Adam Mars

Hello. Great username, btw.

On another front, there's now an e-petition to cap MP's salaries at the same level they want to cap benefits. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/28476

I've eaten Matzoball's cakes. Even David Bailey could not do them justice in a photograph.

The end of a module is very different from the end of a course. If a module finishes - and you were bored or stressed by it - you have the next module to look forward to (and it might be more interesting or less stressful). When a course is nearing its end, you have uncertainty to 'look forward' to. If you have a naturally pessimistic outlook, or if you suffer from depression, that uncertainty can manifest as self-doubt, disillusionment, cynicism...all sorts of negative and largely 'false' feelings. And if you'd actually been looking forward to putting off the uncertainty by extending your study, then that disappointment and disruption to your planning simply exaggerates the negative feelings. Add in the uncertainty created by government cuts and you are facing a very difficult time, psychologically speaking. There aren't, I think, any easy answers, particularly if the services that might be able to help - psychological services - are pretty ineffective (and my experience of them is, I think, similar to yours). What a careers advisor would probably say is something like "Identify the transferable skills you've acquired through your study, identify the skills and attributes you are interested in using in an work situation...and then look for a job outside psychology that matches what you've identified". Careers advisors get paid to spout that sort of stuff as though it's the easiest thing in the world. It's not. It's difficult for NT people, more difficult for people with an ASD, more difficult still for people with low mood or low self-esteem and practically impossible for people with depression. But it does suggest a different route for seeking help: rather than trying ineffective psychological services, you could perhaps try a careers guidance service. Of course, you might find those as ineffective as psychological services, and you may find the same barriers to employment as many spectrum people do, but sometimes even ineffective advice and support can be enough to boost your morale a little bit and set your own thinking off in different directions. I'm not sure how much - if any - of this is helpful, but I'm just trying to distil my own experience into some sort of advice. Your mileage may vary. in any event, I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.

I think a lot of people doing a long course of study get into this position towards the end: there's been a clear map and path to follow for three or four years, and no there's uncertainty looming. There's also the fact that, however interested you are in a subject at the beginning of a degree course, it's difficult to maintain that level of interest over the life of the course. I was in a similar position towards the end of my degree and ended up doing a PhD, which just put off the same self-doubt for a few more years. Psychology is a very flexible subject in terms of careers; you don't need to become a clinical psychologist. http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-education-training/psychology-other-careers/psychology-other-careers

Why do you think your 'view' on a diagnosis should be heard? Are you a doctor?

I'm 48 and I've always just assumed that everyone else got this. I just asked my wife and she had no idea what I was talking about. Now she's jealous.

I'm not sure those two things are compatible.

I've been on Sertraline for years and never noticed a 'zombie' effect. Of course, I've not noticed much effect on my depression, either. Perhaps I'm immune to Sertraline.

'Tend' is the operative word here. I have sensory issues which make physical contact difficult, but the extent of those issues (or my ability to cope with them) varies with the amount of stress I have in my life. Simply not true, I'm afraid.

Sounds like alexithymia, which is quite common in people on the spectrum. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia ) It makes most therapy inappropriate or unhelpful, unless you can find a therapist with some experience of relevant cognitive disorders, who can structure therapy according to your own strengths and weaknesses. If you find one, let me know

Dx - along with Sx (symptoms) and Tx (treatment) - derives from the traditional Rx (prescription or 'recipe') http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1641/what-does-the-pharmacists-symbol-rx-mean Tx and Rx are also used as shorthand for 'transmission/transmit' and 'reception/receive' in radio communication.

Neither. No. My mother wanted to know if it was her fault. My twin brother got his own dx. My sister was very 'understanding' and overly sympathetic. My father ignored the news and carried on as usual. I prefer my father's reaction. My girlfriend read everything and anything she could find on the subject, explored with me ways to overcome or circumvent some of my problems, helped me learn to communicate better and has become my wife. The local autism resource centre made me aware of a couple of social groups which weren't really suitable for me. Contrary to cliche, my wife does understand me. Reassuring. Mental health professionals have tended to think I'm an autism problem and pass me on to autism services (such as they are). Autism services recognise that my real problem is depression and pass me back to mental health services. And round and round we go.

The sound of my neighbour's bath water pouring through my kitchen ceiling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9iGt343wNA&ob=av2n

Eton

anxiety

You certainly have to resign to claim constructive dismissal (you have to have been - effectively - dismissed, after all). You also need to resign in direct response to an employer's actions (or inactions), which in practice means resigning almost immediately after the action/situation which breaches employment rights, specific contract clauses or the implied clause in every employment contract of "mutual trust and goodwill". I happen to know this because I had to quit my job a few weeks ago, and I took legal advice about discrimination and constructive dismissal (and I've been down this road a few years ago with another employer). Constructive dismissal is a 'nuclear' option, which should only be pursued after all internal grievance procedures (and other internal avenues of resolution) have been exhausted. Constructive dismissal cases where the complainant has not made every reasonable effort to resolve the dispute are very unlikely to succeed, unless the action which prompts the resignation is extreme (extreme enough to make grievance procedures ineffective or inappropriate - refusing to tell you how to pursue a grievance, for example ) As for the performance appraisal, that will need to be redone in the light of the diagnosis. It doesn't matter whether your friend or her employer were aware of the disability at the time...they're aware of it now, it existed at the time and her performance needs to be reappraised with the diagnosis in mind (and with reasonable adjustments which might allow her to improve her performance in mind). It may be that there are no reasonable adjustments which could be made, nor any reasonable way to allow her to improve her performance, but that would need to be a considered conclusion based on evidence (and would need your friend to demonstrate a willingness to make and accept reasonable adjustments). A final note: whoever 'wins' an Employment Tribunal case, everyone involved loses. It should be a last resort. EDIT: No, she won't get paid between resigning and the Employment Tribunal case.

waste

House of the Rising Sun, the audience participation version...

There's a reason for that, and you've experienced it twice. She'll either learn from the consequences of her behaviour or not, but you shouldn't have to put up with the damage it does, nor should you feel guilty for not wanting to be damaged a third time.

Am I the only person who read that as "Shallow Gravel!"?