Current Events > Let's play Spot the Nuance

(+) Yeah! (+)

Found in my dorm by the elevator:

I understand that they have good intentions, and I agree with the general sentiment, but there is zero nuance in this. Generally speaking, blanket statements are wrong. I know that's self-contradictory, but there are always exceptions to the norms. This is just going to trigger the backfire effect in most people. They could just say "don't be a dick by intentionally upsetting someone by making light of their condition" and I wouldn't have much of a problem with it.
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The OCD one is right because some people use it as an excuse to be a dick or to do something that needs no justification, like straightening a frame.

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berlyman101 posted...

The OCD one is right because some people use it as an excuse to be a dick or to do something that needs no justification, like straightening a frame.

Don't touch my stuff, I have OCD. It also makes me touch your stuff but you don't have OCD, so it's cool.
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I personal have OCD over that statement's grammatical errors.
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mental illness appropriation is the biggest issue we're facing today
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As someone who suffers from severe Panic Disorder from when I was 13, anybody who gets upset by someone saying "I think I had a panic attack!" is an absolute douchebag. I mean, listen. They probably didn't actually have a panic attack. An actual panic attack is extremely traumatic and most people have a hard time just feeling normal again after the first one, let alone talk about it. So I get it, it feels like they're maybe making light of it? That's really okay though. They don't need to understand how bad a panic attack is and we don't need to police the phrase like some kind of gatekeeper. The reality of Panic Attacks can be our little secret, okay? Let the people have their phrase because it's really not going to hurt you, buddy.

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EverDownward posted...

I personal have OCD over that statement's grammatical errors.

ya hate to see this

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Pogo_Marimo posted...

As someone who suffers from severe Panic Disorder from when I was 13, anybody who gets upset by someone saying "I think I had a panic attack!" is an absolute douchebag. I mean, listen. They probably didn't actually have a panic attack. An actual panic attack is extremely traumatic and most people have a hard time just feeling normal again after the first one, let alone talk about it. So I get it, it feels like they're maybe making light of it? That's really okay though. They don't need to understand how bad a panic attack is and we don't need to police the phrase like some kind of gatekeeper. The reality of Panic Attacks can be our little secret, okay? Let the people have their phrase because it's really not going to hurt you, buddy.

I have had two or three panic attacks in my life, but they were just momentary things that I quickly got over. It was extreme fight-or-flight where I lost all sense of who I was and immediately had to either punch whatever was around me or literally run away. I was hyperventilating, all of my blood rushed to my face, and I couldn't help but to scream. But, an hour later, I was mostly fine.

My SO has had panic attacks so bad that people call 911 (and poorly trained firefighters or police just make it worse). I don't want to go into details, but I'm sure the panic attacks alone have been traumatic.
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ChocoboMog123 posted...

I lost all sense of who I was

You are so fuckin sued
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ChocoboMog123 posted...

I have had two or three panic attacks in my life, but they were just momentary things that I quickly got over. It was extreme fight-or-flight where I lost all sense of who I was and immediately had to either punch whatever was around me or literally run away. I was hyperventilating, all of my blood rushed to my face, and I couldn't help but to scream. But, an hour later, I was mostly fine.

My SO has had panic attacks so bad that people call 911 (and poorly trained firefighters or police just make it worse). I don't want to go into details, but I'm sure the panic attacks alone have been traumatic.

That sounds about right. Mild ones thankfully don't last very long, but the severe ones are crazy. Symptoms can vary quite a bit, but for me I don't get the physical symptoms much, but I suffer from derealization. It's funny, it makes me wonder if H.P. Lovecraft suffered from Panic Attacks and Derealization, because the way he describes people mentally breaking down and the sense of undefinable "wrongness" they experience (Separate from all the monster shenanigans and whatnot) resonates pretty strongly with my symptoms for panic attacks.

It always lingered with me, like I peaked behind the vale of our consciousness and saw just how fragile and meaningless it all is. I try not to dwell on it because it's not particularly productive thinking (i.e. it makes me want to freak the fuck out), but that feeling will always be in the back of my brain, I suspect, wrapped tightly around some cortex responsible for fear and panic.

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When I was a kid, I would have panic attacks in the middle pf the night (at least thats what I think they were) . Id be all out of breath and full of the worst sense of dread, and I'd pace up and down the hallway till it subsided. It almost never happens anymore, but the last time it did, I put on some pants, and took a walk to calm down.
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@Pogo_Marimo, does what I described in post #11 sound like a panic attack?
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Gotta love those passive-aggressive hallway printouts
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mustachedmystic posted...

@Pogo_Marimo, does what I described in post #11 sound like a panic attack?

From what you described, I would say so, although certainly not the worst case I've heard. "Mild" panic attacks still don't feel particularly "mild" in the moment, though, lol. It's kind of like a "mild gunshot wound". It's a good sign though if you were able to cope with them in a way that saw their frequency decrease as you got older. Coping really just means not feeding the fear with your conscious attention, and doing something like going for a walk if you feel comfortable enough to do so sounds like a good idea. Attacks are an irrationality, but that doesn't mean in the moment you can just "think" them away. Coaxing them out by slowly shifting your focus to something else is my best advice. It's a lot harder said than done, but as long as you stay positive anybody can make strides against panic attacks.

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Thanks, these attacks were something I never talked about, because I never knew what they were, or thought about when i wasn't having one. And even if I wanted to talk to anyone about it, I didn't have the words to articulate what was happening, esp. when I was little.
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mustachedmystic posted...

Thanks, these attacks were something I never talked about, because I never knew what they were, or thought about when i wasn't having one. And even if I wanted to talk to anyone about it, I didn't have the words to articulate what was happening, esp. when I was little.

I felt the same way, trust me. I thought I was going crazy, like padded room crazy, and it wasn't until I became agoraphobic from the trauma that I finally reached out to my parents for help. Just understanding it, though, helps a little. The more you understand it, the less threatening it becomes.

If you ever feel your symptoms becoming bad or difficult to manage, I would always recommend a therapist--Specifically one who specializes in Anxiety disorders. Sometimes it helps just to vocalize it and sound your feelings off of someone else.

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