PD Soros Fall Conference

 

I went in with a lot of anxiety last year and ended up having a lot of fun.

Looking forward to this year's event in Manhattan, NY on Oct 19-22

Compassion is the thread that weaves the fabric of society

Towards a more Humane Society. Contemplating an emotion, 1 line a day. 

Our divided and conflicted world needs compassion more than ever.  #MentalHealth. 

 

What is Depersonalization Disorder

In Plain Language Version for Lay Reader

What is Depersonalization Disorder (DPD)?

Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) is a condition where people feel disconnected from their own body, self, and surroundings. This might feel like being "spaced out," watching yourself from a distance, or not feeling in control of your own actions. People with DPD may also have strange experiences with their senses and a warped sense of time, like feeling that time is moving slower than it really is.

Time Perception in DPD

• Distorted Time: People with DPD often feel that time moves slower, making them overestimate how long things take. This can add to their feeling of being detached.
• Brain Differences: Brain scans show that people with DPD have different brain activity in areas that process time, like the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex.
• Attention Issues: People with DPD may have trouble focusing their attention, which makes it hard for them to accurately sense time.
• Emotional Impact: High anxiety and stress can change how people with DPD perceive time, making it feel even more distorted.

Why DPD May Happen Alongside Autism

• Sensory Processing: Both DPD and autism involve unusual ways of processing sensory information, suggesting a possible link.
• Similar Symptoms: While DPD and autism are different, they share some symptoms, like feeling detached from oneself and having trouble with emotions and social situations.
• Brain Function: Both conditions may involve changes in brain function and connectivity, although the specific details differ.
• Impact on Daily Life: Having both DPD and autism can make everyday tasks, social interactions, and emotional well-being more challenging.

Research Findings

• Prevalence: About 17% of autistic people have DPD, compared to 2% of non-autistic people.
• Additional Challenges: Autistic people with DPD are more likely to experience higher anxiety and depression, more difficulty with social interaction and communication, and more repetitive behaviors and special interests.
• Need for More Research: Understanding the connection between autism and DPD is complex, and more research is needed to uncover the full picture.

Versions of this article for Academic/Scientific Audience and #PlainSpeak for Lay Reader

Self Referencing and Self Projecting

[Concepts in Sensorimotor Research]

Within the context of multisensory integration, self-referencing and self-projecting skills play important roles in our perception of time. 

• Self-Referencing:  general capacity of using one's own position in time to estimate/situate events in time. This skill relies on internal cues such as memory and self-awareness to place events within a temporal framework. By referencing our own experiences and the temporal context in which they occurred, we can make sense of the timing and sequence of events in our environment.
• Self-Projecting: ability to mentally move back and forward in time, maintaining the competence of correctly situating events in time. This skill allows us to anticipate future events, plan our actions, and make decisions based on the temporal context. Self-projecting skill involves mental time travel, where we can mentally simulate and project ourselves into different points in time, drawing upon past experiences and knowledge to predict and shape future events.

Both self-referencing and self-projecting skills are closely intertwined with our sensory experiences. Our senses provide us with temporal information through various cues. For example, visual stimuli provide temporal cues through motion and changes in spatial patterns, while auditory stimuli provide temporal cues through changes in pitch, intensity, and rhythm. By integrating these sensory cues with our self-referencing and self-projecting abilities, we can accurately perceive and situate events in time.

Suicide Mortality in Autistics

 

No surprise, a Taiwan study found higher rates of suicide in autistics vs non-autistics. #MentalHealth

"autistic individuals had increased risks of all-cause mortality, natural-cause mortality, and suicide mortality compared with non-autistic individuals. Furthermore, autistic males were more likely to die by suicide, and autistic females were more likely to die of accident compared with the non-autistic individuals."

Oh deer!

Early morning deer chilling in front yard. 

 

Autistic Inertia

Parallels to Newton's Law of Inertia

Newton's first law of motion, the law of inertia, states that an object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues in a straight line at constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. This principle implies that an object maintains its state of motion or rest until a force induces a change.

