Interesting Links for 10-05-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Autistic people are dying 16 years earlier - here's why

(tags:autism healthcare society )

2. 'My vote snatched': How to win India's election without a single vote

(tags:india corruption voting )

3. New Lord of the Rings Movies Coming from Peter Jackson in 2026

(tags:lotr movies peterjackson )

4. Voting in Wales: Snooping on the Senedd Reform

(tags:Wales voting reform )

5. Why the Cass approach of antidepressants-first is deeply unethical

(tags:LGBT transgender mentalhealth UK bigotry )

Comments

[cmcmck]

5.

I'd love to be able to talk to Cass about what 'getting on with your life' actually means.

From being a suicidal teenage mess, before hormone therapy and GC surgery I obtained six unviveristy qualifications, had a career in teaching and another in historical research and writing and have also managed a 32 year relationship with he who is now my husband.

[nancylebov]

1.

[nancylebov]

1. I'm fairly happy with my provider, but they insist on using the phone. I would really like email in addition-- I'd have an automatic record of the answer.

Also a good point that 911 should include email and/or text. You don't need autism to have laryngitis.

[bens_dad]

1. I've come to think of online booking for GP and Hospital appointments as standard practice.
Each provider has a different system* and some are only available when the provider is open, but I can get an GP appointment without a phone queue and conversation.

* Not completely true. My GP had two systems, then changed one of them.
I have managed to link the records of two of the teaching hospitals that have cared for me, but not the two that currently care for me.

[bens_dad]

5. My understanding is that Cass is *not* calling for "antidepressants-first".
She is saying that, as soon as a child is referred, they should be assessed, and when appropriate treated, for mental health, gender issues, and autism *in parallel*. She finds the current reality of "oh, you are waiting for an autism/gender diagnosis, we can't treat your mental health until that is settled" worse than unacceptable.
Ideally, she would have children referred well before puberty - assuming they have an inkling - in which case blockers may not be immediately useful anyway.

[andrewducker]

Alas my local GP does not. It's 8am phone calls for an appointment same day, or calling later in the day for an upcoming appointment.

[cmcmck]

I find it disturbing that she feels that autism in something to be 'treated' (I worked as education manager for an autism charity for some years).

In my case it was the deep gender dysphoria that led to the mental health issues and when treatment for that started at eighteen, they went away.

Whodathunkit, eh?

[bens_dad]

I don't think I said that; I certainly did not mean to say that she mentioned treating autism. (As someone on the spectrum, I know that very little support and no "treatment" is offered in our system.)

In the article Andrew directed us to, antidepressants did not help Stephen's major depression, but they did help with some of his lesser symptoms.

[movingfinger]

3. I so wish Peter Jackson would put his fanfic on AO3 like everyone else.

Failing that, at least people in trades etc. are being paid to act out his fanfics.

[cmcmck]

I have to admit that I refused the antidepressants as I knew what the issue was and knew what would deal with it (as most trans people do, in truth).

[gingicat]

I got particularly annoyed when my 18-year-old was referred to the ER for a depressive episode and the evaluator proceeded to pathologize his autism. And, also, I had to amplify everything he said in order to get him discharged again.

[andrewducker]

It's a ridiculous situation.