Finally Got Around To Making An ADHD, Bipolar And Autism Diagram to Show The Overlapping Symptoms.

Therapist Red Flags

Therapy is important and can be really helpful, but not all therapists are good at their job. Here’s a few things to look out for when you’re seeing a therapist:

Not listening to what you tell them

Ignoring confidentiality (except in emergencies)

Making you feel judged or ashamed

Ignoring or trivialising your needs

Consistently being late

Making fun of your needs / accomplishments

Being judgemental or critical of you

Not taking your feedback on sessions into account

Condescending facial expressions or body language

Ignoring what you want to do / accomplish in therapy

Talking too much about themselves

Making you feel like problems are all your fault

Being insensitive to your culture or religion

They’re making you feel bad about yourself

Using the phone or getting distracted during your sessions

Attempting to make romantic / sexual advances on you

Making you feel stupid or invalid for what you say or how you feel

Forgetting important details about you / your life

Pushing you too hard before you’re ready

You wondering if their behaviour is a red flag. If you’re looking it up then chances are you already feel uncomfortable in therapy. You should never be forced into seeing a therapist who makes you feel uneasy. There’s no shame in leaving and finding a different therapist.

who’s gonna tell tumblr that executive dysfunction is more than Not Doing Things?

What is the difference though? /Gen

so this is coming from what i've learned in hospitals/psych wards/my own experience so it's not perfect but basically, everything with psychosis is rooted in a disconnect from reality while gad is linked to anxiety surrounding the present and future. there is no logical connection with psychotic anxiety and paranoia bc your brain is literally pulling shit out of thin air. bc of that, it is a lot harder to calm down bc you have to find a way to wrap your head around the fact that it isn't real. it can also be practically impossible to do that for some people, meaning the anxiety and paranoia are near constant. the paranoia is often tied to delusions-- so, once again, no reality-- and can be of the wildest shit that don't make sense. for example: someone with gad might be scared someone broke into their house and feel anxious. i get scared that doctors broke into my house to experiment of me and get anxious. same feeling but very different causes. someone with gad might be able to walk around the house and check the locks and calm themselves down. i could do that and still be terrified bc my fear isn't logical.

does that make sense? i can try and explain more if need be!

[Image description: four slides with black text on a light blue background that read as follows: 

Victim blaming by abusive parents looks like… “You’re disrespecting me by having boundaries that are inconvenient to me. Therefore, I’m entitled to hurt you.” “You know I get mad when you do this and you did it anyway, so it’s your fault I hit you/yelled at you/belittled you.” “You’re hurting my feelings by accusing me of being a bad parent.” “What have I done to deserve this?” (Usually as a reaction to you establishing boundaries). “You’re tearing this family apart (by fighting back against the abuse).” “You’re a bad child. Look at all the bad things YOU’VE done to ME.” (often, those things are trauma reactions, like avoiding their presence or acting behind their backs). (When you try to hold them accountable) “Oh, I forgot, you’re always right and I’m always wrong. Nobody cares about me or my feelings. I do everything for you and this is what I get in exchange.”

In reality… Every person is responsible for their actions. You didn’t make them abuse you—they CHOSE to abuse you. You have the right to be able to establish boundaries without fear of punishment. You have the right to have your needs met. Your trauma reactions are not something you’re doing to disrespect them—they’re something your body is doing to protect you from harm. End image description] 

These are just some examples of things abusers say to frame their abusive actions as the victim’s fault (taken from personal experience and the stories of people who have messaged me). Feel free to add your own examples if they’re not listed here and if you want to help spread awareness about what victim-blaming looks like!

And remember: abuse is never the victim’s fault.

What does guilt-tripping by abusive parents look like?

What does gaslighting by abusive parents look like?

Hi! I’ve been diagnosed with BP2 just today, I will start with the meds tomorrow and I am looking for friendly blogs to follow.

