#www.psychiatry.org 3

[serenityspirits]

Pets offer numerous benefits to their owners, both physically and mentally. Here are some of the key benefits:

Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Interaction with pets has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone. This can help reduce stress and anxiety[1][7][10].

Improves Heart Health: Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels, which are beneficial for cardiovascular health[1][3][4][9].

Boosts Mood and Self-esteem: Pets can trigger feelings of comfort, security, and emotional support, which can have positive effects on humans by counteracting feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, and depression[5].

Promotes Physical Activity: Owning a pet, specifically a dog, can significantly impact an individual’s level of physical activity. People with dogs engage in more minutes of physical activity per week[3][9].

Strengthens the Immune System: Multiple studies examining children’s exposure to pets found protective effects against allergies and increased immunity[3].

Improves Social Skills: Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners, helping you start and maintain new friendships. Dog owners frequently stop and talk to each other on walks, hikes, or in a dog park[7].

Alleviates Feelings of Loneliness: Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by providing companionship[4][9].

Improves Coping Mechanisms: Pet owners have reported significantly better coping self-efficacy and significantly more positive emotions[2].

Remember, the benefits of owning a pet are not just limited to dogs and cats. Other animals, such as rabbits, can also provide similar benefits[7]. However, it's important to note that owning a pet also brings new responsibilities, such as knowing how to care for and feed an animal[1].

Citations: [1] https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8470955/ [3] https://www.petfoodinstitute.org/resources/the-human-animal-bond/physical-health-benefits/ [4] https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/keeping-pets-and-people-healthy/how.html [5] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1196199/full [6] https://www.axahealth.co.uk/health-information/mental-health/resilience/physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-having-a-pet/ [7] https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm [8] https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/positive-mental-health-impact-of-pets [9] https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2019/05/12/8-ways-pets-improve-your-health-and-wellbeing/ [10] https://www.animalfriends.co.uk/dog/dog-blog/10-benefits-of-owning-a-pet/ [11] https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2023/06/28/a-psychologist-explores-the-transformative-power-of-pets-on-mental-health/ [12] https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-the-benefits-of-companion-animals-to-human-health/ [13] https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/value-pets-human-health [14] https://psychcentral.com/health/pets-and-mental-health [15] https://www.morethan.com/pet-insurance/guides/9-benefits-of-having-a-pet/ [16] https://www.onehealth.org/blog/10-mental-physical-health-benefits-of-having-pets [17] https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/pets-and-mental-health

#pets #dogs #cats #hugging #bonding #mindfulliving

[overlookedsurvivors]

Problems with terms like “narcissistic abuse”, or “sociopathic abuse”, ect

1) Even if you acknowledge that people can have traits without disorders or that not everyone with a cluster b personality disorder is abusive, these terms imply personality disorders. It doesn’t matter what your intentions are, people associate these terms with PDs.

2) it simplifies personality disorders, as well as spreads misinformation. I’ve seen things like “signs someone is a narcissist” and the list will be unrelated to NPD symptoms. Also, there’s more to NPD and ASPD then a lack of empathy. There’s more to ASPD than getting in trouble with the law or being deceitful. There’s more to NPD than being arrogant and entitled. There’s more to BPD than rage and splitting and there’s more to HPD then attention seeking and seductive behavior. Even then, these symptoms shouldn’t be stigmatized, because that just creates a hierarchy of who’s a “model” or “better” cluster b, when all people are deserving of support. Of course, there’s no excuse for when these symptoms harm others, but sometimes they don’t, so there’s no reason to stigmatize them.

3) People with personality disorders are different people. They may share the same diagnosis, but there is more to a person than that. It may be called a “personality disorder”, but in psychology, personality is defined as a pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. A personality disorder is a an unhealthy form of these patterns. That being said, in order for someone to have a personality disorder, it must impact their life in some way.

4) Many people with cluster b personality disorders have a history of abuse. When you say that they’re all abusive, you are grouping them in with their abuser (s), and while some victims of abuse can go on to becoming abusers themselves, this isn’t the case for a majority of abuse survivors.

5) it makes it seem like narcissistic, sociopathic or borderline abuse is a different type of abuse or a more severe type, when in actuality, there’s no difference between them and other types of abuse.

6) it prevents people with personality disorders from getting help. People with Cluster B disorders may be afraid to get help because of the stigma. Professionals have been known to refuse treatment for people with cluster b personality disorders as well as treat them terribly.

6) Armchair diagnosis. Many people who use these terms participate in armchair diagnosis, which means they diagnose someone else when A) they are not professionals or their profession prohibits them from giving a diagnosis of the health condition they are “diagnosing” or B)They are professionals and able to diagnose, but the person is not their patient. Armchair diagnosis is unethical and is considered to be so by the APA.

https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/apa-calls-for-end-to-armchair-psychiatry

https://www.bpdcommunity.com.au/static/uploads/files/2016-sheehan-the-stigma-of-pds-wfcdbbajayss.pdf

https://www.apa.org/topics/personality-disorders/causes

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder

#narcissistic abuse isn’t real #narc abuse isn’t real #narcissistic abuse #npd #aspd #hpd #bpd #borderline abuse #sociopathic abuse #psychopathic abuse #narcissistic personality disorder #antisocial personality disorder #histrionic personality disorder #borderline personality disorder #cluster b abuse

[trans-advice]

I recently realized i’m probably a trans guy and I’ve been having a really hard time battling internalized transphobia and wondering if i’m “trans enough” /feeling imposter syndrome about it. I need to tell my therapist about it because he’s the only person i trust with this rn but i’m terrible at owning up, especially considering i’ve been having some (trigger warning) suicidal thoughts. Do you have any advice for how to bring my gender identity up in our next session? Also, i just have to ask: does it get better?

firstly, "trans enough" comes from a transphobic discourse from a decade ago, that said only 1 in 30,000 people were trans, which is very wrong. it's a myth that still lingers among transphobes today when they are trying to count our numbers, but basically there are better ways to figure yourself out. https://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TSprevalence.html

when you're talking about sociological identity you go by what works for your mind. gender euphoria indicates that you are closer/warmer to expressing your gender identity & gender dysphoria indicates that you are further/colder from expressing your gender identity. part of the reason a therapist is helpful is because they can help you figure out between intrusive thoughts & thoughts that you agree with & other nuances like that.

when you are transitioning you are seeking to improve the quality of your life. generally there are about 3 transitions that happen, & the pace will vary depending on what you have available: social transition, medical transition, legal transition.

your mileage will vary on whether "it gets better", but the point of transitioning is to make your life better, while having your consent & authenticity be respected, and self-respect counts for a lot here. you will be seeking to make yourself secure as opposed to insecure. therefore, while you will face new problems, the goal is to help yourself.

that being said, in the course of my lifetime it was illegal for trans minors to get HRT in my state until about 2013. So basically anyone younger than me has had a better quality of life regarding medical transition & social transition, which transphobic lawmakers in several states are attacking.

