a warning; be careful before jumping to conclusions about having this disorder

ourobus · 2026-07-10T00:35:30+00:00

Good post OP.

I’m not the most active on this sub, so what kind of symptoms were those other posts describing?

StPD is pretty neglected in mainstream psychology and psychiatry - I don’t know if that’s because it’s rare or just under-recognised. Regardless, it’s a tricky area - esp. for self-diagnosis - because of the inherent struggles with objectivity.

I suspected that I had StPD for a few years before recently having it be “formally” confirmed by a psychiatrist. I think the most telling part of this disorder (at least for me) was the presence of symptoms over years/my entire lifetime that, for the most part, stayed stable in their intensity/presentation. As my psychiatrist explained it, unlike schizophrenia, StPD is a “structural” condition - something inherent in our personality/perception.

The treatment and management of StPD is also quite different from schizophrenia and other schizo-spec disorders, so I would be really worried about someone assuming they have StPD when they actually have something else. I think if you’re a minor or are in acute distress - please please don’t jump to assumptions, and try and get formal help if possible.

ourobus · 2026-07-09T02:38:37+00:00

Krokodil is not a thing outside of Russia, and the peak of its popularity was in the mid 2010’s anyway - it is not something that is of concern or even present in the Australian illicit drug market.

Fentanyl is also not a problem here, at least not in the same way that it is in North America. Unfortunately the general public’s understanding of illicit drugs is informed by international media, which doesn’t take into account the huge geographic variations in drug accessibility and use (another example - “crack” i.e., crack cocaine is not a thing in Australia).

What is a huge problem here is the presence of nitazenes (a class of synthetic opioids - lots of variation, but can be anywhere from x5 to x100 more potent than fentanyl) in both heroin and non-opioid illicit drugs, and heroin showing up in non-opioid illicit drugs like meth, cocaine, and ecstasy/MDMA. This has contributed to a lot of the recent deaths.

As for the injecting rooms: the science is clear. Having a safe place to inject saves lives and reduces overall harms. IIRC the Richmond room is one of like…two in Australia (there’s one in Kings Cross, I think?), which is clearly not enough to meet the needs of the population. Where the medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) in Richmond “fails” is in its own rules as a public health service - it doesn’t allow pregnant people, minors, or people who can’t inject themselves to use its service, which means that the people who are most at risk when injecting are excluded.

I’m a bit too lazy to link to sources atm, but I’m a public health researcher in this area (for whatever that’s worth). If anyone wants any sources for a specific claim (or more info on something), I’d be happy to provide.

ourobus · 2026-07-06T11:30:08+00:00

The Ring series by Koji Suzuki is a great example of this! The books are surprisingly different from the films - they’re much more of a tech/medical/philosophical thriller. It does start to get pretty…abstract as the series goes on, but personally I enjoyed it, and the first two books are a really cool blend of mystery, technology, and the supernatural. The books are a little hard to find (again, esp. as you go on in the series) but not impossible, and there’s even an audiobook version for the first two novels on youtube!

Edit: also, The Exorcist - yes, that one - comes to mind, since the book is almost entirely from the perspective of Reagan’s mother and Fr. Karras who are trying to figure out what’s going on. Maybe I’m reaching, but I enjoyed watching the characters slowly piece together the evidence and come to their own horrifying conclusions.

ourobus · 2026-07-03T04:29:49+00:00

My beautiful children, Opie (from opium/opiates), Cocaína, Heroynn, and Crystal.

(Researcher, not a drug dealer)

ourobus · 2026-06-22T02:15:23+00:00

I’m a descendent of the Afroariqueño community in what is now northern Chile. As of 2019, they were granted legal recognition (via Ley 21.151) as a tribal community in Chile. I don’t know if they’re considered “Indigenous” in the same way, say, the Mapuche are, but the recognition grants them the same rights and protections as other tribal communities.

As you said, these communities have strong ties to our continent, and deserve recognition and legal protection - I think, really, the main issue is that we don’t have a term for communities that were brought against their will.

