Xander Flatt

@xanderflatt.bsky.social

Working in local government policy, data (analysis and visualisation), and making information accessible. Interested in film, music, art, culture, politics, sport, news and the weather. East Lothian/Edinburgh Nae Paseran He/him

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

New Channel 4 documentary, The Great ADHD Myth?, seeks to determine whether ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct

Remember Streeting's review into whether young people are being overdiagnosed with ADHD, autism, and mental health issues? Well, the interim report is out, and there's a reason the media are silent on it (spoiler: it proves what a lot of us have been saying all along)

In others, notably ADHD and autism, rising diagnoses and referrals appear to exceed changes in underlying epidemiological prevalence and are likely to reflect a combination of:

improved recognition
changing help-seeking behaviour
institutional incentives
pressures within existing service pathways
Across both ADHD and autism, best currently available population-based estimates remain relatively stable, while administrative diagnoses, self-identification and recorded service demand have increased substantially. In autism, the evidence also points to particularly rapid growth in identified need within educational systems, including increasing identification among girls and among young people without learning disability.These patterns suggest that rising demand is not simply the result of increasing prevalence, but of several processes operating simultaneously, including:

real increases in distress in some groups
improved recognition of previously unmet need
changing expectations about support
systems that frequently rely on formal diagnosis as the primary route to assistance
Across the system, support is too often accessed through pathways that are slow, fragmented and heavily dependent on diagnostic categorisation. While diagnosis remains essential for some forms of clinical decision-making, the evidence suggests that current arrangements do not always provide the most effective or efficient way of identifying and responding to need. In particular, where access to support depends heavily on formal diagnosis, demand for diagnostic assessment can increase more rapidly than systems are able to respond, generating long waiting times, duplication of assessment and pressure on specialist services.

The next phase of the review will therefore focus on clarifying the relationship between distress, diagnosis and need, and on examining how systems might respond more effectively to these patterns. A central objective will be to identify opportunities for developing more coherent, evidence-informed care pathways that enable support to be provided earlier and more proportionately, while ensuring that specialist services are available in a timely and appropriate manner for those whose needs are most complex.

Amnesty International put out a major report documenting the influence of UK based anti trans gender critical organizations and their funding. Within hours, GC groups threatened defamation lawsuits and Amnesty was forced to pull it down. Proving the point they're anti rights. Anyways, here it is.

BildBildBildBild

"Well she was always nice to me." A line almost identical to the one a lot of women have heard from men who also want to defend the reputation of truly irredeemable friends. Yes, they're nice to people who aren't the target of their monstrous intentions.

Robert Shrimsley@robertshrimsley.bsky.social · 4w ago

Sad news about Ann Widdecombe. Very good and nuanced obit from the Times. Didn't share many of her social views but she was a woman of strong principles, far better and kinder than her caricature. This last par captures here well: www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...

Rounding up some translations of Count Binface that have been appearing in foreign press 🇷🇴 Romanian: Contele Tomberonez 🇫🇷 French: Comte Tête-de-Poubelle (bin-head, more accurate than bin-face) 🇮🇹 Italian: Conte Faccia-da-Bidone 🇪🇸 Spanish: "un hombre con un cubo de basura en la cabeza" (!) Cont...

Going out on a limb: Farage is going to call a by election. Best case for him, he loses and claims an establishment conspiracy. Increases his personal support but doesn't need to be an MP. Worst case, he wins and can try to claim that previous expenses don't need to be declared.