Point being, the activists & advocates for the LGBT+ community, for bodily autonomy rights, for anti-bullying, for refuting the "1 in 30,000" myth, for a feminist economy, their organized work, towards getting those oppressive systems changed, not just regarding HRT, but with gender marker corrections too (which in my state became legal in 2018 on the Appropriate Clinical Treatment standard instead of the Bottom Surgery standard),

The work of several groups of people over several decades is what makes things better & allows trans people to transition. I would recommend "transgender history" (2nd edition) by Susan Stryker because it goes into a lot of the activism history in USA over the 20th thru 21st centuries.

So it'll depend on what work (either for or against trans people) has already been done, and while you need to build yourself up first before you can help a lot of others, remember that your quality of life will depend on others & it'll help to work with others for collective improved quality of life. Also regarding your transition, you might need to deal with other areas of your life to help further your transition, such as perhaps your living situation, because it's harder to heal when the injury is ongoing. Don't take it for granted that things will get better, but you are not alone & you should seek out connections (which is technically part of social transition).

So what this means for your therapist is that you can either be like upfront so that you can spend the whole session going over it, or you can discuss these various other parts of your life that will be important for a transition. Here's an article about what sort of care/therapy/treatment your therapist should be giving you, basically they respect your pace & identification: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients/gender-affirming-therapy

Good Luck, Peace & Love,

Eve

#tw suicidality #transition

[kn96artworks]

ADHD reads

because i’ve seen ADHD related posts going around so here are some reads

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhd

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/289350-overview

might be of help :3

#random #adhd #i'd say the best would be dsm 5 but yeah #you can google more #my brain and me

[m3mento-m0ri]

Debunking Transmeds

So, we've had a lot of discourse over whether there's really a brain difference between sexes, if non binary genders are real, if you need dysphoria to be trans, and if you have to medically transition.

Translation: I’m fed up with this bullshit so here’s me serving yall the facts.

My belief is that this discourse is mostly from miscommunication in the community, and I hope this can give some insight here. But do not comment before reading through this, and if you’re still going to be stubbornly bigoted and harass people in the comments, I will block you.

Let's start with debunking the brain difference stuff.

1. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28582-scans-prove-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-male-or-female-brain/

2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00677-x

3. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/male-female-brains-biologically-different/563702/

4. https://www.them.us/story/brain-scans-transgender-identity/amp

5. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/11/brains-men-and-women-aren-t-really-different-study-finds

6. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/gender-lines-science-transgender-identity/

(funnily enough, #6 backs up my argument despite being part of a master post with transmed sources)

---

Why nonbinary genders are real:

https://nonbinaryproofpost.tumblr.com/post/180380244054/hi-nonbinary-people-are-real-stop-being

as of right now, this blog has at least 163 sources confirming that non binary genders are real.

7. https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_non-binary_gender_people

---

Why you don't need dysphoria to be trans:

I'm going to give a side note here. Dysphoria is characterized as distress concerning the gender you were assigned to at birth. Non dysphoric trans people have a disconnect with their assigned gender, but not enough discomfort to be considered dysphoria. This doesn't make them less valid.

9. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/expert-q-and-a

10. https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people

11. https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people

12. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/expert-q-and-a

13. https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/08/not-all-trans-folks-dysphoria/

14. https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/1/18/do-you-need-gender-dysphoria-be-trans

15. https://genderanalysis.net/2017/03/do-you-need-to-have-gender-dysphoria-to-be-transgender/

16. http://www.alterheros.com/experts/en/2018/11/do-i-need-dysphoria-to-be-transgender/

17. https://www.quora.com/Do-you-need-to-feel-dysphoria-to-be-trans-Isnt-it-enough-to-just-know-but-still-be-comfortable-with-your-body

Here is another masterpost backing me up with 29 sources                 https://redkatherineeee.tumblr.com/post/180592219528/anti-transmedtruscum-articles-and-other-sources

another post with 4 sources backing them up http://transgooglesearches.tumblr.com/post/176425886846/what-transgender-really-means

---

Why transtrenders aren’t real:

18. https://letsqueerthingsup.com/2015/03/28/why-the-trans-community-needs-to-ban-the-word-transtrender-for-good/

19. https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/8k15fh/so_how_real_is_the_whole_transtrenders_concept/

---

What you’re doing is hurting other trans people, regardless of whether they experience dysphoria or are binary trans

https://letsqueerthingsup.com/2018/07/14/this-is-what-i-wish-people-who-identify-as-truscum-would-try-to-understand/

---

Why you don’t need to medically transition:

20. https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/5/13/17938114/transgender-people-transitioning-surgery-medical

21. https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/still-valid

Some trans people don’t medically transition because

- they can’t afford it

- they don’t want to

- there are medical risks involved

- they might not be able to

- they’re comfortable just socially transitioning

there’s probably more but this is what I thought of off the top of my head.

---

In total, these are 217 sources confirming that:

- you don’t need dysphoria to be trans

- the brain is a sexless organ

- non binary genders are real

- you don’t need to medically transition

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

#transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #transmed #truscum #tucute #anti transmed #anti truscum #im taggin all the things #non binary #nonbinary

[fatimapirante-blog]

Articles

Text 1 Title of the Text: Depression Author of the Text: Ranna Parekh Title of the Publication: American Psychiatric Association URL or Web Address: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

         Depression. It’s a heavy word, and one that we are all too familiar with in our day and age. Depression isn’t equivalent to sadness it’s a serious medical condition. It isn’t something that can be controlled manually. Although all age groups are open to depression, teenagers are the most common to be heard of being affected by the disease. This is probably because of peer pressure and the changes in their life. Although women are three times more likely to become depressed than men, men are five times more likely to commit suicide when depressed than woman.

         Depression is more common in woman because woman are more ruminative than men, they tend to think about things more which, though a very god thing, may also predispose them to developing depression. Woman are generally more invested in relationships than men. Relationship problems are likely to affect them more, and so they are more likely to develop depression. Also, women come under more stress than men. Not only do they have to go work just like men, but they may also be expected to bear the brunt of maintaining a home, bringing up children, caring for older relatives, and putting up with all the sexism.

         There are many symptoms of depression. Sadness and loss of satisfaction in things once enjoyed are probably the most known symptoms. But some symptoms are sometimes over looked. Guilt is one symptom that coincides with depression immensely. When feelings of guilt are put on a person they lose what hope they once had. 

         They blame themselves for things that they are not accountable for and have extreme feelings of hopelessness. Stress is another great factor in depression. Stressful events or experiences can stimulate depression in people who are predetermined to the disorder.

         Depression is not only a state of being sad, it is a disease that conquers the ability to feel emotion, whether good or bad, whatsoever. Depression not only involves the mind, it also involves the body and thoughts. It is a serious but treatable disorder that affects millions of people, from young to old. It gets in the way of everyday life, causing tremendous pain, hurting not just those suffering from it but also impacting everyone around them.

         If someone you love is depressed, you may be experiencing any number of difficult emotions, including helplessness, frustration, anger, fear, guilt and sadness. These feelings are all normal. Its not easy dealing with a friend or family member’s depression. If you neglect your own health, it can become overwhelming. That said, your companionship and support can be crucial to you loved one’s recovery. You can help them to cope with depressions symptoms, overcome negative thoughts, and regain their energy, optimism, and enjoyment of life. 

       Start by learning all you can about depression and how to best talk about depression and how to best talk about it with your friend or family member. But as you reach out, don’t forget to look after your own emotional health, you’ll need it to provide the full support your loved one needs.