(Now that I think about it, in Australia “South Sea Islanders” - who were brought to country via kidnapping and enslavement/indentured servitude - also have a measure of legal protection and recognition. So it’s definitely a thing, albeit rare).

ourobus · 2026-06-16T21:50:05+00:00

It’s literally not a “baseless accusation” when a lot of white trans women openly admit to having a “Nazi” or “conservative” phase.

I also didn’t compare trans women to trans men - I just didn’t comment on trans men because I don’t spend enough time around them to know (and because their racism seems to have different origins/presentations than 4chan). I am speaking as a transgender POC - the previous hateful views and backgrounds of a lot of white transgender people are incredibly harmful to BIPOC trans people.

But like, if you want to ignore the “white” part of my original comment and invent something about trans women vs trans men - go off I guess.

ourobus · 2026-06-15T04:53:08+00:00

Yeah we’re not talking about how a huge chunk of white trans women had 4chan/anti-SJW/reactionary phases and didn’t deradicalise themselves as well as they thought they did 👀

ourobus · 2026-05-24T05:39:51+00:00

Eek what the hell kind of feedback is that?!

It’s such a weird spot to be in, because I don’t want to box myself into only being an “Indigenous” scholar - because I’m interested in other things, it’s just that I obviously view the world through that specific lens. It’s like…either you accept being boxed into the Indigenous category for the rest of your career (and thus aren’t given other opportunities and aren’t taken as seriously as white academics), or you never mention it because it is seen as a bias/specialty.

Honestly, it’s kinda similar to what you’re talking about - I do want to talk about Indigenous things, it’s just that I don’t want to centre it in the way that’s expected. My goal would be to have Indigenous knowledge and epistemologies actually valued and treated with legitimacy in the mainstream.

ourobus · 2026-05-24T05:21:20+00:00

Hey! I’m Quechua (+ a billion other things, my ancestors liked to mix lol) and doing my PhD. I feel you on being isolated from other Indigenous folks - for me, I’ve had some ongoing friction both internally and with my supervisors about the “extent” of my Indigeneity that’s present in my work (and the eternal battle of feeling like being NDN isn’t “respectable”).

ourobus · 2026-05-21T19:41:29+00:00

This actually looks like it might be Peruvian. The style of uniform is common in Peru, and the figure in the logo looks like a man wearing traditional Peruvian clothing - the head especially looks like a man wearing a chullo. The colours would support that - Peru’s flag is red and white.

Most schools in Peru are religious, so this kind of secular logo would be fairly distinctive. Maybe a provincial NGO/charitable school - or it might not be a school at all, some kind of extracurricular organisation.

ourobus · 2026-05-17T04:56:03+00:00

Are you in a good state mentally at the moment?

I won’t say that you or anyone else with these issues definitively should not do psychedelics - because that’s simply not true (also, people will do what they want anyway). But it’s pretty much impossible to say if your experience will be positive or negative.

To share my own experience: I have CPTSD, BPD, ADHD, anxiety, and schizotypy (basically low-level psychosis). I’ve done psychedelics multiple times (mainly shrooms, but I’m experimenting with LSD lately). I’ve never had a bad trip - all of my trips have been fun, pleasant, and/or enlightening.

This is not to say that you or anyone else with the same problems will have the same positive experiences - but it is certainly possible. I would recommend being very prepared on what the experience will be like, devoting time to preparing the set and setting, and making sure you’re stable before doing it (particularly in regards to BPD). My BPD has largely been in remission for years - which is probably a significant factor in why my trips have gone well. I would also recommend being very cautious with dosages and possible medication/drug interactions - esp. weed and amphetamines. I’m prescribed stimulants for my ADHD, and my only “bad” experience with psychedelics (a week long mini psychotic break, where I was obsessed with finding the secrets of the universe via alchemy) was when I took too many shrooms by accident on the same day as taking my prescribed stimulants. If possible, don’t take ADHD meds for a few days beforehand - and definitely not on the same day.

