Same here in the UK.

Maximum target waiting time is 13 weeks - AFTER you get a referral from a GP - and not all of those are willing to refer adults who are high functioning because they see it as taking a rare resource away from those more in need.

But even with that referral, 84% of people are waiting longer.

Private is possible, and 3-4 weeks, but that costs around £4,000.

Without a professional diagnosis, you won’t qualify for any assistance, either from the state or your workplace.

(I self diagnosed as autisitic in my 50s, after a childhood diagnosis of dyslexic. I now think was a misdiagnosis of autism.)

self diagnosis is valid.

I agree. And in my country, waiting lists for any professional diagnosis are extremely long, especially for adults.

It’s technically impossible, so a pretty pointless discussion.

And it’s dangerous too. Even if they legislated them off the major platforms, there’s a million other ways to communicate online. Hundreds of DMs, talkers, games, live chats, streams, even IRC still exists. And pushing them into the darker corners makes it far more likely for them to be exposed to coercive and controlling types. Extremism, child abuse, bullying, suicide encouragement and so on.

I don’t think using porn is abnormal, at least by the definition of normal.

I think you’re reading too much into that.

They’re either under “Rest of world” like the EU, or the US doesn’t import anything from it, which as it’s under sanctions, it shouldn’t - nor export to.

“No plan survives first contact” - Helmuth

Elsewhere on Lemmy today;

Germany warns Russia may be preparing attack on NATO

Both of these cannot be true.

Elsewhere on Lemmy today;

Russia has depleted its tank stocks: the industry is not covering combat losses

Both of these cannot be true.

Sadly true. We actively searched for alternatives when we realised other channels were getting too manipulative and full of hate. Those who stayed haven’t even realised it.

Isolationism and tribalism.

Make your people believe the rest of the world are against them and they’ll look to you for leadership. It’s not just the US - Europe and the UK have also had a rise in jingoism, fuelled by inflated reports of immigrants.

You can bet the Five Eyes are already redacting what they share with the USA

*European Unity

If, as most economists agree, tariffs hurt the importing country most - why would Canada do that to its own people?

Fun fact: Where I live (Devon, England), every common person once had to spent two days a month working for their local Lord for free, maintaining the roads. That’s as well as paying rent to them, of course. Plus, they had to provide tithes to the Church as well as grow or raise enough food for their family. And if they had any strong sons that might be particularly useful in working their meagre strip of land, they’d be conscripted for the Crown’s armies.

They worked 7 days a week. Incredibly hard and long days by our standards. The only half day they got off was to go to church, which wasn’t really optional. (You weren’t forced, but the whole community turned against you if you didn’t)