       Depression make it difficult for a person to connect on a deep emotional level with anyone, even the people they love the most. You can’t rescue someone from depression nor fix the problem for them. You’re not to blame for your loved one’s depression or responsible for their happiness. While you can offer love and support, ultimate recovery is in the hands of the depressed person.

        Depression can be managed with professional treatment. People who receive professional treatment for depression said it improved their mental their mental condition. The doctor can treat any medical issues that may be responsible for the symptoms of depression, and if medication is an issue, the hospital provides other options as well.

        Depression is a serious problem, but there are millions of people who have managed to lead successful lives despite struggling with it. It’s important that society recognizes depression for what it is. It’s an illness, not a choice.

Text 2 Title of the Text: Education Author of the Text: Marion Lewis Title of the Publication: Huffpost URL or Web Address: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/home-schooling-vs-public-schooling-making-the-right_b_57d277c3e4b0f831f7071a82?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudHVtYmxyLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAdTS0lhVxVQdiEckP6_R1TJARxC-hId68ORXr_Cqx4l6f2lO1nszEmcl_Q3YCyie7HfNJG_O8w18wsT4O6IonH2edBVsIRm1mUX23XjjZZNaNFp_55CodE6naHBt9euMvmJH6RtzsUIUBfrDFAHBHQ9WJk9DlIgc-bYl0XHYJsG  

        According to the article “Education plays an important role in human life regarding to build their personality, career , and mental growth”. Education helps us to build our own foundation and to widen our knowledge to our surroundings. Education empowers minds that will be able to conceive good thoughts and ideas. It enables students to do the analysis while making life decisions. It helps you to achieve your dreams, to be a doctor, engineer and many more.  

          We can also bring positive changes to the society, government and economic. Through government , education is one of the ways to prevent corruption  and other environmental problems.  To society, Education makes us better citizens by teaching us how to conduct ourselves through life by following rules and regulations and giving us a sense of conscience. Lastly, to economic, education helps the people to build more good structures and technology so that people would live a safety and enjoyable lifestyle. 

           As Nelson Mandela stated “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Education is used to empower ones mind to come up with new ideas new vision and plans for the society. Education is one of the reasons why our community is improving such as gadgets, houses and many more. Education grows as values. If you have the skills but don’t have the values then educated person become useless. Education has to be accessible to all. Thanks to modern technologies and internet innovators. Due to them, now rural people, poor people, and people living in huts are able to get access to education through mobiles phones. 

           There are difference between schooling and education. Schooling takes place in the home environment, while education may take place in schools, colleges or universities. Home schooling has steadily become one of the most popular forms of education for parents across the world. According to research, it develops increasingly fast at an approximate annual rate of 7-15 percent per year. 

           There are parents who believe that school environment can spoil the young minds and prevent them from developing independent thinking abilities. Basically, this reflects the difference between homeschooling and education, because in case of homeschooling children have a greater opportunity to develop certain skills that they would not be able to develop at school. 

          However, another difference lies in the fact that school might affect children negatively because of some categories of people they socialize with at school. This is a perceptible difference between home and school education.Some parents are concerned about the academic quality of various public schools due to the overcrowded classrooms. This is another difference between homeschooling and school education. It is reflected in the fact that school environment suggests educating a great number of students which prevents individual students from developing in a right way and receiving a quality education.

          Furthermore, some parents have to take care of children with special needs for whom homeschooling is the best option, because home environment provides better conditions for their development. In this regard, it should be noted that another difference between homeschooling and education is that education does not provide means for accommodating needy students, which makes it an inappropriate form of education for students with disabilities.

Text 3 Title of the Text: Bullying Author of the Text: Roxanne Dryden-Edwards Title of the Publication: Bullying Facts URL or Web Address: https://www.medicinenet.com/bullying/article.htm

       Bullying is the big part of the fear of most people going to face. Bullying can lead to self harm. In severe cases, bullying can even lead to death. No matter how someone is bullied, face to face, publicly over the internet or anonymously over the internet, all cases extreme pain to the victim. Others who choose to do nothing or don’t reach out for help the victims of bully may secretly cut or harm themselves. Some they become depressed and think suicidal thoughts. This victims of bullies decide they can’t handle life itself anymore so they commit suicide.

         Most of the teens bully through online or in social media because it is easy, you can just type, click and post even without them knowing who you are. Cyber bullying is very unhealthy though it never touches our body or we’re not physically damaged, but it causes us to become depress and can make us experience anxiety. We are mentally and emotionally damaged that can lead us to suicide.

        Bullying is a deliberate act to hurt someone physically, verbally or psychologically. Bullying is an issue of power. Bullying is when individual or groups persistently over a period of time, behave in ways, which causes another person to feel hurt, physically or non-physically. Using technology, a person can be able to bully without the face to face confrontation. Bullies can be anyone because they can hide behind technology becoming anonymous. These makes finding the bully very difficult.

       There are many different types of bullying that can be experienced by children and adults alike, some are obvious to spot while others can be more subtle. The different types of bullying that we look at below are some of the ways that bullying could be happening. Physical bullying includes, hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching and pushing or damaging property. Verbal bullying includes name calling, insults or verbal abuse. While verbal bullying can start off harmless, it can escalate to levels which start affecting the individual target. Social bullying is often harder to recognize and can be carried out behind the bullied person’s back. It is designed to harm someone’s social reputation and/or cause humiliation. Cyber bullying can be overt or covert bullying behaviors using digital technologies, including hardware such as computers and smartphones, social media and other online platforms.

       There are several sites on the internet that offer advice on how to deal with bullies. Some of the suggestions that can be found are to make sure to tell a teacher, tell parents, be aware when walking alone, always stay calm when being bullied, make sure to use one voice to attract attention. Talk to someone. As hard as bullying is to deal with, one day you will be out of school and never have to see these people again. In the meantime, fond someone you can confide in. Talk to your parents or a counselor. They may be able to help.

       Bullying can never be a joke, it causes major destruction to ourselves. It will never be good to bully someone though you can make some people laugh, but the point is you just hurt or win someone’s feeling and life. Stand up for friends and others you see being bullied. Your actions help the victim feel supported and may stop bullying. Some people bully to deal with their own feelings of stress, anger, or frustration. Bullies might also have been bullied and now want to show their power by bullying someone else. Even though people are different, it’s important to treat everyone with respect.

Text 4 Title of the Text: Pollution Author of the Text: Archana Title of the Publication: India Celebrating URL or Web Address: https://www.indiacelebrating.com/article/article-on-pollution/

          Anything added into the environment that results in producing harmful or poisonous effect on living things is called pollution. Pollution is the process that makes nature’s resources such as land, water, air or other parts of the environment unsafe or unsuitable to use. Pollution can be of many types: soil, air, water, thermal, radioactive, noise, and light. The toxins released are inhaled by each one of us while we breathe. Pollution is a process of making the environment dirty and unhealthy for humans and animals to live. It is caused due to the release of both tangible and intangible contaminants. These can be released naturally or by humans themselves accidentally or deliberately.