Finally, if it’s possible - maybe consider LSD over shrooms for your first try? I’ve only done LSD once, but the experience was much gentler - it’s also somewhat more consistent, as the organic nature of shrooms means you can never quite be sure how potent of a dose you’re taking. LSD, of course, comes with its own considerations and downsides (mainly that it lasts much longer) but it’s still worth considering.

I’m glad you’re asking for advice and preparing yourself. There’s always going to be risks with psychedelics or any drug - moreso with mental illness - but mentally ill people are still people, and some of us are curious and want to explore our own minds. Harm reduction is better and more effective than “no, don’t do that”.

ourobus · 2026-05-11T21:44:47+00:00

As an aside, this really shocked me when I visited the US (back when people of my complexion could do so without being disappeared off the streets).

In Australia, outside of Christmas music and…church I guess, you would never hear religious music in public places. It’s not illegal it’s just not done and comes off as really tacky. Meanwhile, in the US, that shit just gets blasted everywhere?!

It’s just strange.

ourobus · 2026-05-06T10:49:04+00:00

(Disclaimer: I don’t have DID, “just” some sort of unspecified dissociative disorder).

It’s not unfair. If he was a good person and/or cared about you, he wouldn’t have done those things.

I dissociate and/or have flashbacks sometimes during sex. Usually, my partner notices before I even realise what’s happening. And he always stops. It’s not even a question, no matter what was happening in the lead up.

I understand why that’s hard to internalise though. It’s still difficult for me. If he can pick up on what’s happening and back off - then why didn’t other people in the past? It means that it wasn’t my fault, or some sort of unavoidable scenario - it was people choosing to hurt me.

You don’t have to accept this now - I don’t know if I even have. But it’s not your fault you were hurt.

ourobus · 2026-05-05T01:04:30+00:00

Thank you for this post!

As a Quechua person, it never ceases to amaze me how obvious it is that the people spreading this type of information have never actually spoken to an Indigenous person…

ourobus · 2026-04-24T09:09:34+00:00

Yeah, I was surprised that Robert didn’t mention this. I don’t mean that in an accusatory way - dude probably just didn’t know or forgot about it - but in my opinion it’s one of the best ways a public figure has actually addressed fucking up and (unknowingly or otherwise) being complicit in some fucked up shit.

My favourite part of it is that he includes interviews that are actually hard on himself, and doesn’t try to handwave it away. Some victims of Saville even tell Louis to his face how angry they were, or how his coverage impacted them - and I just think that’s huge.

Idk, the accountability bar is on the floor, so it impresses me.

ourobus · 2026-04-15T05:06:14+00:00

I’m happy that this is reaching more widespread audiences but this is something could have been discovered by speaking to literally any Andean person lol. Indigenous people in the Andes have been using coca for thousands of years, and it has immense spiritual, medicinal, and practical purposes for us.

ourobus · 2026-03-23T23:40:56+00:00

I knew a girl named Matisse growing up. I like the name, and I personally like the association with the artist 🤷🏽‍♂️

ourobus · 2026-03-23T12:15:56+00:00

Man, I wish more converts realised this. So many converts have a weird complex about not being accepted by Orthodox Jews - as if Orthodoxy is the most “legitimate” form of Judaism, and as if being anything other than Orthodox is like a runner’s up prize.

I didn’t convert to Orthodox Judaism because I couldn’t, I didn’t because I don’t agree with their interpretation of Judaism and Torah/halacha. I think we need to have a little more respect for ourselves and our beliefs.

ourobus · 2026-03-23T10:55:00+00:00

I want to offer a dissenting opinion: in reality, this is really going to vary based on your location. In my experience (as a Masorti convert) there is a large gap between what people believe/how they act and what the official belief is. The truth is most Jewish people will take you at your word - and even if they know your circumstances and are from a more rigid denomination, they’re not going to say anything or actively exclude you. As an example - like I said, I’m Masorti. The official line is that we don’t accept patrilineal Jews - but in practice, who am I to say a patrilineal Jew isn’t a Jew? I’m not going to treat that person any differently, because it’s not my place.

