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Neuro-Diversity and its relation not only to Psychiatric Disorders --- BUT also Cancer, Metabolism Dysregulation and Auto-immune Diseases

1/25/2023

Conjecture

When you have a lot of people who have:

neuro-developmental inflammation,
hyper-connected brains,
intense emotions and
idiosyncratic executive functioning challenges ---

You could end up with the Society we have now.

FURTHER --- the SYMPTOM CLUSTERS as contained in the DSM ---

MIGHT be better than nothing ---
BUT those SYMPTOM CLUSTERS can also be EXTREMELY MISLEADING
- to the person AND
- the people around them

EVEN FURTHER --- DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION is not exactly RARE --- so the likelihood that at least some of the people around them are contending with their own DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION is pretty high.

In 2013 --- the National Institute of Mental Health said we have to get to the "UNDERLYING BIOLOGY."

I think at the time that was seen as COLD and UNFEELING by some ---
- BUT from my perspective the large number of people who are MISSED by the current categories and the LARGE NUMBER OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISES that are NOT AVERTED because we're not able to PREVENTATIVELY IDENTIFY BIOMARKERS ---
  - leads to numerous TRAGEDIES.

Further, I would say this is not just about about our MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS --

it's also CANCER
METABOLISM DYSREGULATION including Obesity but not limited to Obesity, and
AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES

Cancer and Neuro-Diversity

Metabolism, the Immune System, the Endocrine System and Mental Health

Neuro-Developmental Inflammation & Metabolic Dysregulation

***Physical Health Issues, the Immune System & Mental Health Index

OBSESSIVENESS and Neuro-Diversity

1/22/2023

Let's just get really HONEST --- I don't have a website with over 1,000 pages because I'm NOT obsessive.

"OCD" is part of Neuro-Diversity and that can look a lot of different ways.
Further, Neuro-Diversity is very blurred and many to most people have more than one diagnosis.

Further, we have HYPER-CONNECTED BRAINS, Intense Emotions that are often "normal" in every way except INTENSITY and the much talked about REJECTION SENSITIVE DYSPHORIA.

You could see how this could go awry in many, many, many ways.

One of the experiences I have recently had is someone seemingly trying to CATFISH me for a few days.

Two of my favorite artistic examples of romantic obsessiveness gone awry are Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart" and John Green's young adult novel "Paper Towns."

MTV's Catfish

"Nev and Kamie are back on the road, uncovering secrets behind elusive small-town crushes, mysterious international pop stars and more as they investigate how far catfishing goes in 2022."

The Scope: Why Do People Catfish?

Miranda Lambert
Mama's Broken Heart

John Green

Quentin "Q" Jacobsen

The protagonist and narrator of the story. Quentin is the stereotypical rule-follower. He likes things to be neat and simple, making him the complete opposite of Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin has had a crush on Margo since they were kids, but the distance he kept from her created a perfect image of her in his head that turned out not to be real. His desire to find her after she goes missing drives the events of the story.
--- Wikipedia

What is so cool about John Green is that he is very open about his OCD and I think it takes a lot of guts to write about romantic obsession as in "Paper Towns."

We are at the point of OPENLY talking about CATFISHING --- there is a 2010 film and a MTV Documentary-reality series.

Even as we are in the midst of FAKE IDENTITIES and SOCIAL MEDIA POSTURING ----

that is IRONICALLY ACCELERATING the NEED for MORE AUTHENTICITY.

Parsing Mental Health Treatment

1/18/2023

from Miraculous Treatments to Neuro-Developmental Conversion Therapy & Everything In-Between

Val's Take/Conjecture

One of the Symbols on the Orchid website is "MIXED BAGS" ---

that often accurately describes not only mental health patients but mental health clinicians as well ---
and often in the same person

So the "MIXED BAG" of the patient can be HIGH SUBSTANTIVE STRENGTHS --- but certainly the "perception" of LOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING ---

even if that LOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING is sometimes to often the RESULT of getting pushed outside our individual ENERGY ZONES
- Which is quite a "MIXED BAG" itself often including periods of "HYPER-FOCUS" or "HYPER-ACTIVITY" --- and a subsequent need to "CRASH."

