{"id":5544,"date":"2021-12-22T00:53:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T00:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?page_id=5544"},"modified":"2025-01-31T16:59:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T16:59:52","slug":"brilliant-talented-and-on-medication","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/about-me\/brilliant-talented-and-on-medication\/","title":{"rendered":"Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190415ff\/BHG_logo_new_MASTER_Smooth-160.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's 'BHG' logo.\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve turned my &#8220;About Me&#8221; page into several shorter pages, arranged hierarchically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/about-me\/\">About Me<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/about-me\/becoming-a-catholic\/\">Becoming a Catholic<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/being-a-catholic-citizen-in-america\/\">Being a Catholic Citizen in America<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/values-and-my-native-culture\/\">Values and my Native Culture<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/science-in-a-religious-blog\/\">Science? In a &#8216;Religious&#8217; Blog??<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/about-me\/journal\/\">Journal<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/who-are-those-catholics\/\">Who are Those Catholics?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"events\"><\/a>Events and Interests<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/happy-saint-patricks-day\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20210317-DSC08994-SaintPatricksDayAndMe--trim-329.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill. (March 17, 2021)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Getting lost in the crowd hasn&#8217;t been an option for me. I&#8217;m still not sure whether I stand out, or others steer clear of me, and that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the time I entered kindergarten, one doctor had used me as a sort of lab rat \u2014 without my parents&#8217; knowledge \u2014 and another had fixed my left hip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I didn&#8217;t need replacement parts for nearly a half-century, so I&#8217;m a happy camper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several decades of undiagnosed major depression, and something on the autism spectrum \u2014 or maybe ADHD, inattentive type; or something else \u2014 and other quirks, kept my life interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of diagnoses, here&#8217;s some of what&#8217;s shown up in my chart:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, inattentive type<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cluster A personality disorder\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Schizotypal personality disorder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GAD: Generalized Anxiety Disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PDD: Persistent Depressive Disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What can I say? I&#8217;m a mess. But I suspect that my glitchy neurochemistry may be part of a tradeoff that gave me freakishly enhanced language skills, so I can&#8217;t complain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not reasonably. And it wouldn&#8217;t do any good if I did. My quirks are real. Part of my job is dealing with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assorted prescribed medications, including a powerful antidepressant, make it possible for me to think without fighting the machinery these days. That&#8217;s a wonderful change of pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210525ff\/eyeavatar1600-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's right eye.;)\" align=\"right\">I&#8217;m fascinated by three things, that which:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exists within the universe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exists beyond<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Might exist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Research and writing skills developed in an eclectic career \u2014 yet another topic \u2014 help me share what I&#8217;m learning about this wonder-filled universe and Catholic beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I became a Catholic as an adult, mostly because I insist that what I believe must make sense: no matter how I&#8217;m feeling at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve written about my glitchy neurchemistry before, and probably will again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/saints-depression-assumptions-and-me\/\">Saints, Depression, Assumptions, and Me<\/a>&#8221; (March 23, 2024)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/saints-depression-assumptions-and-me\/#depression\">Depression, Faith, and Making Decisions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/saints-depression-assumptions-and-me\/#poverty\">Poverty, Terminal Illness, and Ham Sandwiches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/internet-friends-real-people\/\">Internet Friends, Real People<\/a>&#8221; (March 19, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/internet-friends-real-people\/#anything\">Anything-But-Early Diagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/internet-friends-real-people\/#living\">Living With Quirks<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/elastic-brains-and-new-tech\/\">Elastic Brains and New Tech<\/a>&#8221; (October 14, 2016)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/elastic-brains-and-new-tech\/#suicide\">Suicide: No Future In It<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/elastic-brains-and-new-tech\/#irritable\">An Irritable Life, But a Short One?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/elastic-brains-and-new-tech\/#genetics\">Genetics and Responsibility<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/trusting-feelings-within-reason\/\">Trusting Feelings: Within Reason<\/a>&#8221; (October 5, 2016)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/trusting-feelings-within-reason\/#cracked\">Cracked Mirrors and Yeats<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/trusting-feelings-within-reason\/#definitions\">Definitions, Emotions, and Getting a Grip<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/trusting-feelings-within-reason\/#getting\">Getting Angry, Staying Angry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"humility\"><\/a>Humility Isn&#8217;t &#8220;Umbleness&#8221;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/humility-isnt-being-delusional\/#umbleness\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20160730-UriahHeep-Fred_Barnard07-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fred Barnard's drawing of Uriah Heep. (1870s)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Calling myself brilliant and talented probably doesn&#8217;t sound &#8220;humble&#8221; in the usual sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s certainly not the sort of &#8220;umbleness&#8221; Uriah Heep practiced. Which doesn&#8217;t bother me a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve talked humility and truthfulness before. Also how I see love, neighbors, and trying to act like I believe what I say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-and-love\/\">Truth and Love<\/a>&#8221; (May 5, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-and-love\/#whole\">&#8220;The Whole Truth,&#8221; Faith AND Reason<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-and-love\/#working\">Working Toward a Civilization of Love<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/truth-and-love\/#God\">God, Love, and the Best News Ever<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/conservative-liberal-no-catholic\/\">Conservative? Liberal? No: Catholic<\/a>&#8221; (January 22, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/conservative-liberal-no-catholic\/#sex\">Sex, Death, and Immigrants<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/conservative-liberal-no-catholic\/#fear\">Fear and Politics<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/conservative-liberal-no-catholic\/#why\">Why Bother?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/hating-people-not-an-option\/\">Hating People: Not an Option<\/a>&#8221; (November 15, 2016)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/hating-people-not-an-option\/#love\">Love: NO EXCEPTIONS<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/humility-isnt-being-delusional\/\">Humility isn&#8217;t Being Delusional<\/a>&#8221; (July 31, 2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical issues in March of 2018 gave me a break from my &#8216;Friday and Sunday&#8217; post schedule. I figured it would be a good time to do a few &#8216;back burner&#8217; projects, including a book I&#8217;d been meaning to start:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/may-5-2018-pre-brillig-writing-progress\/\">May 5, 2018: Pre-Brillig Writing Progress<\/a>&#8221; (May 5, 2018 )<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/2424-2\/\">Unscheduled Posts and Other Changes<\/a>&#8221; (April 3, 2018)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/2411-2\/\">In Conference, Out to Lunch, Gone Fishing, Whatever: I&#8217;m Taking a &#8216;Break&#8217;<\/a>&#8220;<br>(March 26, 2018)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This blog shows how and why I follow Catholic beliefs and practices in America today. It also reflects my interest in science, history and my faith.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve turned my &#8220;About Me&#8221; page into several shorter pages, arranged hierarchically: Events and Interests Getting lost in the crowd hasn&#8217;t been an option for me. I&#8217;m still not sure whether I stand out, or others steer clear of me, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/about-me\/brilliant-talented-and-on-medication\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Living with quirks, enjoying and sharing my interests, and not emulating Uriah Heep.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication: Brian H. 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