#aspd tag

let me know what you think if you read it, whether there's something missing or anything to add, and in a few days i'll also publish a pdf (made by me, and on which these slides are based) on my telegram channel that explains more in depth, if you're interested leave a comment and i'll send you the link when it's up! :)

people who "advocate" for depression but call others disgusting for having trouble showering, or people who "advocate" for trauma survivors but say you shouldnt express your trauma in art or talk about it because its "triggering"...

people who "advocate" for BPD but demonize NPD and ASPD as if they arent in the same cluster...

people "support mental health" until it isnt relatable. people "support mental health" until it cant be romanticized. people "support mental health" until symptoms disrupt life. people "support mental health" until symptoms are noticeable and not easily hidden.

you are not an advocate if you do not advocate for us all. you cannot be a mental health advocate while also talking badly about people with personality disorders, including ASPD and NPD. you cannot be a mental health advocate if you make fun of autistic people who are visibly autistic. you cannot be a mental health advocate if you call the police on someone with psychosis for talking to themselves in public.

if your entire "advocacy" revolves around demonizing more "severe" symptoms or disorders, and romanticizing the "good" and "relatable" symptoms or disorders, you are not an ally. you are feeding into stereotypes.

i have ASPD and NPD. the amount of hate i see in "advocate" spaces is honestly shocking. if your entire advocacy revolves around "helping depressed autistics escape evil narcissists!!!!", you are not an advocate, you are ableist.

people with stigmatized disorders or symptoms should not have to water down the way they experience life and describe their personal symptoms and experiences just to avoid being called bad people. by demonizing some disorders while romanticizing others under the guise of "advocacy", you are spreading misinformation and reinforcing stereotypes. you are worsening the stigma for people who already struggle. you are harming everyone with struggles, because a lot of society does not see a difference of "good" vs "bad" mental illness. to ableist neurotypicals, we are all bad.

you hurt the entire community by excluding your own.

Myths, misconceptions and generalizations about ASPD: 1. We're all incapable of feeling guilt, remorse, or shame. While some of us may feel that way, the majority of us still have the capacity to potentially feel these things. Most of us are simply emotionally detached and thus have a harder time identifying these emotions within ourselves. That does not mean they are entirely absent. A lack of awareness of ones emotions does not equal a total absence of them.

2. It's very easy to identify us. Your average antisocial person masks in order to survive in society. It can be quite difficult to correctly identify some of us. There are many cases in which you may never know someone has it unless they directly disclose it to you. 3. We are all abusive. Some of us may behave in these ways as a result of having abusive behavior normalized to us during our upbringing. With that being said, abusive behavior is not an essential lifelong cornerstone of our existence. We can learn, grow, and do better like any other person. We must hold ourselves accountable for our own actions regardless of what disorders we may have. 4. We're aggressive or violent all of the time. I won't pretend like there is no link between ASPD and unhealthy expressions of anger, but that doesn't mean it has to define us. It's entirely possible for someone with this condition to work on healthier modes of self-expression. 5. We're incapable of prosocial emotions or behaviors, especially love and caring for others.

We are capable of experiencing a much wider range of emotions than people may realize. Many of us are able to successfully maintain long-term interpersonal relationships despite some of the difficulties we may face in connecting with others.