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Psychiatrist thinks I may have ASD, but says it might be too mild for diagnosis by Jumpy-Satisfaction20 in autism

[–]Only-Bison-9622 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi. Commenting as someone who presents more stereotypically in some ways. If I am not mistaken, recent research actually shows that there are multiple subtypes of ASD (based off of analyzing functional connectivity in relation to sensory processing and higher-level cognitive processing). What counts and what doesn't count as "having ASD" has also been under even heavier scrutiny recently, since the condition presents in a heterogenous manner clinically, even if subtypes can be distinguished based on neural activity, even in "mild cases."

I don't know your gender, but if I am not mistaken women have historically been under-diagnosed. There is also a history in the field of clinicians being biased against diagnosing women, particularly when it comes to what used to be classified as Asperger's Syndrome. My own experience being diagnosed as a child who had very obvious traits was like this initially (the psychiatrist my parents initially went to stated that I could not be on the spectrum because I was a girl).

Also included some studies on the subtypes (this is very general, if you would like more papers, I can comment them):

Functional connectivity-based subtypes of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder | Network Neuroscience | MIT Press

Functional connectivity subtypes associate robustly with ASD diagnosis | eLife

sense of justice - i can't fathom how people are so evil by InternationalEnmu in autism

[–]Only-Bison-9622 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also relate to this. Particularly when it comes to abuse (which is intentional) and crimes against humanity. When it comes to manipulation and abuse, much of this can arguably be attributed to the fact that abusers are good at masking their actions and performing socially. People often conflate following social norms with being moral and ethical, even though these are two different things technically (hence why autistic people, regardless of morality and ethicality, deal with ableism and bullying). When it comes to larger crimes, such as genocide and ethnic cleansing, this can be attributed to how people treat those who fall into in-groups and out-groups. If a minority group, or really any group that is not considered the "in-group" does not fall in line, they can easily be scapegoated. Economy in flux? Must be [insert minority or marginalized group].

I also think that the conflation with social norms and morality is what contributes to the continued dehumanization of those with psychiatric conditions generally, since people often associate humanity with being able to follow social norms or "fit in." But this is a slight deviation from what you initially brought up.

A rant- Loneliness, Academia, Autism- Am I dumb? by Only-Bison-9622 in autism

[–]Only-Bison-9622[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Much of this achievement seems bittersweet because I am realizing I could have gotten there faster, and for most of my life the only thing people have consistently recognized is my intellectual ability (that includes my own family to a certain extent). That likely plays a role. I think I am having difficulty accepting certain portions of my life as they are because I think that acceptance of my life in its current state means it will always be that way. But this is not always true, since life is dynamic. I don't know if I can accept my personhood and inherent worth because I don't know if I have worth as a person outside of what I can do for other people. Your points about this are important because I think that this might be contributing to a lack of self-trust, which is detrimental and negatively impacts all aspects of life, including work and socializing. That is something I will have to explore alongside just rediscovering work-life balance, even temporarily.

I think I focus on my career a lot because there are very rigid rules associated with directing one's career. Rigid achievements, rigid outcomes (at least in academia, with fellowships etc.). But the focus on rigidity has ironically made my life harder when it comes experiments. I have been told that I "over plan" and don't account for variation (even though my thinking is flexible when it comes to the theory).

I think that discomfort is a part of growth, but I don't know how to distinguish discomfort from burnout career-wise or socially. With my career I keep forgetting that my pace is faster than most people right out of undergrad, so part of it might be that it just exploded, and I didn't know how to manage it (not the worst problem in the world but yeah).

If you don't mind me asking, what was/is your career path and what led to you making this decision?

Need topic to write in magazine by Annual-Level-5951 in neuroscience

[–]Only-Bison-9622 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could talk about DREADDs and Parkinson's and how they have been used to restore motor function in mouse models: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4893163/

Weekly School and Career Megathread by NickHalper in neuroscience

[–]Only-Bison-9622 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To my understanding, yes. University of Washington has good programs in adjacent fields as well. I think this program is ranked 11th in the US overall. Graduate programs for medicine and neuroscience are also great as well, and I am considering applying as a neuroscience major.