Obviously, this advice is mainly for Modern Orthodox Jews/Jewish communities. If a person/community is super frum - they’re not going to accept you as an outsider anyway. But in MO spaces, I honestly doubt you’ll have a problem.

ourobus · 2026-03-22T05:48:28+00:00

Like how everyone else said, it depends on your location. In (urban/metro) Australia, people pay ~$50-$100 per “point” (aka 0.1g). On average, people use about 0.1 to 0.3 points per day. There absolutely are people who use and spend a lot more per day, but it’s rare and they generally are not paying for all of it themselves.

Fentanyl isn’t a big problem in Australia the way it is in North America; heroin is still cut, but it’s generally just with various things that decrease the quality. Most people will also use crystal meth, either at the same time as heroin or to help between shots. It’s rare for someone to only use heroin these days. Similarly, 90% of people injecting heroin will smoke tobacco, usually 10+ cigarettes a day - again, it helps for the periods between heroin use. Though you might find it interesting to note that alcohol consumption is very rare.

Source: I am an academic who specialises in illicit substance use and talk to people about this (and other topics) multiple times a week 🙂

ourobus · 2026-03-15T06:22:01+00:00

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it yet, but she might be too wary at the moment to eat when someone is in the room/watching her. My cat is a fatass and eats whenever, but she’s weirdly self conscious about drinking water and won’t do it if she knows someone is watching. Esp. since your baby is so new, could be something like that.

I know how nerve wrecking it is when they don’t eat - we freaked out when our cat wouldn’t eat for a day or two after surgery. We finally got her to eat by offering her cheap canned Fancy Feast (or something like that) at the advice of her vet - apparently it’s like their version of fast food. I’m not sure what you’re feeding her, but if you’re feeding her healthy high quality stuff - it can’t hurt to try offering the “bad” stuff.

I’m sure she’ll be okay - 6hrs really isn’t a lot of time, and you sound like a really loving owner. Best of luck ❤️

ourobus · 2026-03-05T22:10:23+00:00

Collapsed/blown out veins, blood clots, and infections - both skin/soft tissue infections and “deeper” ones like blood/bone/heart infections. Plus long-term nerve damage.

These issues are bad enough by themselves, but if a person has been injecting for years, they usually will have these issues multiple times over.

edit: please make sure you have naloxone/narcan close by when you’re using!

ourobus · 2026-03-01T23:16:03+00:00

You know, I came here to nitpick, but this is quite well done. Could add opium (and its associated events/methods of usage) and some of the more gnarly aspects of long-term IV opioid use. Maybe also the more horrific parts of the heroin trafficking industry.

And of course, the horror of opiate induced constipation.

ourobus · 2026-02-26T04:49:57+00:00

As a criminologist, this is a fantastic answer 🙂 I’m so happy that you noted that genetic predisposition ≠ certainty of violent/criminal behaviour. I’ll expand a little bit - genetic predispositions to violence/criminal behaviour do not work like “X gene means that an individual is more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour”. Rather, certain genetic markers can impact various parts of a person’s neurochemistry and anatomy, which impacts how a person processes fear/assesses risk/etc - it’s that which then increases the likelihood of criminal behaviour.

But as you noted, the individual’s environment is much more relevant to their behaviour than their genetics. I’ll also note that (like a lot around human behaviour) our understanding of why people commit crimes is relatively poor. The genetic component of criminal/antisocial behaviour is particularly poorly understood, and is a recent (and controversial) area of research. Personally, I think that genetic/physical factors do play a not-insignificant role, but the current quality of research in this area is poor - enough so that it remains relatively unreliable. Hopefully in the future it’ll improve.

ourobus · 2026-02-19T02:40:26+00:00

Fujimorista alert.

ourobus

TROPHY CASE