Nov 29, 2021Member-onlyWhy We Should Stop Looking for ADHD GenesGenetic determinism will never liberate us. “ADHD runs in families,” this WebMD article confidently states. “There are genetic characteristics that seem to be passed down.” “Some research suggests genes are the largest factors in determining who develops ADHD. After all, genes are the building blocks for our bodies,” says this…Adhd10 min readAdhd10 min read
Nov 9, 2021Member-onlyNew ADHD Drugs, Same Old ProblemsA new version of an old version of Ritalin isn’t exactly a breakthrough. The FDA approved two new ADHD drugs this year, and they’re being marketed as shiny new medical advances. It sounds exciting, but are these drugs really new and different? Azstaryz is a stimulant developed by KemPharm, whose…Adhd4 min readAdhd4 min read
Nov 2, 2021Member-onlyADHD: Dopamine Deficiency or a Bodymind Protesting?Chemical imbalance is a marketing myth, but the suffering is real. Dopamine is the new serotonin, and people are blaming it for everything. Addicted? It’s the dopamine. Can’t concentrate? Not enough dopamine. No motivation? You need more dopamine! I’ve even seen people say that they can physically feel their lack…Mental Health8 min readMental Health8 min read
Oct 20, 2021Member-onlyThis is the Age of Anxiety, and Community is the AntidoteI’m anxious, you’re anxious, we’re all anxious together. I went to the doctor last week, a rare and difficult feat for me, and while the nurse was asking the standard medical history questions, he said, “Do you have any depression or anxiety?” I didn’t want to give away too much…Culture5 min readCulture5 min read
Oct 11, 2021Member-onlyBrain Implants and Biofeedback are Big Money, But Ignore Social Causes of DistressTargeted treatments are a consumerist way to address suffering. The most popular psych story last week was about a woman named Sarah who found relief from a device implanted in her brain that sent an electrical pulse every time she had an irrational thought. It was supposed to be a…Mental Health4 min readMental Health4 min read
Sep 27, 2021Member-onlyReject Success, Embrace WonderI don’t “have my shit together” and I’m not trying to hack my life — I have other priorities. The hero’s journey is perhaps our most ubiquitous cultural narrative: the protagonist, our hero, goes out into the wilds, suffers, learns, finds something, and brings it back home to share. Most…Life4 min readLife4 min read
Sep 8, 2021Member-onlyReach Your Potential: The Social Media Marketing of ADHDWhat are telepsychiatry companies really selling us? I am constantly being targeted by ads for telepsychiatry services on social media, and I’ve watched the niche quickly explode over the past year and a half — companies like ADHD Online, Done, Cerebral, and Ahead clutter my Instagram…Adhd12 min readAdhd12 min read
Aug 25, 2021Member-onlyThe Word For World is SpiralWhat snails and storms taught me about my shadow There is a point in the healing process when you have to embrace all the things you learned to hate. You stop running and hiding from your own sins and you turn and look them in the face, stretch out a…Mwc Death11 min readMwc Death11 min read
Aug 24, 2021Member-onlyLibraries That Have Loved MeA story about coming out, and going back in. Books were my closest friends in Brunswick. I had moved to the neighborhood in Melbourne on little more than a whim, one foot still in the closet. I was chasing a place I’d imagined would be full…Mwc Reentry9 min readMwc Reentry9 min read
Aug 12, 2021Member-onlyYou’re Using the Word “Neurodiversity” WrongIt’s not a euphemism for disorder. The term “neurodiversity” is everywhere lately, and it’s being used in ways that appear to be progressive, but underneath, are really just the same old pathology paradigm re-packaged. Criticisms of its improper usage mostly focus on grammar — a person cannot be neurodiverse, that…Disability6 min readDisability6 min read
