User blog:PullingoffMasks/Where to do your fucking research

Subheading: Part two of a series of posts on research and your Fear Blog.

Last time, I left off on how to research in the broadest terms possible. In this post I'll attempt to point folks in the right direction for reliable-ish sources for the subheadings of "really, these should always be researched" I provided ...though it's likely that I'll miss stuff out, given there's shit tons of good stuff out there.

Where to go for mental health research
Two subsections: First person/colloquial accessable and technical definitions

Technical Definitions

Free to download copy of DSM-V - This is the most recent version of the US handbook of diagnostic criteria of mental health conditions. Love it or loathe it, it should be your first stop for figuring out where to slot your character's diagnostic label. Downside? It's in technical language and assumes you understand the basics of psychology. ...it's also biased towards a white upper-middle diagnostic profile...buuuuuuut, that's a conversation for another day.

Free to download copy of ICD-10- This is the WHO/rest of world handbook of diagnositic criteria of both mental health and physical health conditions. Should be a bit clearer to read than the DSM, given how the WHO operates

Why functioning labels on any mental bugbear are shitty. - Mainly focused on the whole "high functioning" versus "low functioning" autism dance, but a good primer on how mental health stuff gets talked about.

Reasons why you really need to pay attention when writing mental health stuff- Trigger warning on this as it is pretty dehumanizing...but, for a Cracked article? It gets it right. Because of a stat of 1 in 4 should be enough to make you watch what you say.

First person resources

Neurodivergent K's Blog- K writes mostly epilepsy and autism activism, but it's worth a read for the more activist side of things. Do NOT go into reading this blog...or complain...if you expect 'polite tone,' given K writes with the intent to get people to pay attention, not to mollycoddle feelings.

Welcome to the Autistic Community- A new publiction released by ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network). Really nice explaination of autism spectrum disorders for newly diagnosed adults/folks. I suggest that everyone gives it a read, as it is in ridiculously clear English.


 * And as an author aside/soapbox, if you consider donating money to any autism related charities and live in the US, ASAN should be your first choice, for many reasons, least of all the fact they actually stick to their motto of "Nothing about us without us" and have a governing body comprised of mostly autistic folks.


 * This is compared to Autism $peaks, which routinely talks over, erases, and advocates a rather icky nasty eugenics type stance towards autism spectrum disorders...and supports anti-vaxxers. Read more about this here. (In fact, I strongly suggest all of you give Rose's Tumblr a read through. She's a fantastic person, wonderfully approachable, and is a good example of an autistic indivdual parenting autistic and otherwise neurodiverse kidlets....and the fact she writes wonderful asexual!autistic!Sherlock fan fics is an added bonus)

The Center Will Not Hold: My Journey Through Madness- by Elyn R Saks- A first person perspective on the process of diagnosis and living as a schizophrenic. There is a slight academic bias to this, given Ms. Saks is a researcher...but it's very much worth a read if you're looking at process of diagnosis

Anything by Oliver Sacks- While what he writes is a mixed bag of neuroscience, biomedical focused psychology, and just plain bizarre, the list of sources in the back of most of his books are good to springboard from. He's also co-written a book with Temple Gradin called Anthropologist on Mars, which looks at the social interaction side of autism spectrum disorders.

The tags #actuallyautistic, #actuallyld, #actuallybipolar, and (I believe it's been put into use, but I'm not certain) #actuallyadhd on Tumblr- Very mixed bag. Not always polite in tone, but if you want a 'this is how (category descriptor) interacts with the world' view, they're really useful tags.

Research for drugs (legal, illegal, effects, side effects, drug culture, and detoxing)
Free to download copy of ICD-10- Section on addiction should be most helpful here

(More to be added later)

Religion, religion, religion
Go to the source book- Most of these books are within the public domain. I do advise, however, for Islam and Judaism, you research how to handle and treat the text before actually getting a hold of one.
 * Islam- Qu'ran 
 * Christianity- The Bible (I recommend the King James' Version, if you're reading it in English)
 * Mormonism- The Book of Mormon
 * Anglican frilly stuff- Book of Common Prayer
 * Why did the Protestants split from the Catholics (even though both are Christians)? - 95 Theses (by Martin Luther)
 * Judaism- Torah 
 * However, there are other books which are used for Judaism, so expand out from there
 * Hinduism- Rig Veda
 * Sikhi- Sikh Rehat Maryada 
 * I've not seen a download for this, but do some digging, as it's possible I've missed it
 * Buddhism
 * I'm going to say: Know which sect your character falls into, as it will influence what texts are most applicable.
 * Are they a Tibetan Buddhist, therefore more theistic in nature? Are they Zen Buddhist, therefore more philisophical in nature? Are they Pure Land Buddhist? Or are they one of these new age Western "buddhists" but actually don't know anything about the philosophy, but think that the Dali Lama is freaking awesome?