          Inhaling poisonous air is as hazardous as smoking. It is not only the humans who are affected from this polluted environment but also the animals. Air is filled with highly toxic gases. These dangerous gases in environment are released by the power industries that burn fossil fuels, industries that dispose wastes in the water, farmers using pesticides, high usage of artificial lights and loud sounds. Any use of natural resources at a rate higher than the nature’s capacity to restore itself can result in pollution of air, water, and land. Other than human activities, there are a few periodic natural cycles that also result in release of dangerous stuff. Natural activities other than the human activities like volcanic eruption, dust wildfires, etc also result in creation of pollution.

           Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance in the environment. Each year millions of people die due to various diseases caused by pollution. The biggest irony of all this is that even if we know that the earth is getting polluted, ultimately it is the human beings themselves who dig their own grave by doing deliberate activities because of which pollution is caused. It does not only spoil human beings’ health but also worsen their quality of life.In order to fight this life threatening effects of pollution, vigorous efforts should be made. Anti-pollution laws should be strictly implemented. In order to check water pollution, sewage and the factory wastes should be properly disposed off and vehicles should be made eco-friendly.

            Every individual owns certain responsibility of maintaining few points such as not throwing garbage all around, growing trees, using public transport instead of their own, etc. We must shun excessive consumption and avoid careless and deliberate disposal of post-consumption waste resources which could otherwise be recycled and would led to pollution control. Pollution cannot be reduced or controlled if a sense of responsibility towards our Mother Earth is not felt by all concerned. Pollution can be controlled, if not eliminated. Efforts such as promoting green environment and proper disposal of waste are simple steps that lead to great emphasis on maintaining the order of environment. Environmental pollution is a global problem today. Public awareness is a must to prevent pollution. Population control will also help to save the world from environmental pollution. Scientific exploitation of natural resources is yet another step to prevent environmental pollution. Let us not destroy the place we live in for there is no other place we can go.

[preciousjeweel-blog]

Am I Depressed?

What is Depression?

Depression is about being sad, sure—but it’s more than that.

Depression a major depressive disorder is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.

If you’re sad because you lost your job, are going through a breakup, or lost someone in your life… it’s certainly no fun, but it’s also pretty normal. Sadness, even extreme sadness, is a natural reaction to events like these. That said, regular sadness can also turn into depression. If the feelings don’t get better over time, or if your mood starts to get in the way of your daily life, you might be developing a case of depression.

“I felt alienated and alone, because I was like, what's wrong with me? I always wanted people to love me, so I never got angry with them; I turned my anger onto myself. I hated myself for being depressed, I hated feeling depressed, I hated feeling.” Cara Delevingne, a famous actress once said.

What Are the Main Causes of Depression?

There are a number of factors that may increase the chance of depression, including the following:

Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can increase the vulnerability to clinical depression later in life.

Certain medications. Some drugs, such as isotretinoin (used to treat acne), the antiviral drug interferon-alpha, and corticosteroids, can increase your risk of depression.

Conflict. Depression in someone who has the biological vulnerability to develop depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.

Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, may increase the risk of depression.

Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is a complex trait, meaning that there are probably many different genes that each exert small effects, rather than a single gene that contributes to disease risk. The genetics of depression, like most psychiatric disorders, are not as simple or straightforward as in purely genetic diseases such as Huntington's chorea or cystic fibrosis.

Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a "normal" response to stressful life events.

Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can contribute to the risk of developing clinical depression.

Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or may be triggered by another medical condition.

Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression. Even if drugs or alcohol temporarily make you feel better, they ultimately will aggravate depression.

What are the Symptoms of Depression?

Feeling sad or having a depressed mood

Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed

Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting

Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

Loss of energy or increased fatigue

Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)

Feeling worthless or guilty

Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions

Thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression.

How to Avoid Depression?

1. Avoid Stress - stress had a negative impact on mental health, life satisfaction, and general health.

2. Exercise - Exercise offers a range of health benefits including helping prevent depression. Both high-intensity and low-intensity exercise is beneficial in this respect.

3. Diet - The brain needs the right mix of nutrients to function properly, and adding fruits and vegetables to the diet may help the people with depression

4. Have Enough Sleep - Not getting enough sleep has a significant impact on people psychologically and physically, and insomnia is associated with depression.

References

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320502.php

[didresearchproject-blog]

References

In the case of YouTube channels I have referenced the specific videos, unless they are from a channel with D.I.D, where I have referenced the entire channel.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. 5th ed., American Psychiatric Association, 2013, Psychiatry Online, dsm-psychiatryonline-org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.

BBCRadio1. “Meet My Multiple Personalities.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuPHKMCsI30.

Campos, Isabel. “Splitting Open Dissociative Identity Disorder.” St. Mary’s Tatler, 27 Feb. 2019, www.stmarystatler.org/news/splitting-open-dissociative-identity-disorder.

DissociaDID system. “DissociaDID.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/channel/UC6kFD5xIFvWyLlytv5pTR1w.

MultiplicityAndMe. “MultiplicityAndMe.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Nov. 2014, www.youtube.com/channel/UC8JDIEFbQejP-meo1OwI0DA.

Nathan, Debbie. “A Girl Not Named Sybil.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Oct. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/magazine/a-girl-not-named-sybil.html.

Psychology Today. “Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) | Psychology Today New Zealand.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 22 Feb. 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/nz/conditions/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder. 

Schechener, Richard. Performance Studies. 3rd ed., Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2017, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vuw/reader.action?docID=1128311. Accessed 3 Aug. 2019.

SciShow Psych. “Me, Myself, and I: Dissociative Identity Disorder.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Jan. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4hVtBV5o4s.

The Entropy System. “The Entropy System.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/channel/UCCkrAkJop-j4oAQb0sHBYrw/featured.

The Pinata System. “TeamPinata.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GhA-4qfuIDCWfdoE3XHgg/featured.

TraumaAndDissociation. “Alter Identities in Dissociative Identity Disorder (MPD) and DDNOS.” Trauma Dissociation, Http://Plus.google.com/ TraumaDissociationCom, 16 Apr. 2016, traumadissociation.com/alters.

Wang, Philip. “What Are Dissociative Disorders?” Psychiatry.org, American Psychiatric Association, Aug. 2018, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders.

[artthetransguy]

