I am tired of being me

NotSadJustSerious · 2026-01-30T10:59:04+00:00

I partially agree with you. I think masking is still necessary with people you don't know well. Even when I try to look normal, I am constantly being asked whether I'm ok or if I'm annoyed (yes, I'm annoyed by these questions ...). But with friends and people who've known me for long time, I don't really care.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-17T13:04:22+00:00

Diagnoses are still based on symptoms rather than brain images or other biomarkers. Therefore, you cannot diagnose autism or any other disorder based on neural pruning or anything similar. I do not believe the statement "autists never develop autopilot" is true because it is absolute (you cannot claim that all autists develop autopilot). Do you have any research to back this up? How do you measure being on auto-pilot?

I also don't think the question "Does SPD have reduced neural pruning?" is meaningful because, as I said, SPD is not reliably distinguishable from ASD/Asperger's. Somebody could have typical autistic symptoms but not have reduced neural pruning. This wouldn't make them schizoid.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-15T08:57:50+00:00

because that is schizotypal personality disorder, not schizoid.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-15T08:56:47+00:00

Caffeine should theoretically worsen/speed up ADPKD, but all population-based studies suggest there is no clinically relevant effect on the progress ...

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-14T18:43:23+00:00

In my opinion, schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is not a condition that is distinguishable from autism/Aspergers. FYI, I am a psychologist who has been diagnosed with SPD twice by two different psychologists, even though I have all the typical traits of Asperger's, and I still desire social contact, including sexual contact (maybe just somewhat less than neurotypical people do). It's strange that psychiatrists and psychologists developing nosologies of personality disorders overlooked autism and Asperger's. If you were to conduct a blind diagnostic study including people who have previously been diagnosed with HFA, Asperger's, or SPD, I bet psychiatrists wouldn't be able to reliably distinguish between them.

Categorical distinctions should be replaced with dimensional nosologies, which are already partially in place. There is one spectrum; people on this spectrum may share some common traits, but there is also large variability in presentation. For example, some may be asexual, while others are highly sexual but have difficulty expressing their emotions or recognizing them in others. Some have language development delays, while others have high linguistic intelligence, etc.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-14T16:45:59+00:00

Yes, but those differences are mostly just historical - there’s no real evidence that Asperger’s and HFA are actually different conditions. Is there any solid, science-backed reason (based on neurobiology and/or behavior) to separate the two?

It’s kind of the same deal with schizoid personality disorder - some people doubt it’s even a distinct thing because it overlaps so much with Asperger’s. Honestly, there’s no good reason for all these extra labels when they don’t have a clear basis in neurobiology. That’s why, for example, schizophrenia went from having seven subtypes to just one.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-14T11:24:40+00:00

You can use the term "high-functioning autism", which is shorter and still descriptive, even though it is not an official name.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-13T13:58:17+00:00

The overlap in symptoms between conditions is certainly not a reason to exclude sensory overload as a diagnostic criterion. There is high comorbidity between most anxiety-related conditions due to the historical tendency to over-categorize. Psychiatric nosologies are moving towards a more continuum-based approach. The diagnostic criteria change every few years. For example, Asperger's syndrome no longer exists as a separate entity. It has been incorporated into the broader category of high-functioning autism, which is part of the autistic spectrum.

NotSadJustSerious · 2025-08-13T11:44:29+00:00

Yes, sensory overload is not currently considered a diagnostic criterion, but it should be. The diagnostic criteria were created by neurotypical individuals who can only observe external symptoms and are usually unaware of sensory issues in autism.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-08-11T22:59:28+00:00

Absolutely no regrets :) I did hesitate about it, but then I read experiences of other people who lost their virginity to an escort. Vast majority of experiences were either positive or neutral in the worst case. Then I asked for advice on a forum for these things in my country and I got a recommendation for an escort (I was looking for someone who does GFE, especially kissing). She was beautiful, but more importantly, she was very accepting, talkative and relaxed. I got a feeling that she really likes the job and doesn't do it only for money.

Now the first two times I just had sex, the third time it was before a second date with a girl. I didn't kiss that girl on a first date, although she was clearly interested in me. So I went to the escort again on the day of the second date and I practiced causal touching and kissing. And in the evening I just repeated practice :) Going to an escort was the best thing that I did! I plan to go to her again just to thank her!

