5 ms·

The concern presented by this author is a very valid one that I myself have been struggling with for over a decade now. I have been diagnosed with major depress

The concern presented by this author is a very valid one that I myself have been struggling with for over a decade now. I have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder since I was 13 years old. It however took me until last year to receive a diagnosis for autism and ADHD. My entire life I have fought and struggled against my brain in order to fit in, and actively harmed my own mental health by trying to change aspects of my personality that I categorized as maladaptive coping behaviors. I really thought that I could train myself out of being autistic, and one day when I was driving home having a breakdown I realized that I kept telling myself that I was going to "grow out" of my autistic behaviors. I think that it is valid to find pride in the way that I have overcome and learn to cope with my depression, but I'm not proud because I have depression and I certainly believe that it should be treated at all costs. However, I think that having pride in being autistic makes sense because it is a different way of being in the world. It still presents me with unique challenges that someone who is neurotypical may not face, but it isn't something that I can treat until it goes away and trying to do so has harmed me massively. It's also something that is difficult for me because the world itself is not designed to be accessible to me, as opposed to depression or struggling with an eating disorder or addiction. Those will always be harmful to you and don't make sense to be proud about as I feel that implies that you don't feel they should be treated.

thr0wawayf00 5y ago
> It's also something that is difficult for me because the world itself is not designed to be accessible to me, as opposed to depression or struggling with an eating disorder or addiction. I feel this so much when it comes to technology. I too was diagnosed with ADHD and I fight my technology addiction constantly. It's so easy for me to mindlessly descend into an internet or mobile app rabbit hole, and I'm acutely aware that this is intentional. I thank my higher powers every single day that I'm not into sports gambling or worse, because these companies make billions on people who are unable to say "no" and they know it. Everything is becoming so complex in our world, I believe more and more that we should have a right to basic affordances that allow us to do what we need to (like easily pay taxes in the US). I fear that complexity in functioning within society to be the next wave of suppression against people, if it's not happening already. Where I live, it now takes 2-3 months to get a driver's license because the state legislature won't fund the DMV. That should be illegal.
AdrianB1 5y ago
> It's also something that is difficult for me because the world itself is not designed to be accessible to me I don't understand what you mean by that. The world is not "designed" in any way for anyone, all beings from bacteria to animals and humans live as they can, so you probably want to say something else, can you please tell that with different words?
- kashunstva 5y ago
  Isn’t the built world designed by humans with particular viewpoints for other humans with a certain set of perspectives, capabilities and capacities to adapt to those built realities? (But not necessarily all such capabilities…)
- politician 5y ago
  You undermine your point with the CTA for the OP to change.
  - AdrianB1 5y ago
    No idea what CTA means, I am just asking to explain in simpler language if possible.
- rossnordby 5y ago
  Not OP, but consider being 6 feet and 8 inches tall. In many buildings (especially older ones), you will have to dodge light fixtures regularly. Many doorways will actually be too short and you'll need to duck. Cooking in most kitchens will end up being quite uncomfortable since you'll be hunched over the entire time. You won't fit in a large number of cars. Flying in planes becomes physically painful unless you get an exit row or pay more. And so on. You can still interact with the world, but being an outlier adds a whole lot of little bits of friction and discomfort that a more statistically average person doesn't experience.
  - AdrianB1 5y ago
    I am tall. I have problems finding clothes. I cannot fit in the best light plane (in my opinion) and I am a pilot. My grandmother's house had the ceiling very low, it was about my shoulder (she was 5 ft tall). Never complained. Never complained the world is not built around me. I don't understand how that works. I am not entitled to anything.

thr0wawayf00 5y ago

> It's also something that is difficult for me because the world itself is not designed to be accessible to me, as opposed to depression or struggling with an eating disorder or addiction. I feel this so much when it comes to technology. I too was diagnosed with ADHD and I fight my technology addiction constantly. It's so easy for me to mindlessly descend into an internet or mobile app rabbit hole, and I'm acutely aware that this is intentional. I thank my higher powers every single day that I'm not into sports gambling or worse, because these companies make billions on people who are unable to say "no" and they know it. Everything is becoming so complex in our world, I believe more and more that we should have a right to basic affordances that allow us to do what we need to (like easily pay taxes in the US). I fear that complexity in functioning within society to be the next wave of suppression against people, if it's not happening already. Where I live, it now takes 2-3 months to get a driver's license because the state legislature won't fund the DMV. That should be illegal.

AdrianB1 5y ago

> It's also something that is difficult for me because the world itself is not designed to be accessible to me I don't understand what you mean by that. The world is not "designed" in any way for anyone, all beings from bacteria to animals and humans live as they can, so you probably want to say something else, can you please tell that with different words?

kashunstva 5y ago
Isn’t the built world designed by humans with particular viewpoints for other humans with a certain set of perspectives, capabilities and capacities to adapt to those built realities? (But not necessarily all such capabilities…)
politician 5y ago
You undermine your point with the CTA for the OP to change.
- AdrianB1 5y ago
  No idea what CTA means, I am just asking to explain in simpler language if possible.
rossnordby 5y ago
Not OP, but consider being 6 feet and 8 inches tall. In many buildings (especially older ones), you will have to dodge light fixtures regularly. Many doorways will actually be too short and you'll need to duck. Cooking in most kitchens will end up being quite uncomfortable since you'll be hunched over the entire time. You won't fit in a large number of cars. Flying in planes becomes physically painful unless you get an exit row or pay more. And so on. You can still interact with the world, but being an outlier adds a whole lot of little bits of friction and discomfort that a more statistically average person doesn't experience.
- AdrianB1 5y ago
  I am tall. I have problems finding clothes. I cannot fit in the best light plane (in my opinion) and I am a pilot. My grandmother's house had the ceiling very low, it was about my shoulder (she was 5 ft tall). Never complained. Never complained the world is not built around me. I don't understand how that works. I am not entitled to anything.