Medical research (warning, may go a bit technical)
Free to download copy of ICD-10

(More to be added later)

Forensics (including the CSI effect)
Most are available, from local bookstores- Waterstones is especially good in the UK for books, and if you’re in the US, I recommend checking out Powell’s Bookstore online…I have seen some, actually, in public libraries.

And before anyone asks, yes, this is pulled from the forensic fact checking blog I run. This is a fuckin' AMAZING book looking at how forensic toxicology/medicine got its start in the US. …Would probably be fairly good if you’re looking for a 1920’s type setting, in terms of what would have been available for use during that rough time period...but isn't so good for forensic procedure for modern era stuff. (NB: All legal stuff in the book is focused on English and Welsh policing, not the US policing. This is a HUGE thing to note) I’m, personally, not a huge fan of this book. However, it’s a very clearly written on for everything that can be done to a scene, what can be done in the lab to what you’ve taken from the scene, and how the role of a CSI tech/on scene consultant fits in with everyone else. (Read, it’s a commonly assigned 1st year undergrad textbook. Big images, not very jargony, and with self-assessment questions at the end of each chapter. Also has a good references list at the end, a good portion of which are online and free to access.) It’s essentially a more complex version of “Crime Scene Investigation” aimed at those working within the judicial system. Unlike the other book, it does go into a bit more depth and does cover a few more subjects. However, it does get a bit dense at times if you’re not familiar with the crunchier side of sciences and legal dancing. But, good book, good reference list as well…but pulls from a lot more academic sources, so is harder. If you want to know what exactly the fuck a forensic archaeologist is, this is the book you want. Downside is that it’s aimed at those going into the field who are already conversant in the language of academic archaeology, but don’t know about the forensic side of things. That being said, academic archaeology is a fairly plain language field… But, I would strongly recommend finding this book for a read, especially since the role of a forensic archaeologist often times overlaps with that of the CSI tech and that of the forensic anthropologist. I also recommend Wikipedia if there’s language that you’re not familiar with…Most of the forensic science articles are not too terribly butchered and the are often in clearer, more concise English than anything else out there.
 * Poisoner’s Handbook- Deborah Blum.
 * Crime Scene Investigation: Methods and Procedures- Ian K. Pepper
 * Crime Scene to Court: The Essentials of Forensic Science (second edition, Royal Society of Chemists)- Edited by PC White.
 * Forensic Archaeology: Advances in Theory and Practice- John Hunter and Margaret Cox.

If you have access to academic journals, and don't mind spending a few hours reading/scratching your head, the following journals are considered 'ideal' for anything forensic science/not quite science, but still quite sciency, but doesn't pass Daubert or Frye... I am also, currently, going through yet another forensics course.
 * The Journal of Forensic Sciences
 * Forensic Science International
 * International Journal of Legal Medicine

While I am absolutely terrible at soft tissue stuff, I can help you write up crime scene procedure stuff, how CSI techs interact with stuff, the larger picture of an investigation, what stuff has to go through legally, and what fun analysis can be done.

(Also, stay tuned for a post on my least favourite psychological outcome of shows like CSI, SVU, Bones, and NCSI.)

Sex, sexuality, and the single Fear Blog
I'm doing this, given that a lot of the Mythos has a tendency to write cross-gender at times...and while it's been okay so far, there's some stuff I can foresee becoming an issue in the near future.

''That in mind, this section will have NSFW work links in it. I will signpost the more overt ones, but websites/resources of a more biological tone WILL NOT be signposted. I think we can all agree that knowing how one's sexual organs work is a marvelous thing. ''

Scarleteen- I cannot express my love for this site enough. It's clear, simple, easy to understand (even if the layout has become a bit of a mess), and covers the basics of EVERYTHING you ever really wanted to know about sex.

Contraception methods- Because abstinance only sex ed is terrible. And no, this isn't an opinion, it's a Fact. (Read the lay version of why here and the proper academic version of why here. If the second link does not go to the article proper, please drop me a PM and I can send it to you via Skype and/or email.) It's also that contraception covers more than just condoms...and more than just cisgendered straight people use them.

NHS page on Pregnancy and Babies- So,  your dfab character has got pregnant. What's going to happen? What's the risks at certain stages? When are you actually considered to be a 'viable human' by proper medical science?

Submissive Guide: BDSM-Basics- Yes, aimed towards those who are subs, but worth a read, for many a reason, least of all the fact this 50 Shades of Grey/Twilight fan fic abuse (masqurading as BDSM) should NOT fly in a writing community. Educate yourself before you even THINK of writing something to do with BDSM. (/steps off of soapbox)

Wipipedia- A fairly decent Wikia looking at all the varying BDSM acts out there, including ones that seem ridiculously close to torture. Last read through showed that their whole ethics and rules page was pretty damned useful.

Oh Joy Sex Toy- While not comprehensive, and very much NSFW...this site is wonderful if you're looking for sex positive voicing of a character.ut