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Best Of
Re: ADHD
Such important points raised by all! And I am glad to see so many people referencing how so many mental health needs and examples of neurodivergence overlap with one another, not just in terms of symptoms but also in terms of co-morbidity (having two mental health needs at once e.g., anxiety and depression). In many ways a huge issue is a lack of exploration from professionals of the different potential causes of symptoms in individuals. Sometimes if you can make 1 label stick then there is little effort made to consider other 'options'. Given that healthcare is predisposed to care more about cis men's experiences of mental health needs and neurodivergence, it's hardly surprising, albeit very sad, to see lots of misdiagnosis for people of other genders. Another thing to consider is that whilst we may see 'more accurate' diagnosis in cis white men, this is significantly less likely to be the case for men of marginalised races. I think all of this reinforces how we should always try to learn as much as we can about different symptoms and how they can be perceived differently depending on who is expressing them. Thanks for talking about such an important issue, everyone 
Re: ADHD
I think this is really interesting.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with BPD and went to therapy for years. It later turns out they are autistic. I thought I might have BPD too, but I realised I'm more likely to be autistic. I think it's easy to be misdiagnosed with anxiety, BPD etc., not only because of the symptom overlap but also because autistic individuals are vulnerable and more likely to go through trauma e.g. bullying or abuse, which in turn affects mental health, and then a misdiagnosis of BPD might happen because of the trauma while autism/ADHD might get missed in the process.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with BPD and went to therapy for years. It later turns out they are autistic. I thought I might have BPD too, but I realised I'm more likely to be autistic. I think it's easy to be misdiagnosed with anxiety, BPD etc., not only because of the symptom overlap but also because autistic individuals are vulnerable and more likely to go through trauma e.g. bullying or abuse, which in turn affects mental health, and then a misdiagnosis of BPD might happen because of the trauma while autism/ADHD might get missed in the process.
Maisy
1
Re: ADHD
@Zoya_Jungkook I think this is a very complex issue and a really great one to be brought up actually.
It seems like a lot of women in particular are misdiagnosed with many different illnesses that turn out to be ADHD. I think because the benchmark has been based around young boys having ADHD, and the lack of awareness that girls can have it too, but we all just respond differently. Symptoms vary between each individual and I think the problem is that diagnoses have checklists that are very strict, and so, when girls don't fit into these they are often diagnosed as having autism or anxiety instead.
I think more training is needed for this definitely. I mean a lot of girls and women are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder when they actually should be diagnosed as autistic, this is becoming quite common too, which is upsetting because it means they're not able to access the right support services to help them.
It's just becoming so common for different disorders or illnesses to be misdiagnosed as others either due to the strict symptoms associated with each one, but also because a lot of the symptoms individuals show can be put into more than one diagnosis, and because of the lack of funding for mental health services such as psychiatrists, they only really have one hour with individuals to determine the diagnosis which is far too little. Plus the waiting lists are months to years for a diagnosis from a psychiatrist so by this point, other symptoms i.e. self-harm behaviours or suicidal feelings come into play, and with just one hour, it can really make it difficult to provide a thorough assessment and a correct diagnosis.
It seems like a lot of women in particular are misdiagnosed with many different illnesses that turn out to be ADHD. I think because the benchmark has been based around young boys having ADHD, and the lack of awareness that girls can have it too, but we all just respond differently. Symptoms vary between each individual and I think the problem is that diagnoses have checklists that are very strict, and so, when girls don't fit into these they are often diagnosed as having autism or anxiety instead.
I think more training is needed for this definitely. I mean a lot of girls and women are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder when they actually should be diagnosed as autistic, this is becoming quite common too, which is upsetting because it means they're not able to access the right support services to help them.
It's just becoming so common for different disorders or illnesses to be misdiagnosed as others either due to the strict symptoms associated with each one, but also because a lot of the symptoms individuals show can be put into more than one diagnosis, and because of the lack of funding for mental health services such as psychiatrists, they only really have one hour with individuals to determine the diagnosis which is far too little. Plus the waiting lists are months to years for a diagnosis from a psychiatrist so by this point, other symptoms i.e. self-harm behaviours or suicidal feelings come into play, and with just one hour, it can really make it difficult to provide a thorough assessment and a correct diagnosis.
Re: ADHD
It’s definitely an issue I’d say. I often wonder if I have something like ADHD (at least the inattentive part) but not sure. I think there definitely needs to be more awareness of how it can affect females, especially into adulthood. There’s lots of info about ADHD in young boys, but not so much for adult women especially
Redacted Files
Anchor here! Coming with another informative information overload.
You might be wondering what redacted files are. I'm here to explain! According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary redacted can be defined as "edited especially in order to obscure or remove sensitive information". This means redacted files have been edited to remove sensitive information.