Autistic Inertia

Autistic inertia can be conceptualized by drawing parallels to Newton's law of inertia, characterizing the difficulties some autistic individuals encounter in initiating and terminating tasks across behavioral, cognitive, and attentional domains.

• Initiating Tasks (An Object at Rest Will Stay at Rest): Autistics frequently exhibit significant impairments in task initiation, akin to a state of behavioral or cognitive inertia. This may resemble catatonia [post on catatonia], necessitating substantial external stimuli to overcome the initial inertia and achieve task commencement.

• Terminating Tasks (An Object in Motion Will Stay in Motion): Conversely, autistics often demonstrate difficulty in disengaging from tasks once initiated. This persistent engagement can lead to repetitive, unproductive behaviors or ruminative thoughts, paralleling obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Certain forms of stereotyped behaviors (e.g., stimming) may also reflect this aspect of inertia.

Neuroscientific manifestations of autistic inertia include:

• Task Transitioning: Deficits in neural mechanisms underlying task switching and cognitive flexibility, potentially involving the prefrontal cortex and parietal regions.
• Environmental Adaptation: Impaired adaptability to dynamically changing environments, possibly linked to disrupted sensory integration and motor planning circuits.
• Sustained Attention: Challenges in maintaining attention on tasks, which may involve dysregulation of the fronto-parietal attention network.
• Attention Mode Switching: Difficulty transitioning between focused and diffuse attention states, implicating the default mode network and attentional control systems.
• Executive Dysfunction: Impaired executive functions, including initiation, planning, and decision-making, associated with altered prefrontal cortex activity.
• Mental Health: Elevated anxiety and depression levels further complicate these cognitive and behavioral impairments.

These challenges contribute to a significant cognitive load, where initiating or stopping actions depletes cognitive resources ("spoons") [post on Spoon Theory], potentially leading to autistic burnout.

Etiology

Autistic inertia may arise from multiple neurobiological factors:

• Sensory Overload: Excessive sensory input leading to neural hyperactivity and cognitive overload.
• Motor Apraxia: Impairments in motor planning and execution, potentially involving the premotor cortex and supplementary motor area.
• Coordination Issues: Disruptions in motor coordination circuits, including the cerebellum and basal ganglia.
• Executive Dysfunction: Dysregulation of prefrontal-executive networks impacting task initiation and cognitive control.
• Anxiety: Heightened amygdala reactivity and dysregulated stress-response systems exacerbating cognitive and behavioral inertia.

These factors hinder the ability to complete tasks, adhere to schedules, and maintain employment or academic performance, often culminating in autistic burnout [post on autistic burnout].

Advantages

Paradoxically, the same neural mechanisms contributing to autistic inertia can facilitate hyper-focus, enabling intense concentration and expertise in specific areas.

Misconceptions

Autistic inertia is frequently misattributed to laziness or lack of motivation. Such misconceptions disregard the underlying neurocognitive and motor coordination challenges. Inertia is not exclusive to individuals with low support needs; it may be pronounced in those with concomitant movement disorders, sensory dysregulation, and motor coordination difficulties.

Interventions

Addressing autistic inertia necessitates targeted interventions:

• External Cues and Reminders: Utilizing external prompts to aid in task transitions.
• Personalized Support: Tailoring interventions to the individual's specific neurocognitive and sensory profiles.

Implementing these strategies can mitigate the impact of autistic inertia, enhancing daily functioning and reducing the risk of burnout.

2 Versions of this Post

For the Academic/Scientific Audience

PlainSpeak. In Plain Language For the Lay Audience 

Related Terms: A Chara ,    Allistic,    Aspie,    Atypical,  Autistic Burnout,  Autistic Inertia,  Catatonia,   Crip Time,   Critical Disability Studies,   Disability Justice Movement,  Disability Rights Movement,   Disability Eugenics,   Feeble-Minded,   Imbecile,   Inspiration Porn,  Masking/Camoflauging,   Microaggressions,   Neurominority,   Ofa Ahi Latu,   R-Word,   Savant,   Spoon Theory,   Takiwatanga,  Trains,  Ubuntu,    Ugly Laws,   Upstander