WHO is PUSHING --- NEURO-DIVERGENT people outside their ENERGY ZONES:

Often Neuro-Divergent people themselves
WHO are SUPER-SENSITIVE to their ENVIRONMENTS and are in largely HYPER-COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENTS in most parts of the world.
That sure FEELS like Orwell's "ANIMAL FARM" --- We're all equal --- Some are just MORE EQUAL than others.

BUT the SOCIETY is doing plenty of this PUSHING OUTSIDE OF HOMEOSTASIS as well.

It's just been really hard to get our heads around High Substantive Strengths / IQ over 70 and SIGNIFICANT EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING challenges when compared with the NORM or Neuro-Typicals.

It's been particularly hard to address this PARADOX of "GIFTEDNESS" or "GENIUS" and "MADNESS" even though it has been referenced SINCE ANCIENT TIMES.

NOBODY WANTS THE "MADNESS" PART.

It is about SLOWING DOWN in come respects--- but often not how we think or clinicians or even REASONABLE PEOPLE would think.

Clinicians in many parts of the world have gotten amazingly skilled at addressing the MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS --- even if there are still a lot of problems.

Neuroscience News

Jan. 16, 2023

The Link Between Mental Health & ADHD is Strong --- Why Aren't We Paying Attention?

What MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS often SUCK at --- is after the Crisis because they don't understand and the person often doesn't understand that under all this TURMOIL and UPSET and COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION is ----

A Neuro-Developmental Difference(s) involving shared genes, developmental systemic inflammation and hyper-connected brains.
- And this is making it hard if not impossible for the person to meet current demands as they are currently structured.
- Due to differences in EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING and ENERGY.

So at least some people in Colorado notably mental health advocate Amy Smith --- and myself --- find --- that to truly get better ----
- You need to do your own RESEARCH, and
  - for some people --- you may ultimately need to get away from the MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

It is NOT MY OPINION --- that is the IDEAL SITUATION.

I didn't do all this research because I just wanted to --- I'm a big believer in the PRINCIPLE of LEAST EFFORT ---

everything you see on this website was an enormous amount of effort for me and came at great personal sacrifice ---
I'm not very happy about it ---
BUT my life and the lives of my family are NOW --- and I couldn't wait for MENTAL HEALTH and the SOCIETY to get on top of this.

Failure to provide the RESEARCH and TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH SUPPORT necessary and to FULLY INTEGRATE Physical and Mental Health mean Mental Health IS NOT COMPETENT and they don't have the TOOLS to become COMPETENT.

More on Neuro-Diversity, Developmental Difference and What Sure Can Look Like Lack of Empathy ---Isn't ---- BUT IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS

1/15/2023

Val's Take/ Conjecture

We don't have a good appreciation that we are individually trying to SURVIVE with sometimes slightly and sometimes greatly different RANGES in FUNCTIONING.

For many people who have Executive Functioning Differences --- they largely grew up in a Society in which --- THERE WAS NO EXCUSE.

You didn't know you had EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING DIFFERENCES often until you BURNT OUT or BROKE DOWN.

And UNTIL QUITE RECENTLY --- you still probably didn't know ---
- Take some Medication
- Participate in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
  - That's been the PRESCRIPTION for QUITE AWHILE and our MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS is NOT ABATING.
MEDICATION and CBT can be helpful ---
- BUT if professionals DON'T UNDERSTAND that many of the people they are working with have underlying DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES ---
  - Those professionals can be part of the PROBLEM just as much as they are legitimately part of the SOLUTION.

