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Brain Wiring: Sexuality and Neurodiversity (e.g. dyslexia, ADD etc)

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Purplefrog, Jan 29, 2014.

  1. Purplefrog

    Purplefrog Guest

    As well as coming out more this past year, I have also been diagnosed as having a mild neurodisability, akin to dyspraxia and ADD. My short term memory is crap, and I have problems multitasking - going to sleep is a nightmare as I can't shut my brain up!

    They often say dyspraxia is like asperger's with empathy, and that asperger's is like a hyper-male brain; I have also done a number of tests showing that I am generally more male-brained than female. Scientific research has shown that gay/lesbian people are more likely to have opposite gender brains (you can do a search for this, and you'll find it).

    Certainly there are quite a few people I have met recently who have been gay/lesbian AND have a neurodiverse condition, e.g. aspergers, dyscalclia, dyslexia. Obviously, not everyone who is gay has a neurodiverse condition, and vice versa, but I do find it quite interesting that from my limited experience, there does seem to be some kind of connection.

    I just find it fascinating, and was wondering whether anybody else had similar experiences, or indeed thoughts?
     
  2. Nikky DoUrden

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    Opposite gender brain?
    What does it even means?
    The only difference between male and female is chromosome Y if im not wrong :O

    I found it hard to shut down my mind when sleeping too,
    but now I have a method which gets easier as u use it more often,
    and that is not fight the brain, but use its own bullets against it!!!!
    When u go to sleep - KEEP thinking about things, but this time, about RANDOM things, and just think everything that comes into ur mind, let your brain overflow with thoughts.
    In my analysis, what it does is making your brain more tired because it can't keep up with all the random thoughts and different subjects, and slowly, it'll make it more exhusted and you more sleepy :grin:
     
  3. Purplefrog

    Purplefrog Guest

    If you look at this link, you'll see what I mean BBC NEWS | Health | Scans see 'gay brain differences'

    It states
     
    #3 Purplefrog, Jan 29, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 29, 2014
  4. Nikky DoUrden

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    Ok I understand what you're saying now :slight_smile:
    So take kids, scan their brain - u would be able to tell who is gay and who is not based on how their brain is structured?

    I searched on google, and I didn't find any new research about the subject... they all reference to the sweedish one, and they are written at 2008.

    In science it takes more than one experiment, so I would take the sweedish one in limited liability.. not saying its not true or maybe it hints somewhere near the truth, but again, lets not take it as 100% :icon_bigg
     
  5. AudreyB

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    I have something, not exactly sure what. But one phrase you used, "hyper male brain", seems to describe it very well, although I'm not convinced I have Asperger's (slightly, but not severely socially stunted). I do know that my brain goes 100 mph all day, every day and getting it to shut down for sleep at night has always been a problem (thank heaven for alcohol).
     
  6. Kasey

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    I'd like to see correlational studies on bipolar with androgyny or transgenderism.
     
  7. Nikky DoUrden

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    No like button, but... :thumbsup:
     
  8. SemiCharmedLife

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    I'm LGBTADHD...OMGWTF!!!
     
  9. Kasey

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    I asked my psychiatrist about this. He's like I could cite 3 papers going either way.
     
  10. wanderinggirl

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    It is possible that having differential neurological function might cause you to recognize other traits that make you different from the average person, and therefore to acknowledge your homosexuality, rather than directly causing it.
     
  11. Purplefrog

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    I suppose I just guess I see the world with a rather unique perspective!

    Interesting, both the Neurologist and the Neuropsychologist said they could see how I was "different" from the norm, but that what is "normal" is more a fabricated concept. i.e. we humans are all diverse, and on a spectrum of varying attributes. How we struggle in some aspects, we excel in others. His example was footballers vs academics. Footballers aren't generally known to be particularly bright, but have amazing visio-spatial awareness. Academics on the other hand tend to be not particularly practical. They therefore didn't want to pathologise my symptoms and give it a specific label - I am just me, and a particular combination of attributes resulting, partly at least, from the way my brain is wired.

    Compare that to many of our conversations on here about needing to find the right label, and how we come out to people. If we just thought about our orientation as something banal as eye colour, maybe everything would be a lot easier. We could just 'be', without trying to defend who we are.
     
  12. drwinchester

    drwinchester Guest

    I've got Asperger's/autism in the family. Mom swore for years I had to be Asperger's but never got tested. But I remember reading somewhere that a disportunate number of transguys were somewhere on the Asperger's spectrum- something about how Aspeger's a a 'hyper-male' brain. And I honestly wouldn't doubt for a minute if someone told me I was something autistic.
     
  13. AudreyB

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    Please don't mention the "b" word, already had a quack doctor whom pushed this diagnosis on me, along with some anti-psychotics which ballooned me up to almost 200 lbs. (I'm normally 125-135). Turned out I only had situational depression (had just gone through heartbreak), he was the bipolar one, and am now left with a whole bunch of hideous, saggy, loose skin and stretch marks from the rapid weight gain. :frowning2:

    Now, I could definitely see a correlation with transgenderism/androgyny and autism and/or social disorders.
     
  14. Kasey

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    Sorry about your misdiagnosis but there are people with bipolar out there, so don't act like it isn't real.
     
  15. AudreyB

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    Oh, it's real. Believe me, I should know once being married to one of those (undiagnosed) "b words". :lol: Just don't necessarily see as much correlation between bipolar disorder and transgenderism/androgyny as the other paradigm I mentioned. I also think there is perhaps a fair amount of overdiagnosing of almost anything out there (as happened in my instance). But I've seen plenty fully convincing cases of almost all the "pop disorders" (bipolar, ADHD, autism, Asperger's, etc.) firsthand to unquestioningly accept their existence.
     
  16. Kasey

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    Just saying it is an interesting study into the dual nature of the human psyche and if there is any correlation is all I'm saying.

    I also understand misdiagnosis... All too well.

    Try being diagnosed with depression but not having been correctly diagnosed and been told to "just stay on your antidepressants" for years. Then try bipolar specific medicine once another doctor realizes it (lamictal) and you feel much much better.

    I don't mean to get into a bickering match here.
     
  17. AudreyB

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    Are we bickering? I hadn't noticed, these are some pretty good meds here. :lol:

    (Hope you don't take offense at this, just couldn't resist the joke.) (!!)
     
  18. Kasey

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    I'm not easily offended by anything. So don't worry about that.

    I'm just a scientist wondering about what's the correlation between these two factors.
     
  19. BiPenguin

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    I'm a Tourettes person with dystonic movement and with dyspraxia along with what it is that is undiagnosed and probably will be until autopsy.
     
  20. An Gentleman

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    Me? I was diagnosed with autism at a young age.
    My parents (and a psychologist or two) deny it, but... if you'd somehow obtained access to some of my fancy official documents, you'd see a note that I have autism (and probably a note that I need to do P90X or something).