk about something in "Thinking in Pictures" that I found SUPER validating and cool. But first, I'm going to tell a couple of stories about things that really frustrated me. [...]
Well anyway, again before I got my diagnosis, I was participating in an online discussion about triggers and dealing with triggers. The talk was revolving completely around triggers that come from trauma, so I asked if talking about other sorts of triggers was welcome. Instead of being told yes or no (either of which would have been acceptable), I was faced with disbelief that such a thing could exist.
Last year, I discovered Asperger's syndrome and emotional regulation were connected. For many on the autism spectrum, emotions come in three flavors: happy, depressed, and anxious. Typical people detect a broad, nuanced range of emotion, whereas some autistic individuals possess emotional dials that click on grooves set at too happy, too anxious, or too depressed.
My altered books and art journals are an homage to anxiety. Anxiety fuels my artwork. It fuels my writing. My inner tension is unbearable without artistic release. Singing and walking in circles help, but I am happier creating. I accept that this is who I am and how I am.
SOMETHING WAS WRONG with Kai Markram. At five days old, he seemed like an unusually alert baby, picking his head up and looking around long before his sisters had done. By the time he could walk, he was always in motion and required constant attention just to ensure his safety.
Essay about mind-coherence and how lack of it influences various essential life aspects. Initially written to explain it to my therapist last year. This is to explain what I mean by mental coherence and what the problems can be when it is lacking.
M Kelter's series about specific ways that Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers and depression can intertwine.
Ally Brosh's brilliant cartoon story about her depression.
"But trying to use willpower to overcome the apathetic sort of sadness that accompanies depression is like a person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their hands grow back. A fundamental component of the plan is missing and it isn't going to work."
Years ago someone introduced me to the concept of a “time horizon” which has been very useful in dealing with my depression. Basically, one’s time horizon is one’s ability to “see” forward or backward in time. When not depressed, a person’s time horizon is usually fairly long. We can remember into the past and reasonably project the future.
Hi my name is Brittany Wood. I’m 17 years old (update- now 19!) and I set up this blog to keep track of a personal one-year project I created called The Shyness Project. This personal journey began January 1st, 2011 and will be completed January 1st, 2012. I’ve used “shyness” as a catch all term for myself personally, but a lot of my experiences could be considered moderate social anxiety because of how debilitating the feelings have been. Regardless, the focus of my project has simply been on overcoming fears and gaining control in life. I’ve set a goal for myself about every month and have written about some of my experiences and thoughts here for anyone who is interested to read.
Series about fear of talking with people on the phone and strategies to overcome it. Strategies to improve phone manners. Social scripts, voice development with singing, minimising background noise, and imitation of excellent conversation makers such as the fictive AI computer Gerty pictured below.
When I was diagnosed with Asperger's, I was also diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder.Here's how I feel about that: Social Anxiety? Yes. Disorder? Not so much.Disorder implies that my social anxiety is irrational.
People often ask me how I manage to do things like lead seminars, or do stand-up comedy, given I have significant anxiety and Asperger's. They often describe it as their 'worst nightmare', and can't seem to reconcile it with my apprehension and avoidance of generic social situations.
I've decided that today I'm going to talk about something in "Thinking in Pictures" that I found SUPER validating and cool. But first, I'm going to tell a couple of stories about things that really frustrated me. [...]
Well anyway, again before I got my diagnosis, I was participating in an online discussion about triggers and dealing with triggers. The talk was revolving completely around triggers that come from trauma, so I asked if talking about other sorts of triggers was welcome. Instead of being told yes or no (either of which would have been acceptable), I was faced with disbelief that such a thing could exist.
Last year, I discovered Asperger's syndrome and emotional regulation were connected. For many on the autism spectrum, emotions come in three flavors: happy, depressed, and anxious. Typical people detect a broad, nuanced range of emotion, whereas some autistic individuals possess emotional dials that click on grooves set at too happy, too anxious, or too depressed.
My altered books and art journals are an homage to anxiety. Anxiety fuels my artwork. It fuels my writing. My inner tension is unbearable without artistic release. Singing and walking in circles help, but I am happier creating. I accept that this is who I am and how I am.
"How does that make you feel?" "How do you cope with that?" "What is it that makes you anxious?" "Are you Catastrophising?" "Have you tried mentalizing?" "Where do those negative thoughts come from?" "Are you avoiding?" "What is unhelpful about those coping mechanisms?" "Do you remember to breath?" "How about setting goals?"
After several years of dabbling in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) one’s brain starts to chuck out these predictable mantras at opportune moments.
As mentioned in previous posts, I attended therapy for a period of several years and it marked a major turning point in my life. I had a positive experience as a direct result of those sessions, which were largely focused on learning about the autism spectrum and managing depression. What I haven’t mentioned: those sessions were with the second psychologist I spoke with. The first psychologist I went to? Complete disaster.
In 2005...after a long period of social isolation and depression...I began therapy and received a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I was caught off guard by the diagnosis...but I was lucky enough to find a psychologist who was helpful and trained in ASD issues. I continued sessions for several years.
Before being diagnosed with Aspergers I had a series of hilariously bad and just downright damaging therapists/counsellors. All of which completely missed my Aspergers, and between them created a whole list of mental and personality problems before dumping me in the ‘cannot be cured, won’t be cured’ pile.
Emotionally charged meltdowns, intense relationships, superficial friendships, miscommunications and incorrectly assumed intentions. A lot of people with Asperger's syndrome could identify with this list. An equal number of those with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) could also identify with this list. With individual’s on both sides being misdiagnosed with the other condition, what are the key differences and how can we tell them apart?
This is a series of posts that I've come to think of as my Asperger's "origin story" or how I came to realize that I might be autistic and what happened in the wake of that realization. It's a mix of personal narrative with some advice based on what I learned from my experience.
What Are Anxiety Disorders? is a very detailed infographic from Global Medical Education to help people understand the history, issues and treatments of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the commonest psychiatric illnesses globally. There is no test for anxiety disorders like panic disorder, PTSD,OCD or social anxiety disorder and the diagnosis is based on a good history and examination.
I was one of those “promising” high IQ young people that never amounted to much. School inexplicably exhausted me. I missed weeks at a time. More than once my indignant parents fought to keep me enrolled.
Collection of articles and blog posts about aspects of living with adult Asperger Syndrome / autism, such as
