Wow. This article is kind of all over the place. But it’s short and psychiatry is kind of all over the place too.

Suggestions:

1. Yes, ease the suffering but don’t assume that people “suffer” just because they are different. Medications can help with some conditions, but I have found that talk and group therapy help me most.

2. Destigmatize mental health issues. I believe groups help because they meet as equals and are not judged. They develop empathy for the different manifestations that the mind can bring and don’t demand strident conformity to social/cultural standards.

3. Don’t try to “fix” someone who is not truly suffering. Most functioning autistics and other neurodivergent humans only want to be happy or sad on their own terms. “Normal” is a terrible thing sometimes.

4, Develop “safety nets” for children and adults who have suffered emotional trauma.

These probably won’t get big corporate grants, but they might do us better than big pharma.