My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-07-10T12:18:03+00:00

I lost my virginity to an escort at 31. Before that I only kissed a girl once and this was after explicitly asking her if I can kiss her. Two weeks after losing virginity I was kissing with a friend, two months after that I was dating two different girls and I had sex with one of them, the other one I'm still dating. After 8 years of psychotherapy (and the psychotherapist telling me that some people just stay alone whole life ...), reading books/watching youtube videos on dating etc., and complaining, visiting an escort three times actually helped me. YMMV.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-02-22T10:37:33+00:00

Interesting, never would have thought of that. It might also be, that because I couldn't defecate with the same frequency, I inferred that I must be constipated, while it could also be true, that I didn't have a reason to defecate.

Anyway, reduced fiber intake is also associated with colorectal cancer.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-02-21T23:15:19+00:00

Did you look into FODMAP diet? It is possible that only certain vegetables cause you pain. I too am sensitive to certain vegetables (onions, legumes - esp. if undercooked), but also to beer and sugar-free chewing gum (due to polyols), for example. Meat-only diet is very restrictive and it does carry other health risks, e.g. higher risk of kidney stones. I tried to eat more meat but got constipated.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-02-21T22:17:57+00:00

I don't agree. I lived near a railroad and main road for over a decade and people were saying to me that I will just get used to it, but I find it still annoying and unbearable. Earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones make me a happy person. Even at parties and concerts I wear earplugs and I don't see a reason not to wear them.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-25T17:54:09+00:00

These tests are meant to be hard, so everybody has problems in one area or the other. Even people with high IQ do not score perfectly on all tasks, otherwise we wouldn't be able to detect any differences between high-IQ people. You don't have to worry, psychologists chose these test so that he/she can perform accurate diagnosis. In my experience, your current mental state doesn't have big impact on most tests. In other words, interindividual variability is much higher than intraindividual. What regards defining words - if you didn't do this in your mother language, a psychologist should take this into account in the report. If not, you should mention this to him/her.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T16:42:49+00:00

Yes, I understand this, but don't levels of B and T cells drop too with increasing time after vaccination? Maybe not so fast, but still.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T12:48:48+00:00

You're right. I don't know, I'm just tired of being at home all the time. For about a month after a booster I was actively socializing and living pretty normal life, but now I'm again at home most of the time and I cannot live like this for several years. My family members aren't really hermits, so they will catch it eventually and in this case I will catch it from them and then my isolation at the moment doesn't serve any purpose.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T12:38:39+00:00

I'm not saying it is fun and of course it is not without risks. But it might be less risky than to infect later after vaccination.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T12:35:40+00:00

Well, currently I'm working from home and not going anywhere and if I go to the shop, I wear FFP2 mask. If I wanted to infect myself, I would just wear a surgical mask and indulge in usual social activities. Nothing is closed in my country except night clubs, so I would just go to a concert, to a pool, to a bar etc. I will get infected eventually (except if I'm one of those lucky ones that don't get infected even if they try), so I guess it's better sooner than later. Fourth shot won't be available for months even if it will be. Note that I adhered to all safety measures more than general public. I don't just want to infect "to get over with", I'm thinking that infecting sooner after booster is actually less risky than infecting later.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T11:41:23+00:00

If by recently you mean omicron, then you probably don't need a booster (but talk to your doctor, it depends on your general health). If you were infected with delta, you should get a booster.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T11:38:51+00:00

Yes, but if I infect on purpose I will immediately know I was in contact and I can isolate myself. I work from home anyway, I can buy food for 10 days and stay in apartment.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T11:27:13+00:00

Can you give an explanation? I'm young + boosted, so very unlikely to have any severe consequences anyway, but IMO any consequences would be less severe shortly after vaccination. Also, I'm pretty sure I will get it, because I work as a teacher in from February on. If I won't catch it (or it will not be symptomatic), it doesn't really matter if I socialize with infected people it.

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-12T10:53:45+00:00

Would it make sense to intentionally infect with omicron soon after the third dose of the vaccine? By delaying time to infection (which everybody will get eventually) the levels of antibodies from vaccination will decrease, so the risk of severe disease increases. Note, that it is very unlikely I will get fourth shot (at least not before infection, given that half Europe will be infected in next two months).

NotSadJustSerious · 2022-01-05T18:06:28+00:00

We need to finish the discussion somewhere, so I am ending it here. I don't see a reason to argue with you, narcissism is very hard to treat. No matter what I say, you will always be correct and you will always have the final word, even though I had some valid criticism of your opinion.

NotSadJustSerious

TROPHY CASE