From my perspective --- what is sometimes to often happening --- is People are getting pushed passed THEIR INDIVIDUAL BIOLOGICAL LIMITS

Individuals have not had a good explanation of this
Executive Functioning and Developmental Difference have not been ROUTINELY understood as PART & PARCEL of many PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
- We've known a long time about GENETICS -- but the initial twin studies were confusing ---
- It is INCREASED KNOWLEDGE about EPIGENETICS and the IMMUNE SYSTEM ---
  - at least at the RESEARCH LEVEL ---
  - that is REVEALING we have had SIGNIFICANT GAPS in our understanding.

Paul Micallef -- Autism from the Inside
"My strategies tend to be very different than what work for other people.

"THE BEST THING FOR ME IS TO DO WHAT WORKS FOR ME."

If current research is right that SOCIAL BEHAVIOR is a product of a DELICATE BALANCE of INNATE & ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY ---And Many Neuro-Diverse People born with MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION and HYPER-CONNECTED BRAINS

Are pretty close to their LIMITS most of the time.
Add on other sources of INFLAMMATION (which are legion)---
- At least in some cases --- I believe that is a recipe for DISASTER.

3 Big Take Aways From the Reasearch

Rather than trying to push people to have NEURO-TYPICAL FUNCTIONING --- especially EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING --- We need to raise the bar in terms of ASSESSMENT, WORK-AROUNDS and PEER COACHING.

Further, the ramped up Stress Responses that can spiral out of control in NEURO-DIVERSITY---CAN MAKE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING WORSE.

Most people want to LIVE THEIR BEST LIFE ---But that can be difficult to do if you don't understand your limits, the professional class has a pretty shaky grasp and is sometimes inadvertently making things worse by confusing lack of responsibility with DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCE --That if managed with MORE AWARENESS might avoid some of the WORST PITFALLS.

Thoughts on Neuro-Diverse Careers

1/11/2023

It used to be that we made a BIG DISTINCTION between MANAGERS and EXPERTS --

and we often considered that ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT as ---- oh anybody can do that --- that's women's work.
- This is one woman who is TERRIBLE at ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.

I think one of the things that has happened with GLOBALIZATION and HYPER-COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENTS is that --- we're all wearing more HATS --- whether we are well-suited for them or not.

I have an unusual experience with chronic disorganization --- I fell far from the tree. I had 2 Parents who were good to great to amazing organizers and that really allowed me to shine ----they weren't doing my homework for me --- but they were maintaining not a perfect environment --- but a pretty darn good one.

I think there are those kids with ADHD that were told they were idiots and that skewed their perception of reality ---

I think there is another group that was told they were "gifted" ("giftedness" is now often recognized as part of neuro-diversity) ---
- and they also have a skewed perception of reality.

For many of us born long before the current understandings regarding Neuro-Developmental Differences & Disorders and their relationship to Psychiatric Disorders ---

this has been a difficult journey and some people didn't survive it.

One of the things most modern adults need to survive is a JOB or their own business.

Lex Morningstar talks among other things about being a woman with "ADHD" who is not the best organizer and a society that is expecting she should be.

I wouldn't necessarily say that there is something "inherently wrong" with the person --- BUT I would say there is something "inherently different" ---- that is often about among other things --- sensory processing.

Lex also mentions "unfinished projects" --- I'm going to push back on that a little bit.

Leonardo da Vinci had a lot of unfinished projects and what he recognized was ----

He couldn't do everything
And his projects got re-prioritized as his knowledge changed.

Cont. from Column 1

Because of the Sensory Processing Differences --- I would say that Neuro-Diverse People can make great EXPERTS (there are NO PERFECT EXPERTS) ---

they often are just by nature taking in MORE INFORMATION.

They also make as Lex said great Entrepreneurs --- when they can channel their own insights into their own vision.

Science & Art ---- both generally place a high value on "TRUTH" and "CREATIVITY."