‼️ You do NOT need dysphoria to be trans‼️

Starting off I should say I'm a binary trans person, I have dysphoria, I've been out for 6-7 years I think, I am medically transitioning (been on T over 3 years and almost 7 months post op top surgery), and I used to identify as a truscum and transmed. I'm going to rebut the common arguments that truscum, transmeds, terfs, and transphobes make. I will also attempt to answer questions others have (I originally posted this on Facebook and some of my friends had questions). I will mostly be arguing by citing information, but I will also tell my thoughts and opinions, as well as personal experience. 😡Arguments truscum/transmeds, terfs, & transphobes make😡 ⭕️"You need dysphoria to be trans". Not true. So first off, what is dysphoria? The medical definition of dysphoria defined by Merriam-Webster is "a state of feeling unwell or unhappy"(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dysphoria). Anyone can have dysphoria, even cisgender people, so this argument makes no sense. Does this mean that cis people who have dysphoria (which they can and do experience) are trans? no of course not. Why? because that's not what being trans means. I do realize that trans people will shorten 'gender dysphoria' to just 'dysphoria' like when they say "my dysphoria is really bad today" you know they are (usually) talking about gender dysphoria. What else is wrong with this argument? When I rebut this argument (which I do a lot) I usually say: 💬"how do you know?", I get responses such as "It's common sense", "you're so stupid/a dumbass", "it's science", but they can never, and have never provided a (reputable) source that says this. (I say reputable because I have gotten, and I'm paraphrasing, "my 20 year old friend who is about to get top surgery and has been on T for years says you need it" to which I replied "I'm also 20 and just had top surgery a few months ago and have been on T for over 3 years. Does that make me credible?" He didn't think so). 💬"What kind of dysphoria?" They then may say "you need some kind of dysphoria" or "you can't like *insert body parts here* and be trans". Well, what about the people who have finished their transition and no longer have dysphoria? are they still trans? Not all people will have dysphoria about the same parts. Some trans people have hair dysphoria, voice dysphoria, chest dysphoria, bottom dysphoria, social dysphoria, and the list goes on. ⭕️"Trans is short for transitioning so if you don't (medically/physically) transition, you aren't trans". No, it is not. Trans is short for transgender, not every trans person can or wants to transition. They may not transition for medical reasons, safety reasons, or they just don't want to. ⭕️"Having dysphoria doesn't mean you hate yourself/you have to suffer" This argument before made sense to me because I was misinformed about what gender dysphoria was, as are many others. What is gender dysphoria? The medical definition of gender dysphoria defined by Merriam-Webster is "a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person has or was identified as having at birth 'A significant incongruence between gender identity and physical phenotype is known as gender identity disorder; the experience of this state, termed gender dysphoria, is a source of chronic suffering'. — Louis J. Gooren, The New England Journal of Medicine, 31 Mar. 2011"(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictiona…/gender%20dysphoria). Another important point in this is the "a distressed state" in that definition. Distress is defined by Merriam Webster as "pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind...a painful situation...state of danger or desperate need"(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distress#synonyms). Seeing this definition and knowing what these words mean, we know that gender dysphoria is quite literally defined as pain and suffering. ⭕️"Being trans literally is the definition of dysphoria" Well, we already got the definition of dysphoria out of the way. No, it is not the definition of dysphoria. The APA (American Psychological Association) says "Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth". (https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.aspx). ⭕️"You need gender dysphoria to be trans" So now knowing that being transgender just means that your gender and sex aren't the same, and knowing what gender dysphoria is, we could say that we know this isn't true. But don't take my word for it, let's hear it from the experts: ☑️"Not all transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria and that distinction is important to keep in mind. Gender dysphoria and/or coming out as transgender can occur at any age"(https://www.psychiatry.org/…/gender-dysphoria/expert-q-and-a). ☑️"It is important to note that not all gender diverse people experience gender dysphoria"(https://gic.nhs.uk/info-support/gender-dysphoria/). ☑️"For some transgender people, the difference between the gender they are thought to be at birth and the gender they know themselves to be can lead to serious emotional distress that affects their health and everyday lives if not addressed. Gender dysphoria is the medical diagnosis for someone who experiences this distress. Not all transgender people have gender dysphoria. On its own, being transgender is not considered a medical condition. Many transgender people do not experience serious anxiety or stress associated with the difference between their gender identity and their gender of birth, and so may not have gender dysphoria"(https://transequality.org/…/frequently-asked-questions-abou…). ☑️" Many, but not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives"(https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/…/Understanding-and-Add…). ☑️" Do all transgender people have gender dysphoria? No they do not, because not every transgender person experiences the distress associated with gender dysphoria"(https://www.lambdalegal.org/…/article/trans-related-care-faq). ☑️"Gender dysphoria refers to distress that 'some' TGNC [transgender and gender nonconforming] individuals may experience at some point in their lives as a result of incongruence between their gender identity and birth sex, which may include discomfort with gender role and primary and secondary sex characteristics. Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. However, transgender is an identity, not a disorder, and the diagnosis is only applicable when TGNC people experience distress or impaired social / occupational functioning as a result of the incongruence"(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4809047/#R15). ⭕️"Being transgender is a mental illness" This argument is used both by people who try to say that a trans person is delusional and therefore their identity isn't valid, and by trans people who don't want to de-medicalize transgender identity. We know this argument is not true from some of the other points I've made. Being transgender isn't a mental illness, not even gender dysphoria is considered one. "Gender dysphoria is a recognized medical condition, for which treatment is sometimes appropriate. It's not a mental illness"(https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/). Also "The World Health Organization will no longer classify being transgender as a mental health disorder, the public health agency announced Monday.