So how are files redacted? A member of staff who has access to your files will spend time redacting them. This will look like big black thick lines that almost look as if they've taken a big black marker and scored over anything you aren't supposed to see. Here's an example of what a redacted file may look like.
So you may be wondering why are files redacted? There's numerous reasons for this. Partly it is to anonymise people mentioned who may not want to be named. For example my school files are heavily redacted and teachers names have been redacted. It may feel stupid especially if you can work out who the person is, but ultimately just because you know who that person is, doesn't mean you can prove it if you went to court for whatever reason. It all comes down to data protection. Another IMPORTANT reason is they can redact sensitive information which may actually cause you harm. For example if you were abused as a baby or young infant, they could redact specific details to prevent you from further trauma. They can also redact information that isn't relevant to you, for example an email sent regarding multiple pupils, they would redact everything that wasn't related to you specifically.
Why is it important to talk about redactions? Well redactions are a major part of social work files, CAMHS files and school files. Care experienced people who access their files will much more often than not have redacted files. It's important to talk about redactions because seeing large chunks of your life blocked out can be distressing. You might spend a lot of time trying to work out what's underneath these redactions when it's physically impossible to do so.
I have attached some of my redacted files so you can see how severe the redactions can be. The coloured redactions are ones I've done as you don't need the details but it shows you how much information could be redacted. It's important to prepare for these redactions.
You can see how some information may be totally redacted compared to how some may have snippets of information but large chunks are redacted so it's hard to get the full context. Naturally your head may start to try and fill in these blanks, something which can be mentally exhausting and stressful.
It's important to separate yourself from your files. Take time for yourself and request someone to go through them with you. It's hard, it's gruelling and it effects everyone differently.
I hope this has been informative! If anyone has any question, leave them below!
You might be wondering what redacted files are. I'm here to explain! According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary redacted can be defined as "edited especially in order to obscure or remove sensitive information". This means redacted files have been edited to remove sensitive information.
So how are files redacted? A member of staff who has access to your files will spend time redacting them. This will look like big black thick lines that almost look as if they've taken a big black marker and scored over anything you aren't supposed to see. Here's an example of what a redacted file may look like.
So you may be wondering why are files redacted? There's numerous reasons for this. Partly it is to anonymise people mentioned who may not want to be named. For example my school files are heavily redacted and teachers names have been redacted. It may feel stupid especially if you can work out who the person is, but ultimately just because you know who that person is, doesn't mean you can prove it if you went to court for whatever reason. It all comes down to data protection. Another IMPORTANT reason is they can redact sensitive information which may actually cause you harm. For example if you were abused as a baby or young infant, they could redact specific details to prevent you from further trauma. They can also redact information that isn't relevant to you, for example an email sent regarding multiple pupils, they would redact everything that wasn't related to you specifically.
Why is it important to talk about redactions? Well redactions are a major part of social work files, CAMHS files and school files. Care experienced people who access their files will much more often than not have redacted files. It's important to talk about redactions because seeing large chunks of your life blocked out can be distressing. You might spend a lot of time trying to work out what's underneath these redactions when it's physically impossible to do so.
I have attached some of my redacted files so you can see how severe the redactions can be. The coloured redactions are ones I've done as you don't need the details but it shows you how much information could be redacted. It's important to prepare for these redactions.
You can see how some information may be totally redacted compared to how some may have snippets of information but large chunks are redacted so it's hard to get the full context. Naturally your head may start to try and fill in these blanks, something which can be mentally exhausting and stressful.
It's important to separate yourself from your files. Take time for yourself and request someone to go through them with you. It's hard, it's gruelling and it effects everyone differently.
I hope this has been informative! If anyone has any question, leave them below!
Re: What's your political leaning?
I find there's usually a difference between one's ideology and the politicians they support.It's funny though because I despise the Tories and I personally vote SNP.
Interesting.
This is why I don't like politics
Thanks guys - super interesting. I like that you all mentioned economics, and it's worth highlighting that your social and economic alignment can be different. For example, you can be socially liberal but fiscally more conservative. Wish there was an easy way to capture that in a poll!
JustV
2
Re: What's your political leaning?
Seemingly I'm centre right. I think people that work for their money have earned it, so why should they be taxed heavier to "even" the playing field, when some people literally choose to cheat the benefits system to be lazy.
It's funny though because I despise the Tories and I personally vote SNP.
Interesting.
This is why I don't like politics
It's funny though because I despise the Tories and I personally vote SNP.
Interesting.
This is why I don't like politics
Re: What's your political leaning?
@Mike This is a really interesting thread, thanks so much!
I'm similar to @AislingDM between far left and centre left. I don't know enough about certain areas to be completely in one lane
I'm similar to @AislingDM between far left and centre left. I don't know enough about certain areas to be completely in one lane