Sensory Perception

[WhitewaterWoman]

And from the second…

Autistic Doctors International (ADI) is a peer-support and advocacy group for medical doctors who identify as autistic, or on the autistic spectrum. It was founded in April 2019 with seven members and, to date, has over 300 members, with an associated group for autistic medical students. Over half the members are in the UK, with others from the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe.9

GPs make up about a third of ADI’s membership. The second most common specialty for ADI members is psychiatry.9 The distribution of members in these highly relational specialties challenges what appear to be common assumptions that — if indeed there are autistic doctors — they are likely to only be found in, so-called, ‘non-patient care’ specialties. In fact, ADI members from specialties such as pathology or radiology are very much in the minority.9 Even considering the greater autism awareness among GPs and psychiatrists, the nature of their work challenges the stereotype that autistic people lack empathy.10

We find that discussing the existence of autistic doctors elicits one of two contrasting reactions among medical colleagues; disbelief, or a recognition that of course many of our colleagues are autistic, but it’s not something that is openly talked about.

 

[Outdated]

And from the second…

Both of those sort of tie in with a report that came out in Australia in the 90s. My industry, print and media, was the second to worst for workplace drug and alcohol abuse, the only ones that beat us were the medicos.

I reckoned the medicos cheated because we all had to buy our drugs.

 

[Aspychata]

Oh boy, l guess my partner may possibly be ASD. He is listed in that article. And l do function as part of the clean up crew, and he has told me his staff keeps him on task. That was surprising to read. He falls in the second specialty. I did go out on one date with an orthopedic surgeon who definitely was autistic. Never a dull moment at this forum.

 

[Boogs]

A report in the UK (decades ago, but I doubt thing's have changed that much) put medics at the highest level of mental health issues and suicide among common careers, and of those, the group most effected were psychiatrists. I appreciate psychiatry can be a very emotionally demanding and sometimes traumatising area to work in, but I strongly suspect there's also an element in personal cognitive and mental make up that also attracts many people to the subject (my dad was a shrink).

Also, it seems neuro-divergent people are often found in higher proportion in many specialist areas of study and work. I worked in chemistry and pharma institutes (lab based teaching/research work) for about 24 years and never had any problems with most of the people there, who were generally as nerdish as I (looking back with hindsight), it was only going out in to the real world of (commercial) work I started having issues with people. I'm quite sure many in science were ND in some way or other.

Seeing doctors as a patient, generally I found they seemed to come in two types - I'd generally engage well having a focus of discussion, but they'd either immediately dislike me for showing a general appreciation of medicine (how dare I do that, I'm a malady, not a person!), and the others who'd engage and communicate, correct misinformation or ignorance but not dismissively, and generally be a pleasure to talk to (ignoring any medical bad news of course! )

 

[vergil96]

46% had requested adjustments in the workplace but of these, only half had them implemented.

How are workplace adjustements implemented for a doctor? Just curious, I have doctors in my family and it doesn't look like there is any possibility for accomodations to me. Medicine seems very rigid to me and it's one of the reasons I avoided becoming a doctor.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

How are workplace adjustements implemented for a doctor? Just curious, I have doctors in my family and it doesn't look like there is any possibility for accomodations to me. Medicine seems very rigid to me and it's one of the reasons I avoided becoming a doctor.

Just off the top of my head, accommodations I could think of that should be possible for doctors in a hospital if people are willing (always assumed the doctor keeps their phone/pager on them to let them know if they're needed):
- providing a quiet, sensory-friendly room to retreat to.
- providing quieter rooms for desk work, like writing reports or reading through patients' files.
- having clear meeting times, and everyone trying to stick to them.
- senior doctors providing clear instructions, no cryptic half-sentences.
- allowing a certain amount of flex-time at the beginning or at the end of the workday, for desk work.
- being more open to part-time work, like working 2-4 days per week, instead of 5.

Those are all things that could be possible in a hospital. But people need to be willing.

 

[Aspychata]

Also, if you have great staff, they keep you updated, and pull for you. I have heard this from two doctors, their staff really takes care of them because they like working with doctors who are compassionate about helping others. My partner is exceptional in his field, and many clients like his bedside manner.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Just off the top of my head, accommodations I could think of that should be possible for doctors in a hospital if people are willing (always assumed the doctor keeps their phone/pager on them to let them know if they're needed):
- providing a quiet, sensory-friendly room to retreat to.
- providing quieter rooms for desk work, like writing reports or reading through patients' files.
- having clear meeting times, and everyone trying to stick to them.
- senior doctors providing clear instructions, no cryptic half-sentences.
- allowing a certain amount of flex-time at the beginning or at the end of the workday, for desk work.
- being more open to part-time work, like working 2-4 days per week, instead of 5.

Those are all things that could be possible in a hospital. But people need to be willing.

It just depends upon the specialty, whether or not you are "in house" or at the office, the type of hospital you are practicing at, and if you are in a large enough group to accommodate such things. A lot of variables.