Religion/Spirituality --- I would maintain that many of the world's great spiritual leaders for better or worse were Neuro-Diverse.

Meditation and Prayer I think are useful for anyone --- especially the sensory overloaded and overwhelmed
The flip side of that is --- no matter how much information you're taking in --- you're not going to know it all in this lifetime
- Uncertainty is scary and anxiety producing especially for those with ramped up STRESS RESPONSES.

Teaching/Coaching ---- Can be the EXPERT in which it all came easily --- Can also be the person who struggled, ultimately mastered the subject in question and has a better understanding of the PITFALLS.

Entrepreneurship, Art, Science, Religion/Spirituality and Teaching & Coaching can be great outlets ---we do have to be careful about ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS.

Here is what I think will become one of the ironies of empowering people who are Neuro-Diverse ---We will likely also be empowering those people who are good at ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. (or at least we SHOULD)

Managing a Hyper-Connected Brain with Executive Functioning Challenges

11/30/2022

Managing a HYPER-CONNECTED BRAIN with Executive Challenges is no easy trick ---

God knows the help from the Society could be a whole lot better than it is.

Categories help us make sense of the world.

Further --- there are "sex differences."

Now by and large --- this is becoming problematic for both MEN and WOMEN ---

These are extreme examples --- but I think there can be some illumination even though this is often more complicated.
Einstein we got as an absent-minded professor -- after a fashion.
Temple Grandin we get --- now.
Edith Bunker from Norman Lear's "All in the Family" --- the "Dingbat" --- do we get her?
Gracie Allen from the '40s --- do we get her?
What about Kendrick Lamar? --- Some people do --- and some people don't.
Elon Musk?
Selena Gomez?

Big Strengths and Executive Functioning Challenges are playing out in a complicated SOCIAL DYNAMIC.

When we've got a visual cue like a Physical Disability such as epilepsy, lupus, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, etc.
We often can accommodate/work around Executive Functioning Issues sometimes a little easier --
because we're already "ON NOTICE" that there are some differences.

Mutual Benefit

It can be hugely problematic not only for OTHERS but also for the PERSON themselves to recognize Executive Functioning Differences if there are not obvious Physical Differences ---

Although New York writer Fran Lebowitz maintains we all have at least 17 body flaws.

On top of this we have CATEGORIES in the DSM 5 that are identifying SOME PEOPLE ----

and MISSING A LOT OF OTHERS.

Well who wants a LABEL?

Well -- as YouTube's Neuro-Divergent Rebel points out --- nobody until ---
- you're getting an even less flattering label.

YouTube is full of Neuro-Divergent 30 and 40 somethings who are OUTING THEMSELVES with their Executive Functioning Differences ---

because the challenges of the Society have become EXCRUCIATINGLY DIFFICULT.
Further, it is clear most of these people have BIG TIME STRENGTHS and they want to engage in a DIALOGUE for MUTUAL BENEFIT.

Time Management, Slower Processing, Fatigue, Transitions & Gifts

10/28/2022

Some of the most important "BOUNDARIES" that Neuro-Diverse People need to set involve --- TIME.

There are at least 3 BIG CHALLENGING COMPONENTS:

Time needed to MANAGE Executive Functioning Challenges
Time to DEVELOP and UTILIZE GIFTS, and
Fatigue

Now, pretty much everyone is struggling with these issues --- but they often can be more extreme for Neuro-Diverse People.

Some of the Executive Functioning Challenges can be BIGGER.
Some of the GIFTS can be BIGGER too.
The Neuro-Diverse ENERGY SUPPLY can be confusing ---
- Sometimes bursts of energy and creativity, and
- Greater Risk of BURNOUT and even BREAKDOWN.

For those of us who have "BROKEN DOWN" like myself ----
- It is not just a question of taking the medication.