Transgender and genderqueer identities, which WHO refers to as “gender incongruence,” are in a section about sexual health conditions in a newly updated version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)"(https://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/being-transgender-no-longe…). ⭕️"There are only 2 genders" When people say this they usually mean sex, but even then it is untrue. Both sex and gender are on a spectrum and aren't binary. "Sex is a determination made through the application of socially agreed upon biological criteria for classifying persons as females and males. The criteria for classification can be genitalia at birth or chromosomal typing before birth, and they do not necessarily agree with one another"(https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243287001002002). The binary classifications of male and female leaves out everyone who does not fit into these categories because of genital makeup, secondary sex characteristics, chromosomes, or hormone levels. When people say that there is only male and female, they forget that intersex people exist. A good read that I'd recommend that I read for school is "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough" by Anne Fausto-Sterling. In it, Anne says "Western culture is deeply committed to the idea that there are only two sexes. Even language refuses other possibilities; thus to write about Levi Suydam I have had to invent conventions-- s/he and his/her-- to denote someone who is clearly neither male nor female or who is perhaps both sexes at once. Legally, too, every adult is either man or woman, and the difference, of course, is not trivial. For Suydam it meant the franchise; today it means being available for, or exempt from, draft registration, as well as being subject, in various ways, to a number of laws governing marriage, the family and human intimacy. In many parts of the United States, for instance, two people legally registered as men cannot have sexual relations without violating anti-sodomy statutes. But if the state and the legal system have an interest in maintaining a two-party sexual system, they are in defiance of nature. For biologically speaking, there are many gradations running from female to male; and depending on how one calls the shots, one can argue that along that spectrum lie at least five sexes-- and perhaps even more"(http://capone.mtsu.edu/phollowa/5sexes.html). Another thing is that gender is a social construct, which I know is said a lot and is misunderstood. Pretty much everything has been socially constructed, so what is a social construct? "Social constructs or social constructions define meanings, notions, or connotations that are assigned to objects and events in the environment and to people’s notions of their relationships to and interactions with these objects. In the domain of social constructionist thought, a social construct is an idea or notion that appears to be natural and obvious to people who accept it but may or may not represent reality, so it remains largely an invention or artifice of a given society". So how is gender a social construct? The page goes on to say "Gender, which represents ways of talking, describing, or perceiving men and women, is also a socially constructed entity. Generally distinguished from sex (which is biological), notions of gender represent attempts by society, through the socialization process, to construct masculine or feminine identities and corresponding masculine or feminine gender roles for a child based on physical appearance and genitalia".(https://www.encyclopedia.com/…/socio…/social-constructionism). ⭕️"Non-binary doesn't exist because there is only male and female" Well for one, tell that to all the non-binary people. But no this is not correct. As we know, sex and gender are not binary so this identity makes sense. And also, whether or not you believe in them, they will continue to exist. ⭕️"You're a transtrender" People say a transtrender is someone who isn't "actually" trans, and just uses the label or pretends to be trans because its cool, or because they want attention. This is an argument made by transphobic people, including truscum and transmeds. People usually call others this for many reasons like: disagreeing with them, not fitting into their gendered stereotypes, not passing, not having dysphoria, not being the ideal trans person, they are experimenting with gender and gender expression, and/or being non-binary. Non-binary people are a big target of this argument. Heres the thing about this argument, no one thinks its cool or fun to be seen as trans in the sense that we are marginalized, are attacked, are killed, and so on. Also, Not every trans person is the same and wants to conform to gender norms. I'd also like to add that I get this comment a lot, despite being a binary trans person with dysphoria. They use it as a way to immediately discredit you and don't even know who you are. ⭕️"You're/you were just pretending to be trans" This is very similar to the last point but I wanted to go into more detail about this one. Some people may transition and then detransition for whatever reason (I'll go into this later). I know a few people had identified as trans and used a few different names and wanted to go by different pronouns then found out it wasn't who they were. Does this mean that they were faking it or pretending for fun? No, of course not. They thought they were trans and experimented and found out that they weren't. People should be able to experiment with their gender without getting accused of pretending to be trans. Most, if not all trans people go through an experimentation stage where they cut or grow out their hair, wear different clothes, go by a different name and pronouns, and so on. If we never went through an experimentation stage, how would we have known that we were trans? ⭕️"Most trans people detransition afterwords so you are going to regret this" This is usually said by cisgender transphobic people when trans people go on hormones or get surgeries. But what is the reality? "Surgical regret is actually very uncommon. Virtually every modern study puts it below 4 percent, and most estimate it to be between 1 and 2 percent (Cohen-Kettenis & Pfafflin 2003, Kuiper & Cohen-Kettenis 1998, Pfafflin & Junge 1998, Smith 2005, Dhejne 2014). In some other recent longitudinal studies, none of the subjects expressed regret over medically transitioning (Krege et al. 2001, De Cuypere et al. 2006). These findings make sense given the consistent findings that access to medical care improves quality of life along many axes, including sexual functioning, self-esteem, body image, socioeconomic adjustment, family life, relationships, psychological status and general life satisfaction. This is supported by the numerous studies (Murad 2010, De Cuypere 2006, Kuiper 1988, Gorton 2011, Clements-Nolle 2006) that also consistently show that access to GCS reduces suicidality by a factor of three to six (between 67 percent and 84 percent)... When asked about regrets, only 2 percent of respondents in a survey of transgender people in the UK had major regrets regarding the physical changes they had made, compared with 65 percent of non-transgender people in the UK who have had plastic surgery"(https://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/myths-about-transition-reg…). ⭕️"If you don't have dysphoria, how would you even know you're trans?" You can know that you are trans because you have a disconnect with your body which is called gender incongruence. "Gender incongruence is characterized by a marked and persistent incongruence between an individual’s experienced gender and the assigned sex"(https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en…). So it could be argued that gender incongruence is like gender dysphoria with presentations similar to the DSM-V definition, but does not require significant distress or impairment. There is also something called gender euphoria, which is the opposite of gender dysphoria. "That is, euphoria or happiness upon being correctly gendered, upon naming their identity, and being validated and recognized as their authentic self"(https://everydayfeminism.com/…/these-5-myths-about-body-dy…/). ⭕️"If you don't have dysphoria that means you are comfortable in your body, ok with being your agab (assigned gender at birth) and those pronouns, and ok with dressing as your agab so you aren't trans" This is not true either. Just because someone doesn't have dysphoria, that doesn't mean they are comfortable with their agab. Like I said before, trans people have a disconnect with their body, the same goes for non-dysphoric trans people. They have a disconnect but do not have distress, or pain and suffering, because of the disconnect. ⭕️"What if you don't REALIZE it's dysphoria? What if you thought EVERYBODY felt like you?" I see people making this argument like, "they just don't know what they are feeling is dysphoria". People know themselves better than anyone else. Also, if you are not a therapist or anything like that, you do not get diagnose someone else. This could also just be a genuine question. Some people (like myself) didn't know what transgender or dysphoria was and some still may not. I didn't know what being trans meant and I didn't know that what I was struggling with was dysphoria. For me personally, I thought I was struggling alone for the longest time. ⭕️"Non-dysphorics, non-binary, people who don't use he/him or she/her pronouns make the community look bad and make everyone hate the trans community more." The people who hate trans people will hate us regardless of if we have dysphoria, are non-binary, use different pronouns that aren't common, and so on. Why not learn about those in your community (or learn about those in the community if you are not in it) instead of bullying and attacking those you don't understand and siding with transphopic people. ⭕️Fake trans people are taking resources away from 'real' trans people (like hormones, dr. appointments, surgeries, therapy, etc.)" If this is true, why be mad at the "fake trans" people and instead be mad at the gatekeepers, be mad because there is a shortage of doctors that treat trans patients (very few doctors that would take me around here but I have had one for a while now so its good), and be mad at the lack of education doctors, nurses, therapists, and so on, have on trans people. It isn't other trans peoples fault we have to fight to get our resources, it's the world we live in where we are marginalized and oppressed. (Important to note that I am not talking about myself here. The transphobia, marginalization, and oppression I have endured cannot be compared to that of trans women, black and other poc trans people, non-binary people, and places where it is illegal or punished by death to be trans/queer in. I have a lot of privilige here and I know this). 🙂Other questions or comments🙂 🔶"Are there degrees of dysphoria? Like, "you have to have dysphoria about 35% of your body to make it into 'Transgender Circle'?" Yes, not all trans people have the same or the same amount of dysphoria. Some say its like waves where one day they feel really good and other days dysphoria is really bad. Some peoples dysphoria is much worse than others, but as long as it is distressing, it is still dysphoria. Every exclusionist is different. Some say "you just need some type of dysphoria" and others say "you need to have chest, bottom, social, etc. dysphoria to be trans". But the truth is, neither is true. 🔶"What is the difference between BDD (Body dysmorphic disorder) and (GD) gender dysphoria?" BDD is "a pathological preoccupation with an imagined or slight physical defect of one’s body to the point of causing significant stress or behavioral impairment in several areas (as work and personal relationships)"(https://www.apa.org/…/und…/ptacc/body-dysmorphic-traynor.pdf). GD is "a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person has or was identified as having at birth 'A significant incongruence between gender identity and physical phenotype is known as gender identity disorder; the experience of this state, termed gender dysphoria, is a source of chronic suffering'. — Louis J. Gooren, The New England Journal of Medicine, 31 Mar. 2011"(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictiona…/gender%20dysphoria). (I am not a medical professional but I will try to explain this) BDD and GD are very similar because they are both distressing and about the body, but there are differences. BDD is where your perception of your body is not the reality, where in GD you know what your body looks like and it doesn't match your gender identity. BDD is also compared to OCD. "The intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors exhibited in BDD are similar to the obsessions and compulsions of OCD. BDD is distinguished from OCD when the preoccupations or repetitive behaviors focus specifically on appearance"(https://adaa.org/…/other-relat…/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd). 🔶"Why doesn’t it harm the community to include people who experience euphoria instead of/not only dysphoria?" People say "having non-dysphorics and non-binary people makes the trans community look like a joke" but these people aren't going away and they are supported by the science. As I've said before, the people who hate trans people will hate us whether we have dysphoria or not. Bullying the trans people you don't understand won't change anything in regards to trans rights. What do you do when you encounter bullying? If someone is bullied for how they look, their skin, their hair, or their religion, should they change themselves? The easiest way would be to say yes but that isn't how things change. We need people to know that some people are different and that is ok and they deserve to be respected just like everyone else. If you are going to argue the "fake trans take away resources" I rebutted that argument earlier. 🔶"Why do people insist that you need dysphoria to be trans?" This is an interesting one because I used to be a truscum/transmed. But before I dive into this I first want to preface this by asking Well why do people believe things are true when we know they are demonstrably false? Look at flat-earthers for example (hang in here with me). They can't comprehend how the earth can be round, despite the demonstrable evidence that shows us the earth is round. They believe it because it makes more sense to them. They make arguments where they say the evidence is for a globular earth is fake and also argue things that they experience like "I don't feel the earth spinning" or "the horizon looks flat to me" or "we can't see gravity so it doesn't exist". They can't conceptualize the things they don't experience in their life. People are afraid that the de-medicalization of trans people will result in medical professionals taking away hormones and surgeries. It may also be the case that they know this is true but ignore the evidence because they think the de-medicalization of trans people will make it so we can no longer get hormone treatment or surgeries. I can tell you right now that the people of the ICD, APA, DSM, and WHO are not gonna let that happen. Gender dysphoria is a medical condition that is treated with hormone therapy and gcs (gender confirmation surgery). Gender dysphoria is distressing and that is certain, medical and psychological experts know this and aren't going to take it away. People may become afraid or offended because hearing "you don't need dysphoria to be trans" goes against what they have known to be true for so long. For me personally when I was a truscum/transmed I was young, I just found out what trans was, and "you need dysphoria" made the most sense to me because gender dysphoria was how I knew I was trans. I followed truscum/transmed blogs and youtube channels and I never questioned it really. I really only changed after I started taking science classes at college and learned what scientific papers were, and also, the biggest reason I changed was because things started coming out saying "trans isn't a mental disorder" which I thought it was. After I got out of the truscum/transmed community, only then did I realize how toxic it was. I hurt so many with my words and I was spreading false information solely based on my beliefs. The truscum/transmed community The truscum/transmed community is filled with people saying things like "I just don't understand *blank*" or "How could you be trans when *blank*" and these are as a way to say "your identity is confusing to me so I'm making fun of it". A lot of the scum/med arguments are questions where people "don't understand" which is the first step to learning. If you don't understand something, look it up or ask a trans person (with their approval of course). Asking non-dysphoric trans people is how I was able to comprehend how non-dysphoric people felt. I was able to ask and I always treated them with respect and got respect in return. If you sincerely ask people instead of making fun of them, you might get the answers you need to understand. Important note, many trans people are tired of having to explain to others why they exist so if you ask and you are confronted with hostility that is probably why, and it is completely understandable. I'd be angry too if everyone constantly invalidated me, attacked me, told me I'm a faker, and said my gender doesn't exist. I know I went on a tangent here but I feel this is important also. ❤️I am willing to answer questions if you have any. Share this if you would like. Also, feel free to use this post for your own arguments❤️

