Science: My adult sons’ mental health issues ignited my interest in learning “neurobiology lite” about our mental, emotional, and sensory processes and what can and does go “wrong,” I mean, “different.” As a non-scientist, I take time to understand the science before attempting to “translate” it into lay language. I go for accuracy and clarity, but mental health disorders are exceedingly complex. I’m interested in new research, the evolutionary roots of an emotion or disorder, and the briefer history of conceptualizing what’s going on within and without, usually starting with Freud.

My Approach: In my web searches, I encounter information that’s too surface-level (with bulleted lists of everything), too complicated (research papers), and the third, personal storytelling (found in blogs or social media). It’s super engaging, but stories are like trees in a forest. We need the science. I see my blog as a bit of all three: bullets, science, and stories. I hope I’m like you, seeking to deepen understanding of the mysteries of what makes us function/malfunction (or rather, function differently). Understanding is a precursor to change, self-improvement, and feeling better about ourselves and our place in the world.

Topics and Audiences: I try to approach sensitive topics in a humane way and connect with anyone who’s having a hard time, either because of what’s going on within themselves, in a relationship with another, or with being different in an unforgiving world. I started with topics related to my sons, but soon mapped out larger terrain on topics that fascinated me — like synesthesia and self-identity formation, the origins of narcissism, or the concept of bipolar vulnerability. I also decide against topics that take me down too many rabbit holes. I write for concerned parents, spouses, adult children, or anyone curious about why they or someone they love is affected, afflicted, or just different. I don’t write for scientists, psychologists, or healthcare experts. 

Advocacy: It’s a national disgrace that not enough resources are available, accessible, and affordable for those suffering from anxiety, mood disorders, learning issues, personality disorders, and being different. The world is a tough enough place without being further disadvantaged by untreated or misdiagnosed mental health problems. Excellent care is often private and therefore not covered by insurance. Online care is popular but is not always a safe bet — a bad therapist can do more harm than doing nothing. We need government funding for research and resources. We need more attention, care, and humanity. I don’t see this at all likely with the current administration, but I do have hope science and policy will come together within my lifetime.

Writing: While not a scientist, psychologist, or healthcare expert, I am curious and want to learn as I go. I collect, synthesize, and distill information for readers with different levels of interest. I won’t use terms, jargon, or theoretical concepts unless they’re clearly defined. Jargon exists because it’s handy, but it’s also annoying. Inevitably, I rely on psych-speak, but I translate what it means on the spot — with more detailed definitions in the accompanying Glossary. All writing is original, unless I indicate I’m paraphrasing.

Complexity of Language: Across all my blog series, I’m careful with language — not to soften reality, but to keep neurological and biological patterns from being mistaken for moral judgments about who a person is or how they behave. Language can lead to stigma (see below). My aim is to be conscious of the power of language. Other examples:

Synonyms: Worry, concern, stress are lesser forms of anxiety and are loose synonyms. A New York Times article noted, “Worry happens in your mind, stress happens in your body, and anxiety happens in your mind and your body. In small doses, worry, stress, and anxiety can be positive forces in our lives. But research shows that most of us are too worried, too stressed, and too anxious.” I’ll stick with the word anxiety to keep it simple, because the synonyms keep coming:dread, nervous, anxious, tension….

Acronyms: For the sake of brevity, I refer to mental health conditions by their acronyms. I always spell out terms before using the acronym. Like BD for bipolar disorder. I found that narcissists refer to themselves as narcs. I don’t do that, unless directly quoting someone.

Polysemes: I discovered this as the perfect term for the language issue I need to describe here: a polyseme is a familiar word that carries different meanings depending on context — in this case, mental health. For example, energy in everyday language often means motivation or enthusiasm. In psychology, it refers to how activated the brain–body system is (wakefulness, drive, and intensity), not willpower or character. Likewise, temperamental commonly implies moodiness, but here it refers to biologically rooted response patterns — how a nervous system reacts to stress, reward, and change — rather than behavior or personality flaws.

Changing Language: I’m all for changing terminology that’s inherently stigmatizing and prejudicial. Terms from the mid-20th century are horrible, but so was the treatment. We’ve come a long way. But there comes a time when the word police go too far and the writing gets bogged down. So while I agree, as a writer I can’t always comply. I try not to offend, but I’m sure I’ve crossed the line. I apologize. For example:

• Narcissist, narcissistic, and narcissism are tough words to type — and yet there are no handy shortcuts. What I won’t do is repeatedly write person with narcissistic tendencies or something similar. I use narcissist to cover anyone on the narcissist spectrum, with context making it clear whether I’m discussing mild or severe conditions.
• I wrote several posts on autism, using the accepted term autism spectrum disorder or ASD. But then read how people with autism don’t like that term, because they don’t consider themselves to have a disorder. So I replaced all ASDs with just, simply, autism. And since people with autism call themselves autists, I did that sparingly.
• Using multiple, very-long terms starting with neuro– begs for more distinction and brevity. So I used ND for neurodivergent and NT for neurotypical.
• Normal is out, unless quotations denote it exists in the eye of the beholder. Abnormal is loaded with negativity. Typical/atypical are more neutral. Everything’s on a spectrum and that goes for neurodivergence — or neurospectrum — a term I like but didn’t find used too often. I like the term for expressing a compassionate, peaceful ND-NT coexistence.

Illustrations: I pluck illustrations from free image sites (Shutterstock, iStock, Alamy, etc.) and try to give
credit, when possible. I cite sources for original artwork or graphics, often from science sites.

Glossary: All bold terms are further defined in the accompanying glossary. Sometimes Glossary definitions use even more terms that need defining, so I defined those terms, too. Glossary definition writing is not original, but pulled from credible sources and the edited for clarity and brevity. I cite sources at the end of the Glossary.

Citations: I cite sources within the post and at the end via hyperlinks. But this is not an academic paper, so my citations aren’t properly footnoted. Where there are no citations but lots of information, I have attempted to list all sources. Scientific sources are all credible and reliable.

Chat GPT/AI: When I started blog writing, AI was just beginning, its content not always reliable. Now, ChatGPT responds to questions like a hovering genius presence with increasingly comprehensive and accurate info — even with comparison charts if you ask for them — and beautiful writing. At one point, I asked myself whether I should just be Chat GPT’s secretary. Ask questions, record, post. So I chatted with Chat GPT for guidance. And here’s what we decided: Chat GPT will help with outlining, charts, translating and distilling science in the blink of an eye, and definitions – but no writing. That’s my job. I’ll ChatGPT for its major contributions. 

My Tables: All colorful tables are original, unless otherwise noted. I use them to enliven some “dry scientific” texts and definitions, especially when they come from multiple sources, and to compare and contrast concepts. It’s a way to see a lot of information at a glance. The other benefit of the tables: they’re easy to skip over if you’re not interested. But sometimes it’s the detail that’s actually surprising.

Mistakes: Truly, I don’t pretend to be an expert, and I’ve tried hard to get it right. If you catch a mistake, please correct me kindly.

Bylines and Pseudonyms: My sons’ and my bylines are pseudonyms to protect privacy. Our stories are deeply personal, so some degree of anonymity is essential. All stories are real or “composites” and duly noted. 

Feedback: A person’s mental health is in large part whether they’re capable of receiving well-intentioned, constructive feedback from others. I invite you to give me feedback. Contact Me.