What the Hell Is Going on at #NIH?
#Scientists sound the alarm about #Trump unprecedented “Big Brother” research #crackdown. “pause” goes beyond grant reviews - part of larger #blackout on #research at #NIH, across federal govt. Trump admin paused all external comms—”health advisories, weekly #scientific reports, updates to websites, social media posts” at #HHS, which includes the NIH, #FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC). https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/01/donald-trump-hhs-nih-cancer-research-pause-crackdown-grant-funding-delays-cancellations-communications/ #medicine #healthcare
#healthcare
See tagged statuses in the local Rambling Readers community
From @cbarbermd , now with a gift link:
YIKES. Don’t expect any bird flu updates, even late on Friday night!⏰
The Trump administration has instructed the FDA, CDC and NIH to pause all external communications, such as weekly scientific reports, MMWRs, social media posts, health updates, etc.
https://wapo.st/4aqfN44
#CDC #press #healthcare
I went to a meeting of Whole Washington (@WholeWashington) volunteers at my local library today.
About 15 engaged community members met to discuss how to continue the fight for a universal healthcare plan that will cover all Washington state residents.
Whole Washington has run 3 different citizen initiative campaigns over the years. They continually lobby the Washington legislature. They keep trying. They never give up.
Whole Washington's got a universal healthcare bill in the WA senate this session. They are actively seeking a sponsor for a bill in the house of representatives.
There's nothing more uplifting than surrounding yourself with people who believe that positive change can be achieved, especially given the long, hard slog we face with the incoming administration.
If you want to get involved, visit https://wholewashington.org/
#USPol #USPolitics #Healthcare #WashingtonState #HealthcareIsAHumanRight
If you are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH) in the UK and interested in healthcare access. SignHealth are running a webinar on Thursday 17th Jan at 7pm UK time https://signhealth.org.uk/event/webinar-still-sick-of-it/ to register.
SignHealth did a "sick of it" report years ago and want to promote our rights (inc #NHS #AccessibleInformationStandard), advise us and publicise what SignHealth is hoping to do about all kinds of #deaf access to #healthcare
Presented in BSL interpreted into English with STTR captions.
Please share.
As with so many organisational crisis, the NHS crisis is about workforce planning & the treatment (and experience) of staff.
Medical staff are over-worked & often under-paid, working in often crumbling buildings & too often bare the brunt of social breakdown (manifesting as health problems).
So lets listen to healthcare workers: make their lives better, invest in the environment they work in & employ more of them, and much (but not all) the crisis would be eased!
Meanwhile in America… this is why CEOs get shot.
"Last year, she and her colleagues at Boston Medical Center wrote 1,674 letters to utility companies asking them to keep patients’ gas or electricity running. Goldman took that number to Bob Biggio, the hospital’s chief sustainability and real estate officer. He’d been counting on the solar panels to help the hospital shift to renewable energy, but sharing the power with patients felt as if it fit the health system’s mission."
Universal Healthcare
#Trump #USA #government #humour #political #cartoon #healthcare
Most Americans have no idea that the United States is quite literally the only country in the developed world that doesn’t define #healthcare as an absolute right for all of its citizens. That’s it. We’re the only one left.
Progressives have been fighting for universal healthcare for well over a century. But #racism and #profit have always come first in the American model.
It started with the leader of #Prudential saying that if we didn’t have healthcare for all, Black people would die and ”solve the race problem”, and continues with CEOs making billions by letting Americans die.
#Medicare For All would save American families thousands every year immediately and do away with the 500,000+ annual bankruptcies in this country that happen only because somebody in the family got sick. But it would kill the billions every week in profits of the half-dozen corporate giants …
Most Americans have no idea that the United States is quite literally the only country in the developed world that doesn’t define #healthcare as an absolute right for all of its citizens. That’s it. We’re the only one left.
Progressives have been fighting for universal healthcare for well over a century. But #racism and #profit have always come first in the American model.
It started with the leader of #Prudential saying that if we didn’t have healthcare for all, Black people would die and ”solve the race problem”, and continues with CEOs making billions by letting Americans die.
#Medicare For All would save American families thousands every year immediately and do away with the 500,000+ annual bankruptcies in this country that happen only because somebody in the family got sick. But it would kill the billions every week in profits of the half-dozen corporate giants that dominate the health insurance industry.