A busy, metropolitan, primary care hospital, 1000+ beds, high-acuity ICU patients,...you're not getting accommodations. Too many patients to see, multiple interruptions in your workflow, there may be days (12+hrs) you might not get time to eat, drink, or get to use the restroom,...that's a reality, at least at my hospital. Our teams bust their hump and pray for a "quiet" day. BTW, you never say the "Q" word out loud. It's not to say that this is what your entire career will be like, but when you're a intern, resident, or fellow in training, it's health care's version of military bootcamp, but it can take several years to complete. Then, if you're lucky, you can move into a practice with a large group and have partners that can cover for each other.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

It just depends upon the specialty, whether or not you are "in house" or at the office, the type of hospital you are practicing at, and if you are in a large enough group to accommodate such things. A lot of variables.

A busy, metropolitan, primary care hospital, 1000+ beds, high-acuity ICU patients,...you're not getting accommodations. Too many patients to see, multiple interruptions in your workflow, there may be days (12+hrs) you might not get time to eat, drink, or get to use the restroom,...that's a reality, at least at my hospital. Our teams bust their hump and pray for a "quiet" day. BTW, you never say the "Q" word out loud. It's not to say that this is what your entire career will be like, but when you're a intern, resident, or fellow in training, it's health care's version of military bootcamp, but it can take several years to complete. Then, if you're lucky, you can move into a practice with a large group and have partners that can cover for each other.

I know that, I've been in such departments at such hospitals. But it doesn't change the fact that I think that also a large, busy hospital should be able to construct a quiet room to get a second of peace for their employees.
I know how it works in hospitals, but I don't think it's right, or that the things I wrote are unreasonable. Just that no one wants to implement them so far because it's too much hassle and money.

That's also why I decided to not work in a university hospital. The doctors there pride themselves on who has not eaten for longer or who has the most overtime (of course without being allowed to write it up). It's a whole contest ethic on who's the most overworked. No thank you.

 

[vergil96]

- providing a quiet, sensory-friendly room to retreat to.
- providing quieter rooms for desk work, like writing reports or reading through patients' files.
- having clear meeting times, and everyone trying to stick to them.
- senior doctors providing clear instructions, no cryptic half-sentences.
- allowing a certain amount of flex-time at the beginning or at the end of the workday, for desk work.
- being more open to part-time work, like working 2-4 days per week, instead of 5.

Makes sense. Especially in a more rural or suburban hospital.

I think there is no problem with clear instructions and meeting times among doctors tbh.

The peace and quiet and as well as flexible hours or working part-time could be more of a problem. But again, I think less busy hospitals are a better fit.

It also makes sense to me if accomodations like that were not "provided" but you just chose to work this way.

A busy, metropolitan, primary care hospital, 1000+ beds, high-acuity ICU patients,...you're not getting accommodations. Too many patients to see, multiple interruptions in your workflow, there may be days (12+hrs) you might not get time to eat, drink, or get to use the restroom,...that's a reality, at least at my hospital. Our teams bust their hump and pray for a "quiet" day. BTW, you never say the "Q" word out loud. It's not to say that this is what your entire career will be like, but when you're a intern, resident, or fellow in training, it's health care's version of military bootcamp, but it can take several years to complete. Then, if you're lucky, you can move into a practice with a large group and have partners that can cover for each other.

Yeah, that's what working at a hospital was like for my family. But the metropolitan one was more like that, the one in a town was a more forgiving workplace.

The doctors there pride themselves on who has not eaten for longer or who has the most overtime (of course without being allowed to write it up). It's a whole contest ethic on who's the most overworked. No thank you.

Oh geez. This is extreme. I mean... it's not unfamiliar to me. My psychotherapist teaches me now to eat, drink, go to the toilet and fulfil other physiological needs whenever I want and need to, because my family thinks you "need to be tough" and suppress physiological needs to an unreasonable degree. This ethos of "being tough" bugged me up and tbh my mental health is doing much better if I take care of my body more. It's like my family never understood that we're no longer at the ward, we're at home or having fun or whatever. No ward, same behaviour pattern, sense of immediate life-threatening danger about... laundry, shopping, cinema and so forth. You do one wrong step and face an outlash as if you just did something life threatening.

On a different note, university professors at technical universities also pride themselves in unreasonable work habits such as working 12+ hours a day, not taking breaks, not eating etc. Some think you're not trying hard enough if you live a healthy lifestyle and eat regular meals or sleep 8-10 hours a day.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I often don’t notice when I’m sick. It was easier when I was working, other people would point it out to me, but at home by myself I tend not to notice a lot.

The last two days I was ravenously hungry, and I started having trouble sleeping again. Although it’s often at odd hours when I go to sleep I normally have 9 hours of unbroken sleep, but in the last couple of days I’ve only been sleeping for a few hours here and there.

I’ve also been having trouble focusing on any of my games, I just don’t seem to have the amount of attention required. I’m also still really hungry and although I have a fairly wide variety of food and snacks here I don’t feel like eating any of them.

It was only this afternoon after waking up from another two hour nap that I realised I have a sore throat, blocked sinus and a mild headache. Now it makes sense, I have a cold.

Not looking for sympathy, it’s only a cold and I’ll recover quickly enough, I always do. I was just curious if other people also have trouble realising that they’re ill.

