Full disclosure, I’m not officially diagnosed yet, but hopefully will be within a few weeks.

I stream and, as you’d expect, most of the other streamers I follow and get along with are either openly neurodivergent or I notice the signs. The tags I’ve seen include Autism, ADHD, AuDHD, Neurodivergent, and task related keywords like Body Doubling. I would also say that the game matters. If you are looking for games you’re already into, chances are they probably appeal to other neurodivergent folk as well. But if you’re more interested in fun people and good communities regardless of game, the factory games like Factorio and Satisfactory are an obvious gold mine.

I’d rather not post my channel as I’m not trying to advertise and I keep it separate from my other online accounts, but I think the above should dig up plenty. If not, I might be able to give suggestions if I knew more about what you’re looking for. It depends on how familiar I am with it. I don’t really follow a lot of popular games or streamers.

Tribute? You steal men’s souls, and make them your slaves!

Hearsay af but I have heard of that amount being taken. The dude was never the same again, though. Whether for better or worse is harder to say. He didn’t regret it at least, and seemed to be doing well. But he definitely saw some shit.

Just to add: education and diagnosis is getting better, but there are still a lot of psychologists and psychiatrists who have little to no education on adult ADHD. They can use the diagnostic criteria meant for children and often get it wrong. You may find a provider who has updated their education, but the best chance of an accurate diagnosis is to look for somebody that specializes in diagnosing adult ADHD specifically. If the diagnosis involves a detailed history and several appointments with multiple tests, that’s a good sign. If it’s just regular 30-60 minute meetings where you talk and they say you don’t have it, get a second opinion from someone who specializes in this.

It’s one way communities can grow. Especially in lower population forums, it makes sense to start out more general to concentrate enough traffic instead of spreading it out into a bunch of mostly dead, niche communities that fail to hit the critical mass required to get people coming back and posting more. Once the community has grown enough to the point where a certain type of content is drowning out the rest, that content gets separated off into its own subforum or community. You’re seeing it as a mistake to avoid repeating, but it’s actually a great benefit to both this community and the future communities that will eventually spin off.

The term narcissist is somewhat overused, though there are also a lot of them these days. To echo a bit of what others said, thinking average high schoolers are dumb is not a sign of narcissism. Average high schoolers are notoriously foolish. Even if you feel like it’s more than that and it’s a serious problem, that alone does not make a narcissist.

Actual narcissists are unstable. They need the adoration of others to feel good about themselves. They’re prone to fits of rage when anything damages their ego, and they can take just about anything as criticism then decide to fly off the handle.

If that is you, get help from a professional who specializes in it. If anyone reading this knows a person like that, read up and find a way to save yourself.

Well, I hope this wall of text helps at least one person. For you or anyone else who needs this and happens to find it: yes. There are many treatments beyond traditional antidepressants that are only a last resort because insurance is a pain in the dick. All of them are different methods of increasing neuroplasticity, making it easier to form new neural pathways instead of staying stuck in the same “comfortable” depression. It’s like depressive thoughts are a paved sidewalk and happy, healthy thoughts are overgrown, covered with branches and weeds. With enough persistent effort you might be able to clear out that other path, but it’s a hell of a lot easier if someone clears out all the weeds first and gives you a machete. That’s neuroplasticity with appropriate therapy.

The main treatments available are ketamine (IV), Spravato (ketamine nasal spray), ketamine troches, TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), and psilocybin (still illegal in most places). I can give details on each, but specifics will likely vary a bit by treatment center.

• IV ketamine therapy

is guided therapy while under the influence of IV ketamine. It’s the most helpful form of ketamine. Both the dosing and therapy are more targeted. The therapy part may be covered by insurance, but the ketamine rarely is and that runs roughly $400 a dose. Sessions are once a month.

• Spravato

is well covered by insurance because they were able to patent it. That also means it’s slightly different: it’s only the S-ketamine enantiomer as opposed to racemic ketamine, which is a racemic mixture of both S- and R-ketamine enantiomers. Studies funded by the drug company say that’s better. Other studies are less clear. But really, there’s just far less data in general because it’s new. Treatment centers may vary, but mine just put me in a room with no guidance or therapy and had me do drugs.

I knew how to make the most of it anyway, but I felt really bad for the people who expect it to work like other medications they can just take and they feel better. You need to actually form the new pathways during the state of increased neuroplasticity. If you go this route, make sure you have a therapist appointment the day after treatment, preferably with a therapist who is familiar with it. Treatments are twice a week for the first month and once a week after. Each one lasts about two hours and must be done at the clinic.

• Oral ketamine troches

are not usually covered by insurance, but they are relatively affordable at $50-75 a month. You may have to shop around to find a compounding pharmacy that can ship to your state (if US) at that price. Ketamine is poorly absorbed when taken sublingually so the dosage is much higher and the side effects may be worse. However, in my case I had fewer side effects once I found a good routine. Even though the troches are affordable, you still need to check in with the doctor every month. If insurance won’t cover that it will probably be almost as much as IV therapy. Some therapists are willing to do telehealth therapy with you during treatment so you can have guided therapy.

In the interest of being as informative as possible for anyone that finds this: studies show similar rates of absorption between oral troches and suppositories, but anecdotally some patients report a greater effect from melting their oral troches and boofing them. You can find instructions for doing this with opiates and the process is similar. The troche just needs a bit of heat to melt it. A hair dryer or holding the (capped) syringe under hot water will work. Anecdotally, this does seem more effective and was a lot easier than trying to hold the troche under my tongue.

• TMS

is well studied, non-invasive, has a high rate of success, and is usually covered by insurance. Treatments are only a few minutes, but you need to go in four times a week. It’s like Spravato in that you will get the most benefit if you’re actively working with a therapist to take advantage of the increased neuroplasticity.

• Psilocybin

is probably illegal where you live. Studies are extremely limited because drug laws make it difficult, but the data we do have is extremely promising - moreso than ketamine. The only reason we do ketamine instead is it’s already used as an anesthetic, so using it for depression is just off-label, which doctors do all the time. There is a push to legalize psilocybin for treating depression, but it’ll still be a while. Until then, you have to either obtain it illegally or grow your own mushrooms (illegally).

When using mushrooms, state of mind and a comfortable setting are most important. If possible, be with someone who knows you and can keep you calm if you get anxious. Some people - especially those with severe mental illness and/or a genetic predisposition to one, such as schizophrenia - may have a bad reaction, sorta like how any medication has rare side effects and some people just get the fun of being especially unique. But for most people, the experience can be profound and life changing. Some may snap out of depression after a single dose, others may need regular treatments every couple months. Unfortunately, drug laws limit both the data and the accessibility of this treatment. However, it has the potential to be the most effective and the most affordable.

There is hope. Your depression can be cured. You can feel alive and content and so many other emotions again.

If there are questions, feel free to ask, but I don’t know if I get notifications so I may not see it. I have not personally done IV ketamine or TMS, but I have read up on them and gone over the details with a doctor when discussing treatment options.