It's also putting a lot of work into TIME MANAGEMENT ----
- and the result is NOT NEURO-TYPICAL

I have a lot of people in my life and I'm probably one of these people in some of their lives ---
- "What you really need to do is stop being such a people pleaser."
- They say that and I say that UNTIL: I'm not people pleasing them anymore, or they're not people pleasing me.

At the end of the day THIS IS NOT ABOUT "REASONABLENESS"
- This is about EDUCATION.
- EDUCATING OURSELVES & OTHERS about our True Limits & THEIR TRUE LIMITS and Developing the AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS most of us desire.

Part of that EDUCATION PROCESS is realizing that the challenges people in our lives have ---- often have very little to do with us ---
- BUT we can make them WORSE by failing to ACCEPT them,
- BY SCAPEGOATING PEOPLE, and/or
- BY TAKING IT PERSONALLY.

Most of us in Modern Society struggle with this --- it is RAMPED UP for Neuro-Diverse People and there is greater need for:

Chilling Out
Humor
A Break

Having RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY FIGURES talk about the importance of setting IDIOSYNCRATIC BOUNDARIES --- could make this EASIER for Neuro-Diverse People in the Society.

Asperger's from the Inside
Managing Transition Time

UK's Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body
What Is Neuro-Diversity?

What I particularly like about this video from the UK's Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body is that the Clinician points out Neuro-Diversity has to be understood in relation to whatever the MAJORITY is .

Neurodivergent Rebel
Setting & Maintaining Healthy Boundaries

Third Alternatives

Reading Disorders & Psychiatric Co-Morbidity

10/16/2022

Conjecture

The Connections between:
- Neuro-Developmental Differences such as ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia and Comorbidity of Psychiatric Disorders, and
- Developmental Inflammation and Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders are becoming fairly well established.

This has RAMIFICATIONS obviously for TREATMENT ---
- BUT also for getting out of the MODERN MYTHOLOGY of the BRAIN ---

Our populations have serious, widespread issues with DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION.

Early Diagnosis and Support are CRITICAL for people with Neuro-Developmental Differences associated with significant CO-MORBIDITY with Psychiatric Disorders.

There often are GIFTS --- BUT the CHALLENGES are there too ---- and it can be quite the TRAP FOR THE UNWARY.

Recognizing Psychiatric Comorbidity With Reading Disorders
https://www.frontiersin.org › fpsyt.2018.00101 › full

by RL Hendren · 2018 · Cited by 117 — These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, autism ...

Descriptive epidemiology of prenatal and perinatal risk factors ...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC5098179

by L Liu · 2016 · Cited by 39 — We found an association between maternal infectious diseases and dyslexia. Epidemiological studies have shown that maternal infection could ...

The Dyslexia Research Trust in the UK
Immunological Factors in Dyslexia

"REASONABLENESS" as a Driver of "TOXICITY"

10/13/2022

Conjecture

Honestly, most people are pretty good at accommodating or working around the DIFFERENCES of others IF:

they know what those DIFFERENCES are and
they know how to accommodate or work around them.

The truth is many Neuro-Diverse people are NOT AWARE or AWARE ENOUGH of their own EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES ---

What we tend to use as a SHORT-CUT ---- is some general notion of "REASONABLENESS" for:
- Short Term Memory
- Planning
- Organization
- Energy
- Emotional Regulation
- Etc.

That can turn out to be PROBLEMATIC on the mild end or DISASTROUS on the far end--- because for Neuro-Diverse people they often have IDIOSYNCRATIC DIFFERENCES in EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING.

A big part of the CHALLENGE of NEURO-DIVERSITY is that it is not just at one level of the society --- it's at the bottom, the middle and the top ---
- and we tend to have a fair amount of UNCONSCIOUS BIAS regarding from whom we will TOLERATE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES.

Some "RESILIENCE" researchers do make the point that what we're trying to do is get to an ACCURATE VIEW ---
- That has been elusive in the old but newly appreciated realm of Neuro-Diversity

When it is not appreciated and we don't have an ACCURATE VIEW ---- "TOXICITY" either INDIVIDUALLY or in RELATIONSHIPS or in the SOCIETY I think can be a consequence.

