Health Archives - More Than Quirky

Talking About It: Mental Health Buffering

October 10, 2024

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and October 10th is World Mental Health Day. In NSW, the theme for this year’s event is “Let’s Talk About It”. Neurodivergent people are more likely to experience mental health conditions including mood disorders and anxiety. There is no clear evidence as to how much of this is biological or genetic, and how much is resultant of the difficulties of living as a neurodivergent person in a neuronormative society.[…]

Patient Safety: Being Heard

September 17, 2024

September 17th is World Patient Safety Day. While this generally continues to be an area that is improved worldwide, the experience for many neurodivergent people is not always protected by the policies in place. Many neurodivergent people report negative experiences regarding healthcare, including being ignored or dismissed, medical gaslighting, being patronised, misdiagnosis, and not being taken seriously particularly in relation to pain levels. One aspect of patient safety is the initial step of being heard,[…]

Hiding Behind Autism: When Health Conditions Are Masked

May 12, 2024

Between sensory differences, dysregulation, Spoons, burnout, and many other aspects of being autistic, the symptoms of many other health conditions in autistic people are frequently masked. Add to this the further complication of many autistic people experiencing and/or communicating pain or discomfort in non-neurotypical ways, and many autistic people go misdiagnosed – and thus untreated – for many treatable conditions. They suffer needlessly. International May 12th Awareness Day May 12th is the International Awareness Day[…]

Chronic pain or Chronic complaining?

September 12, 2023

There are many reason why neurodivergent children (and adults) experience chronic or frequent pain. If your child expresses that they are feeling pain, please don’t assume they are being attention seeking or hypochondriacal, or imagining it. While the experience of pain, or the expression of it, might differ to neurotypical behaviours, it is no less valid. Especially given the number of perfectly rational explanations ND people have for chronic pain that neurotypical people are far[…]