Notices by Michela (michela@mastodon.club), page 6

@shoutcacophony @ink_slinger @allan @ghost Concern trolling? How would you feel if I attacked your statements as much as you and that other person have attacked mine??

Empathy deficit? Maybe I do, but again, see above.

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger Clearly what?

How do you know what you know? I'm basically saying that I don't know much about this at all, and that medical experts know more than lay people.

@ghost @ink_slinger @allan @shoutcacophony That is certainly not what I have done.

The discussion was public. My opinions are definitely not uninformed. Saying medical professionals can provide the most accurate medial diagnoses is absolutely not judgemental in any way what so ever.

@shoutcacophony @ink_slinger @allan @ghost Nope. I am certainly not.

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger Sure. I'm sure there are deficits and ways the diagnostic procedures could improve.

Nevertheless, it is still clear to me that this process, when carried out by qualified professionals, is the most reliable way to perform medical diagnoses. It is okay for us to disagree. I won't judge or think less of you.

@ink_slinger @allan @shoutcacophony @ghost It is still, however, clear to me that qualified doctors are still the most able to diagnose people for medical and psychological conditions. You won't chang emy mind on that, but are of course, welcome to disagree. I will not judge or think less of you for it.

@ghost @shoutcacophony @allan @ink_slinger

True enough. Doctors are not always right.

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger I'm not sure what you're talking about by work in this context. What would you like me to do?

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger We where? I'm not sure what you're referring to.

Wow!!! I didn't say I was casting judgement at all. I looked over my comments and they all appear to be civil, diplomatic, and absolutely without judgement. You are welcome to disagree with that.

@ghost @shoutcacophony @allan @ink_slinger The thing is, misdiagnosis can cause much harm.

The mind is much like other parts of the body. People who suspect a heart issue, would be best served by a proper diagnosis from a cardiologist. We would not suggest they diagnose themselves.

To me, the best solution is to work toward ensuring availability of quality professional care to *everyone,* regardless of class, sex, transness, or ethnicity, etc.

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger I can see that, and I do understand it.

In any case, is absolutely okay with me if you don't want to continue talking about it. 🙂

@shoutcacophony @ghost @allan @ink_slinger To be honest with you, the reason I care and know a little about this is personal. So I don't want to answer your question more than that. I hope you understand.

@shoutcacophony @allan @ink_slinger Well, we're just a few semi random, semi anonymous people talking about something we are not experts in (at least, I'm certainly not an expert!) So I suppose it doesn't matter very much at all.

@shoutcacophony @allan @ink_slinger Hmm. Okay. Well, I did not say that self-assessment is bad. It's not scientific, so it is not likely to be accurate. Is that a reasonable clarification? 🙂

@shoutcacophony @allan @ink_slinger Oh. I had a feeling you might say something like that. 😐

Sure, you are welcome to tell me why you believe what I said was wrong and harmful. I think we can have a civil discussion about it. ☺

@allan @ink_slinger @shoutcacophony

Likewise, a diagnosis of autism doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the person receiving said diagnosis. Autism is simply a different type of human mind than what is often considered typical.

As neuroscience advances, we will probably discover other types of human minds and thinking as well. 🙂

@shoutcacophony @ink_slinger @allan

So if one feels they have an autistic phenotype, that's totally valid. It doesn't have to mean that the same person can or should get a diagnosis.

An examination or diagnosis for autism is typically saught when the individual seeking it is struggling with aspects of their life and may benefit from receiving professional therapy or assistance tailored to autistic traits that they may have -- like organisation, social interaction.

@allan @ink_slinger @shoutcacophony Fully agree. The most reliable way to know, is to have a good, reputable psychiatrist, who is an expert in autism, perform a scientific assessment of you or your family member.

It's probably most important to note that one can have an autistic phenotype without being diagnosable as autistic, and that there is a significant difference between the two.

@Canageek Protonmail is excellent, and they do not require personally identifiable information to sign-up.

They also claim that they do not cross reference IP's and such, and that they are unable to read user's messages. https://protonmail.com/security-details

Protonmail also offers free accounts. I believe they are limited to 500 MB of storage, which is probably enough.

@hhardy01 We are going to stop this. Universities exist to advance society and intellectual capacity.