Dumb news stories

[Potato]

Australian news is a fucking goldmine this morning:

Misdiagnosed and gaslit: When autistic Australians go to the doctor, it's often a 'traumatic' experience

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-01/autistic-australians-struggling-barriers-healthcare/103160556

Chantel Le Cross remembers the first time they felt heard in an emergency room.

It was only two months ago.

The 33-year-old, who is selective non-verbal autistic, was rushed to hospital in September in intense pain. An endometrial cyst wrapped around one of their fallopian tubes had ruptured.

Because Chantel was screaming in agony, they say workers were able to understand their suffering. But that level of attention isn't typical.

In the past, hospital workers have misunderstood Chantel and their symptoms. 

"I have a big issue displaying pain," they say.

"Sometimes I am non-verbal and sometimes I am [verbal]."

Mindfulness therapy does little for high-schoolers' mental health, research finds

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-01/mindfulness-therapy-mental-health-teenagers-research/103167322

When a group of teenagers was given eight weeks of therapy and mindfulness training, there was no improvement in their overall mental health, a study has shown.

The DBT therapy group engaged in mindfulness and other emotional regulation exercises.

Lead author Lauren Harvey said the only improvements were seen among those students who continued their therapy exercises at home.

The clinical psychologist said these results suggested that participants needed a certain willingness for the therapy to be effective.