#tw #trigger warning #transphobia #terf #transmed #truscum #transgender #transsexual #nonbinary #enbyphobia #gender dysphoria #dysphoria #BDD #body dysmorphic disorder #tucute #mine #anti terf #science #tw abuse #bullying

[happynonartist]

Ok I’m gonna try to clear things up a bit.

I am however in no means a professional so don’t take everything I say here for 100% true. If you have anything to add and/or a complain you can tell me but please be respectful, thx.

Transgender - “transcending gender” (Not “transitioning from one gender to another” as suggested by some) everyone who’s assigned sex does not match their gender identity. Identity is shown through behavior, personality and/or way of dressing. This can include tomboys, crossdressers, drag-queens etc. They don’t necessarily need gender dysphoria. They should not transition if they don’t medically have to though. It on its own is not of medical importance. (1, 2)

Transsexual - “transcending sex” (not sexual attraction.) people who transitioned, are transitioning or plan on transitioning from one sex to the other through surgeries and HRT. They can, but don’t have to be transgender. The two terms were merged together with no second thought given because people kept thinking it was a sexual attraction. Gender incongruence (currently still gender dysphoria to my knowledge) should be diagnosed to get insurance to cover it and in some places, to get HRT at all. Some people refuse this term. Transsexualism is still listed as a diagnosis in ICD-10, will however be excluded from ICD-11. Was (again to my knowledge) the original T in LGBT. Wether or not it should be now is up for debate. It is in most cases of medical importance.(2, 3, 4)

Gender Dysphoria - also called Gender Identity Disorder (GID) (though gender dysphoria is usually preferred). Describes the distress related to one’s assigned sex or gender. Exact diagnosis criteria vary but it is usually characterized by distress about one’s assigned sex, the desire to be (perceived/live as) the opposite sex, and a clinically relevant level of suffering. It’s is included in the ICD-10 (as GID) as a personality disorder (and therefore a mental illness) but will be replaced by Gender Incongruence in ICD-11. It is usually the diagnosis needed to get HRT/surgeries covered by insurance. (4, 5)

Gender Incongruence - (GI) is to replace GID in the ICD-11. No longer listed as a mental illness and instead as conditions related to sexual health. As the name suggest it is a consistent incongruence between ones assigned sex and perceived gender (often) leading to the desire to transition. Exact criteria would be unknown to me. (6)

Conclusion for me so far is:

-you don’t need GID or GI to be transgender.

-you do need GID (or GI in the future) to be transsexual/to transition

-transgender people without GID or GI should not transition

-I am not sure if cis people are opposite to transsexual or transgender now.

-either way it would open the option of either transsexual cis people (people who had surgery conforming to their gender) or transgender cis people (people who do not conform to gender roles but are otherwise don’t transition)

-idk if I like that thought,,

-transsexual is not necessarily a bad word, just confusing to some because they don’t know how words work.

-the discourse “you (don’t) need dysphoria to be trans” is pointless because trans can mean both transsexual and transgender so both are right and wrong.

Again take everything with a grain of salt and be respectful.

Sources:

(1)https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/trans-and-gender-nonconforming-identities

(2 both for transgender and transsexual) https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/expert-q-and-a

(3)https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/transsexual

(4 includes both GID and Transsexualism)https://icd.who.int/browse10/2016/en#/F60-F69 (F64)

(5)https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria

(6)https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http%3a%2f%2fid.who.int%2ficd%2fentity%2f90875286

#i’d also like excuse my english im not a native speaker #transgender #transdiscourse #transmed #truscum #tucute #trans

[englishtogether]

Case study: Neuroscience

Context

Christopher is a 9-year-old kid who is in third grade in Primary School. He has been showing in the recent years learning difficulties regarding reading and oral expression. This is why his parents seek help from the school. He has three brothers who help him with his schoolwork, and his parents are involved in this as well, although they have expressed in the past low expectations due to his evolution in the past.