DATE: December 25, 2024 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG
** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
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TITLE: These four factors predict maladaptive daydreaming in neurodivergent individuals
A new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders has revealed key factors linked to maladaptive daydreaming in neurodivergent adults. Emotional dysregulation, internalized stigma, escapism, and self-esteem emerged as significant predictors, varying across individuals with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and both diagnoses. These findings offer insights into how neurodivergent individuals use vivid daydreaming as a coping mechanism for emotional and social challenges.
Maladaptive daydreaming is a condition in which individuals engage in excessive, vivid, and immersive fantasies that interfere with their ability to function in daily life. Unlike ordinary daydreaming, which is often brief and inconsequential, maladaptive daydreaming is characterized by a loss …
DATE: December 25, 2024 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG
** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------
TITLE: These four factors predict maladaptive daydreaming in neurodivergent individuals
A new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders has revealed key factors linked to maladaptive daydreaming in neurodivergent adults. Emotional dysregulation, internalized stigma, escapism, and self-esteem emerged as significant predictors, varying across individuals with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and both diagnoses. These findings offer insights into how neurodivergent individuals use vivid daydreaming as a coping mechanism for emotional and social challenges.
Maladaptive daydreaming is a condition in which individuals engage in excessive, vivid, and immersive fantasies that interfere with their ability to function in daily life. Unlike ordinary daydreaming, which is often brief and inconsequential, maladaptive daydreaming is characterized by a loss of control, where individuals feel compelled to spend hours absorbed in their imagined worlds. This behavior frequently disrupts important activities, such as work or relationships, and can cause significant distress.
The researchers conducted this study to explore the underlying factors contributing to maladaptive daydreaming, particularly in neurodivergent individuals. Previous studies suggested that conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD are associated with higher rates of maladaptive daydreaming, but the reasons for this connection remained unclear.
The team sought to examine how emotional dysregulation, internalized stigma, escapism, and self-esteem contribute to the condition, aiming to identify patterns specific to these neurodivergent populations. They also aimed to compare how these factors interact across groups with autism, ADHD, and both diagnoses (referred to as AuDHD) to better understand the unique challenges faced by individuals with different neurodevelopmental conditions.
“Maladaptive daydreaming is a relatively new and understudied area of research, although it is gaining more recognition among researchers and the general population, especially online,” said study author Anna Pyszkowska of the University of Silesia in Katowice.
“There is some research about maladaptive daydreaming and its correlations with autistic or ADHD traits, but no study has investigated these aspects simultaneously. We wanted to see if there are significant differences in maladaptive daydreaming rates in these populations. Additionally, we wanted to examine whether individuals on the autism spectrum, with ADHD, or with AuDHD vary in how they experience maladaptive daydreaming, including whether there are different predictors.”
The researchers conducted their study by recruiting participants who had been formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or both conditions. Participants were primarily recruited online through neurodivergent advocacy groups and mental health clinics in Poland. The sample included 139 individuals with ADHD, 74 with autism, and 80 with both diagnoses.
The study found that maladaptive daydreaming was similarly prevalent across all three groups, with 37% to 46% of participants meeting the criteria. However, the key factors contributing to the condition varied among the groups.
Emotional dysregulation emerged as a significant predictor of maladaptive daydreaming, particularly for individuals with autism. Difficulties in identifying and managing emotions were strongly linked to excessive daydreaming in this group, suggesting that daydreaming may serve as a coping mechanism for emotional challenges.
In contrast, among participants with ADHD, only certain aspects of emotional dysregulation, such as difficulty accepting emotional responses, predicted maladaptive daydreaming. This finding indicates that the role of emotional dysregulation differs based on the neurodevelopmental condition.
Escapism, particularly self-suppression escapism, was another consistent predictor of maladaptive daydreaming across all groups. This supports the idea that maladaptive daydreaming functions as a way to avoid negative emotions or difficult realities.
Internalized stigma, including feelings of alienation and social withdrawal due to societal judgment, was strongly associated with maladaptive daydreaming, especially among individuals with autism. These findings highlight the social and emotional burdens faced by neurodivergent individuals, which may drive them to retreat into fantasy worlds.
In terms of self-esteem, low self-competence was linked to maladaptive daydreaming in individuals with autism, while higher self-liking predicted lower levels of daydreaming in participants with ADHD.
Interestingly, while ADHD symptoms were more strongly associated with maladaptive daydreaming than autistic traits, individuals with both diagnoses displayed unique patterns. These participants exhibited higher levels of emotional dysregulation, internalized stigma, and self-suppression escapism compared to those with only ADHD or autism. This suggests that the interplay of symptoms from both conditions exacerbates the factors contributing to maladaptive daydreaming.