I am new to everything and don't even know what I need but your blog looks nice 🙊 also, what is your propic? Is it a pride flag? Does BP have one?

Looking for advices as someone completely new on the matter! 🙈

welcome to the community! im glad you found my blog helpful and if theres ever anything i can do to help just let me know! As for your questions:

some friendly blogs to follow

@lumberjackloving // @bipolstar // @bxpolar // @bipolarbotany // @bipolarpng // @basicbipolarbitch // @actuallybipolar2 // @hypomania-dreams // @bipolarblueberries // @bipolarbuttercup // @lamiictal // @bipolar2andbpd // @bipolarmoss // @bipolar-type-2-confessions //

and @compassionatereminders, @positiveautistic, and @recoverystuff aren’t bipolar specific but they are my favorite reovery/positivity blogs!

that should get you started!

My profile pic

My profile pic is indeed the flag that I made for Bipolar Disorder! It’s a redesign of a slightly more popular flag which can be found here.

Some Advice

Comply with your meds! If you have a problem, speak to your psychiatrist, don’t just go off of them yourself, it can be dangerous.

Set a regular sleep schedule. sleeping too much or too little can induce or worsen depression or hypomania so going to bed and waking up the same time every day is a good idea.

Try tracking your mood with an app like Daylio or Bearable, that way you can see patterns and swings at a glance

Just like winter can cause depression in people without bipolar, spring can bring hypomania in those with bipolar. Just a heads up since spring is right around the corner

Blue light, the kind of light phones and computers give off, can cause your brain to stop making melatonin, the sleep chemical. That can cause or worsen hypomania during spring time so consider using an app or program designed to block the blue light from around 6pm until you go to bed during springtime.

your symptoms might not look exactly like other people’s symptoms and that is absolutely okay. bipolar presents in different ways for everyone. dont worry about faking or ‘doing it wrong’

make some friends in the community! this community has made me feel a lot better about my diagnosis. its a very welcoming and friendly group of people! Welcome, and congrats on a diagnosis <3

I-d

Why do we love to pathologise normal behaviour online?

By reducing nuances of mental health to sweeping statements, social media might actually be leading to over-diagnosis.

Did you enjoy reading as a child? I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the cherished hours you spent reading Harry Potter books were actually just your body’s way of dissociating in an uncomfortable environment (also RIP to your idea of JK Rowling as a decent person). Do you sometimes forget to text your friends back? It’s probably, definitely, because of a past trauma, and certainly not the natural result of a culture in which we are expected to be socially available at all times. Better get a therapist on the line! Do you struggle to concentrate at your office job, where you spend eight hours a day performing boring tasks in front of a screen? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there’s probably something immutably wrong with the chemicals in your brain. 

As far as the internet is concerned, just about everything you do might be evidence of a troubling pathology. Social media can undeniably be a great resource for people experiencing mental illness, alongside people who have ADHD, and people who fall somewhere along the autism spectrum. A condition like ADHD, for example, is still said to be underdiagnosed (particularly among women) and raising awareness about this might bring people to a diagnosis they sorely need. But as with many things online, there is a downside to a free, entirely unregulated flow of information. 

This is good. It talks about capitalism too.

im calling myself out on this one

somewhere around 60% of bipolarians are unemployed, and bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world so here is a reminder that youre not alone. your worth is inherent and not linked to how well you can do a job. you have worth because you are alive not because you are able to produce labor for someone else. happy disability pride month to all the bipolarians who don’t or can’t have a job. I’m proud of you. 

and for those who do work, 88% of bipolarians surveyed said that bipolar disorder affected their ability to perform at work, so if you work and struggle, here is a reminder that you’re not alone. I recognize the struggles you face, from those caused directly by your illness, to discrimination, to working hard to appear “normal,” your efforts dont go unnoticed. your worth isnt defined by how well you do your job, either. happy disability pride month to all the bipolarians who struggle through their work but still manage to get it done. I’m proud of you, too.