Problems

His reading skills are slow, he tends to skip parts of the texts, and switch some letters and words, thus he takes a lot of time to read even little paragraphs, and his reading comprehension skills also present problems. This causes him to have little interest in reading, and high levels of fatigability. He can write well, but he does have issues with spontaneous writing and dictation. Regarding oral expression, he tends to use very simple words and short sentences to express his ideas. He prefers to learn through visual aids, likes to work alone, understands his limitations which makes him want to learn more and control frustrating emotions well, and since he has high levels of fatigability his focus is better at the beginning of the lessons.

He was diagnosed with Specific Learning Disorder which is a neurodevelopmental disorder that tends to begin at an early age. Learning disabilities refer to ongoing problems in one of the three areas: reading, writings, and math, which are foundational to one's ability to learn (Penesetti, 2018). SLD can impact the ability to put thoughts into written words, spelling, reading comprehension, math calculation, and math problem solving, which causes kids to have issues with different subjects in school. If this disorder is not worked on can cause long term problems like psychological distress, poor mental health, unemployment, and dropping out of school.

Diagnosis

To be diagnosed with SLD, the individual must meet the following criteria:

1.         Have difficulties in reading (inaccurate, slow, and only done with a lot of effort), difficulty with reading comprehension, difficulty with spelling, difficulty with written expression (grammar, punctuation, organization), difficulty understanding number concepts, and difficulty with mathematical reasoning.

2.         Have very low academic skills for their age which can cause problems in everyday activities.

3.         The problem started during school-age (sometimes it appears at a later time in adult life).

4.         The learning difficulties are not due to other conditions, like intellectual disability, vision, or hearing problems, economic or environmental context, family context, etc.

Intervention

The methodology and teaching process inside the class itself can be modified to help this student. Some ideas:

·           Encourage the analysis of different kinds of texts, beginning with short and simple ones, and progressively going with more complex texts.

·           Teaching more vocabulary to the student to improve the oral expression.

·           Working on graphemes and phonemes with the student.

·           Multisensory experiences and use of technology (also material the student has expressed previously interest in).

·           Working with small and interactive groups, instead of big groups.

·           Working with strategies to think aloud while reading or writing.

·         Provide the student with systematic and immediate feedback. As well as oral and clear instructions (Pesova et al., 2014).

·         Flexibility with levels of difficulty.

References

Penesetti, D. (2018). What Is Specific Learning Disorder? American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/specific-learning-disorder/what-is-specific-learning-disorder

Pesovaa, B., Sivevskab, S., & Runcevac, J. (2014). Early Intervention and Prevention of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814049726

#neuroscience

[ruijiexu]

Mental patients and the disabled need jobs

Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.  The disabled definition is impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition: affected by disability. In fact, there are many such patients around us. But almost all of them are difficult to cure. This has had a great impact on their daily lives. Depressed mood, unable to take care of yourself, no job opportunities, and lack of communication will all form a vicious circle.

nearly one in five (19 percent) U.S. adults experience some form of mental illness

one in 24 (4.1 percent) has a serious mental illness*

one in 12 (8.5 percent) has a diagnosable substance use disorder

About 1 in 6 (17%) children aged 3–17 years were diagnosed with a developmental disability, as reported by parents, during a study period of 2009-2017. These included autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, blindness, and cerebral palsy, among others.

Source

What Is Mental Illness？Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H.August 2018 https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness

Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder. September 25, 2020https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 52, Number 59, 1 November 1884https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18841101.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1

[jaibhaktiblog]

Paradigms and How they Block the Freedom to Enter into Enlightenment with Guest Maria Colleen

“Consider for a moment, if we are in fact healing atavistic ancient wounds, and we take into account that trauma is stored in the genes, which are essentially coiled little information packets." -Maria Colleen

“enlightenment.” - According to Webster's dictionary, “to give knowledge or understanding to (someone): to explain something to (someone).

Therefore, YOU are already enlightened. YOU have knowledge and understanding of something that YOU have experienced and can teach from that experience. YOU can educate someone and in turn, make an impact in them because you allowed your light to shine on them. YOU illuminated them in one way or another.

We spoke about how this impacts us, you, and each other as a whole. "Atavistic," being the ancestral DNA of trauma that moves from one to the next. The "Coiling," is like the rising of our "Kundalini" (inner intelligence), that begins to release these little "information packets" of wisdom and knowledge in your entire body.

"It would make sense then that we are uncoiling ancient DNA programs that must be a witness and healed for our survival as a species."- Maria Colleen

Remember the pebble in the lake analogy from a few weeks back?

It is that information that when amplified, give rise to "emotional (we talk to therapists, we eat chocolate, we invoke the heart) it is Physical (we learn why our bodies are the way they are, with doctors, embodiment) and it is spiritual (allowing us to go beyond the rational mind) and that gives us the permission to sense that ultimate Truth, Freedom, and Acceptance." - Maria Colleen

The ripples permeate throughout the entire lake. If there are multiple pebbles, then there are multiple ripples. Each one permeates into the next. Like that, we go beyond limitations, and through embracing each ripple, connecting to the next, we begin to see the clarity of what is.

3 points: Emotional, Physical, Spiritual = Truth, Freedom, Acceptance

Together, these awaken the true enlightenment that is already within you. You are the only person that can block the light from entering or exiting.

How have you experienced Truth, Freedom, Acceptance in your life? Take a moment to reflect and journal about this.

According to the Yoga Sutras - "Enlightenment is the fulfillment of the Self."

I believe you have been enlightened all along. Now is the time to remove the blinders and grow into your truth. As Maria Colleen says, “Always a rebirth, give in to letting go.”

Here are some Resources for Support:

Use code: JBY10 for Self Paced Online Ayurveda Yoga Teacher Training

Announcing 2022 Costa Rica Return to Balance Ayurveda Yoga and Wellness Retreat deposit $497. Prices start at $1272*

Resources to support Mental Health and Depression - shared below:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

NAMI

https://www.nami.org/Home

Find Youth Info

http://findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health

MedlinePlus (U.S. Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

http://www.samhsa.gov/

American Psychiatric Association

http://www.psychiatry.org/mental-health

American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

http://www.aacap.org/

Mental Health America

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

http://www.nami.org/

The Kim Foundation

http://www.thekimfoundation.org/

Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-care-and-health-information

http://psychcentral.com/

Psychology Today

http://psychologytoday.com

Treatment Advocacy Center

http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/

WebMD – http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/default.htm

Health on the Net Foundation (provides Code of Conduct certification for medical and health websites)

http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Patients/Visitor/visitor.html

[grand--queen]

1. What are Peggy’s symptoms? 2. What is your preliminary diagnosis for

1. What are Peggy’s symptoms? 2. What is your preliminary diagnosis for

1. What are Peggy’s symptoms? 2. What is your preliminary diagnosis for Peggy? 3. Differential diagnosis: What diagnoses would you rule out, and why? 4. Discuss the cultural and psychosocial factors that might impact Peggy and her diagnosis. 5. Online Assessment Measures: 1. Go to the American Psychiatric Association website: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-…

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