“The key takeaway is that maladaptive daydreaming is, in fact, associated with attention and emotion dysregulations, and can also be considered as one’s way of escaping from an unpleasant reality,” Pyszkowska told PsyPost. “The latter is additionally important in the neuroatypical population as they often experience stigma and discrimination that may lead to internalized stigma: a situation when you accept and internalize negative stereotypes about yourself and apply them to your own self-perception.”
“Our research showed that the more internalized stigma and dysregulation you experience, the more you want to escape from this reality into your daydreams. Interestingly, there were differences in predictions of maladaptive daydreaming in our three populations studied which showed that it is important to investigate these topics in complex ways.”
However, as with all research, there are some limitations. The sample size was relatively small, especially for the autism-only group, and participants were recruited online, which may have introduced bias. “The sample in this study may be biased as the invitation informed participants that the study was investigating daydreaming in the neurodivergent population,” Pyszkowska noted. “This may have led to the overrepresentation of maladaptive daydreamers, as the topic attracted their attention.”
Future research could address these limitations by including larger and more diverse samples. Further investigation into the content and functions of daydreaming, particularly how it varies across neurodivergent populations, would also provide deeper insights. Exploring potential interventions, such as emotion regulation training or stigma reduction programs, could help individuals manage maladaptive daydreaming more effectively.
The study, “The Daydream Spectrum: The Role of Emotional Dysregulation, Internalized Stigma and Self-Esteem in Maladaptive Daydreaming Among Adults With ADHD, ASD, and Double Diagnosis,” was authored by Anna Pyszkowska, Ari Nowacki, and Julia Celban.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist
I was a jailer for two years. Not proud of it, I needed the money.
One of the repeat offenders we had was an old man who was HIV positive. He went to jail several times while I was working there and always for the same thing. He would shoplift items from a store while in full view of a cop. This old man had a cane and could barely walk. There was no way he expected to get away with it.
After he was arrested we had to process him and the medical questions always led back to his HIV diagnosis. The state provided him with his HIV medication while he was awaiting trial where he always pleaded guilty. He was always released after serving less than 60 days pretrial. Upon release, he was given six months worth of his HIV medications (which he needed to survive) and he …
I was a jailer for two years. Not proud of it, I needed the money.
One of the repeat offenders we had was an old man who was HIV positive. He went to jail several times while I was working there and always for the same thing. He would shoplift items from a store while in full view of a cop. This old man had a cane and could barely walk. There was no way he expected to get away with it.
After he was arrested we had to process him and the medical questions always led back to his HIV diagnosis. The state provided him with his HIV medication while he was awaiting trial where he always pleaded guilty. He was always released after serving less than 60 days pretrial. Upon release, he was given six months worth of his HIV medications (which he needed to survive) and he would shoplift again when he ran out of medication.
It would have been cheaper for the state to just give him the medications without him needing to be part of the criminal justice system first.
He was shoplifting so he could stay alive.
#Healthcare #luigimangione #denydefenddepose #Anticapitalism #EatTheRich
🧑⚕️ 🏥
DATE: December 17, 2024 at 01:08PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED
TITLE: Peptide-guided nanoparticles deliver mRNA to neurons
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241217130810.htm
Engineers have modified lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) -- the revolutionary technology behind the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines -- to not only cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) but also to target specific types of cells, including neurons. This breakthrough marks a significant step toward potential next-generation treatments for neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241217130810.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing …
DATE: December 17, 2024 at 01:08PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED
TITLE: Peptide-guided nanoparticles deliver mRNA to neurons
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241217130810.htm
Engineers have modified lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) -- the revolutionary technology behind the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines -- to not only cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) but also to target specific types of cells, including neurons. This breakthrough marks a significant step toward potential next-generation treatments for neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/12/241217130810.htm
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist
"Federal law stresses that patients approved for the program aren’t responsible for any of the costs.
But tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics."
#healthcare #Indigenous #NativeAmerican #debt #collections #CostsOfCare #SurpriseBills #RuralHealth
"In the United States, we have a whopping 1.4 million people employed with the job of DENYING HEALTH CARE, vs only 1 million doctors in the entire country! That’s all you need to know about America.
"But I have a solution. No one has to kill anyone. And it doesn’t cost anything.
"The solution is simple. Throw this entire system in the trash, ... and instead, in its place, give us all the same health care that every other civilized country on Earth has."
https://www.michaelmoore.com/p/a-manifesto-against-for-profit-health