ADHD & Exhaustion

One of the big insights of the last few years is that many people do not fit neatly into DSM categories and researchers are advising that there are shared genes and categories are BLURRED.

We don't want to be:

Demonizing people for EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES --
But we also don't want to be BLAMING others for our EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES.
AND we want as ACCURATE a view as we can get both of ourselves and of others

I often post videos from Asperger's From the Inside (now Autism From the Inside) -- and Paul makes the point that once people understand that his challenges are REAL --- the world is a much KINDER place.Additionally, in the words of Canadian Psychologist Tayyab Rashid --- "STRENGTHS ARE REAL."

Understanding REAL EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES and REAL STRENGTHS --- has the potential to ---

get us out of "TOXICITY"
and to a more accurate view of ourselves and others and our society
hopefully leading to more KINDNESS & RESILIENCE.

"Empathy" in ADHD and Autism

9/20/2022

Things are lot more complicated than they seem -- and there are Sex Differences

Conjecture

One of the ERRORS we have made is viewing EMOTION and LOGIC/RATIONALITY as OPPOSITES ---
- Emotion is part of the Reasoning Process
- There's enormous information in Emotion ---
- BUT we don't have an UNLIMITED ABILITY to take that on.

What we've been calling "EMPATHY" appears to really be the brain's PRE-CONSCIOUS determination of whether someone is on our team.

Neurodivergent Therapist Louise Taylor's "EMPATHY of EFFORT" ----- we're just in the beginning stages of developing and it is a BIG COST --
- BOTH Emotionally and
- from a Reasoning standpoint AND
- from an ENERGY standpoint.

[Is "DOUBLE EMPATHY" --- "LOVING YOUR ENEMY" --- it might be]

Neuro-Diversity is often characterized by:
- RAMPED UP STRESS RESPONSES
- RAMPED UP EMOTIONS
- & at least sometimes RAMPED UP RATIONALITY to deal with all that.

Neuro-Diverse Therapist Louise Taylor on "EMPATHY"

If Autism and ADHD are under-diagnosed in girls and women, anxiety and classic "mental illness" are often under-diagnosed in boys and men ---

You can really appreciate the IRONY and RAMIFICATIONS of this when you realize NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS such as ADHD and Autism are associated with PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS.

What Do I Mean ---

We don't have any "UNLIMITED" ability as "INDIVIDUALS" to take on Sensory Information, Emotion --- and REASON our way through all that.

We're relying more than we have realized on UNCONSCIOUS BEHAVIOR and JUDGMENTS:

BUT --- it's a SHORT-CUT ---- and like a lot of "SHORT-CUTS" it can miss things and get things "WRONG"
We consciously process 40 to 50 bits of information for every 11 MILLION we take in according to some estimates in 2022----
- Even if you are processing a lot more information than the "AVERAGE" person --- and are aware of "MORE LOGICAL PROBLEMS and INCONSISTENCIES"
- It is still a RELATIVELY SMALL/TINY AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ---
- AND EVEN THAT MODEST INCREASE IN PROCESSING --- is coming AT A HUGE ENERGY COST.

INTEGRATIVE THINKING / RECOGNIZING INTEGRATIVE COMPLEXITY is NOT EASY for US and that's why we don't do more of it.

We've lost an HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING of HUMAN EXISTENCE --- because we thought we were so ADVANCED we didn't need it.

WE NEED THAT LONGER VIEW --- because we're NOT AS FAR A LONG AS WE THINK --- and at 40 to 50 bits of information for every 11 Million (and that 11 Million doesn't represent all of reality)
- WE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO.

FAITH/REASON/EMPIRICISM --- We're gonna need it all for the LONG ROAD AHEAD --- that as INDIVIDUALS we only travel a tiny portion of.

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