I have a condition called Chronic Activated Epstein-Barre Virus (CAEBV). EBV is the virus responsible for Mononucleosis. Most adults have the virus dormant in their bodies. Mine aren't dormant. So my body is always fighting an active infection. The intensity waxes and wanes, but for all practical purposes I live with permanent mono.
So in one sense I am always sick. If I develop something else, I often don't know it. A cold gives itself away when the sinuses start running, but other things can go unnoticed. I only knew I had Covid because one of my family was exposed so we all got tested. I was just a little more tired than usual.

 

[Outdated]

Oh geez. This is extreme. I mean... it's not unfamiliar to me. My psychotherapist teaches me now to eat, drink, go to the toilet and fulfil other physiological needs whenever I want and need to, because my family thinks you "need to be tough" and suppress physiological needs to an unreasonable degree. This ethos of "being tough" bugged me up and tbh my mental health is doing much better if I take care of my body more. It's like my family never understood that we're no longer at the ward, we're at home or having fun or whatever. No ward, same behaviour pattern, sense of immediate life-threatening danger about... laundry, shopping, cinema and so forth. You do one wrong step and face an outlash as if you just did something life threatening.

This is a big part of how I burnt myself out. Part was personal pride, I was the best at what I did not just because of skill and knowledge but also by the sheer volume of work that I got done and the quality of that work.

But I was also the Production Manager and I encouraged others to push themselves a little more simply by setting an impossible example. I never berated anyone for not being able to keep up with me, I knew that wasn't possible, but I gave them something to aspire to and they were often embarrassed when I also found time to take on a couple of their jobs as well as my own in order to meet deadlines.

I also used to work weekends and public holidays to meet deadlines but I enjoyed having the place to myself and not having to plan everyone else's day for them.

 

[jsilver256]

This is a big part of how I burnt myself out. Part was personal pride, I was the best at what I did not just because of skill and knowledge but also by the sheer volume of work that I got done and the quality of that work.

But I was also the Production Manager and I encouraged others to push themselves a little more simply by setting an impossible example. I never berated anyone for not being able to keep up with me, I knew that wasn't possible, but I gave them something to aspire to and they were often embarrassed when I also found time to take on a couple of their jobs as well as my own in order to meet deadlines.

I also used to work weekends and public holidays to meet deadlines but I enjoyed having the place to myself and not having to plan everyone else's day for them.

Same. Pride comes before a fall, indeed.

 

[Neia]

I spent the last few days not all too well, but not really being attentive to things. Today I'm down with either rhinitis or sinusitis.
My head, face and throat hurt, and I think I might have a bit of a fever. Maybe.
Feeling very tired.

Also. I was ordered, by my therapists, to take a month off work. I hadn't taken a holiday since 2015.

Guess I'm not as strong as I thought.

 

[Outdated]

I spent the last few days not all too well, but not really being attentive to things. Today I'm down with either rhinitis or sinusitis.
My head, face and throat hurt, and I think I might have a bit of a fever. Maybe.
Feeling very tired.

I hope you get well again soon. I thought you seemed a bit quiet in here all of a sudden but then the last couple of weeks have been a bit of an exciting time for your mind too, meeting people here and talking to a useless psychiatrist. I slept a lot in the last 48 hours, about 30 hours sleep, and now I'm feeling great again.

Also. I was ordered, by my therapists, to take a month off work. I hadn't taken a holiday since 2015.

That will probably do you the world of good but it will backfire on your therapists. We all seem to follow the same pattern as we get older, a holiday doesn't rejuvenate us, it just makes us lose what little tolerance we have left.

 

[Neia]

I hope you get well again soon. I thought you seemed a bit quiet in here all of a sudden but then the last couple of weeks have been a bit of an exciting time for your mind too, meeting people here and talking to a useless psychiatrist. I slept a lot in the last 48 hours, about 30 hours sleep, and now I'm feeling great again.


That will probably do you the world of good but it will backfire on your therapists. We all seem to follow the same pattern as we get older, a holiday doesn't rejuvenate us, it just makes us lose what little tolerance we have left.

I hope I'll still have a year or so of work in me. It would take me closer to 55. Maybe able to get early financial help. Not retirement, just some support.

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Outdated]

I hope I'll still have a year or so of work in me. It would take me closer to 55. Maybe able to get early financial help. Not retirement, just some support.

I hope you find some fun things to do while you're off work, you'll have much less stress and be able to focus on things better.

And I mean things you find fun, not doing what everyone else expects you to do.

 

[Neia]

I hope you find some fun things to do while you're off work, you'll have much less stress and be able to focus on things better.

And I mean things you find fun, not doing what everyone else expects you to do.

That's what my counsellor said.

Sleep a lot, enjoy myself. No work, even at home, for at least 2 weeks.
But I can cook, do my dishes, take out the trash.... the very basics.

 

[Outdated]

But I can cook, do my dishes, take out the trash.... the very basics.

Catch up on the things you like doing, have you finished that sewing machine yet? Maybe go for walks looking for more unusual stones. Things that give you peace.