User:GhostRiver/disclosures
Alternate accounts and renames
[edit]I do not have any active alternate accounts. I previously edited under the username Brambleberry of RiverClan, but no longer have access to the account in question, as I forgot my password and registered without an email address. I also previously edited under the username Kncny11 before usurping GhostRiver in July 2021.
Conflicts of interest and paid editing
[edit]I have not, and will not, engage in any paid editing activities using this or any other Wikimedia account. From a conflict of interest perspective, I have engaged in journalism during my undergraduate career. I have cited myself only once, for uncontroversial purposes (adding a release date to an EP) and I do not intend to do so again.
Health
[edit]I suffer from a number of mental and physical health conditions that may affect the speed at which I edit, but will not interfere with the quality of my work or my behavior with other editors.
- The largest one, of course, is that I suffer from bipolar II disorder. This means that I cycle (a bit misleading, as the two phases are not equal in duration, and there are periods of feeling okay in-between) between hypomania and depression. My manic episodes are less intense and less frequent than those with bipolar I, and I suffer from longer, more intense periods of depression.
- When I am hypomanic, I tend to have a lot of energy. This manifests in more productive editing (naturally). Think expanding articles from stubs to 150-reference, 100,000 byte good article nominations. It does not, however, mean that I am happier. I feel everything more strongly, and sometimes this manifests in a shorter temper. The great thing about Wikipedia is that, as it is a text-based medium, there is no expectation of immediate replies, so I try to step back when needed in order to formulate more level-headed responses. I also may experience pressure of speech, flight of ideas, and other synonyms for "I talk/type so fast that what comes out is nonsensical".
- When I am depressed, I may still be editing, but "antisocially": e.g. working on articles that require little interaction with GA/FA reviewers, participating more in article and userspace than anything else. When I do respond, however, I tend to be more languid.
- I will not indicate on my userpage whether I am hypomanic, depressed, both, or neither. To do so would be to misleadingly imply that I am aware of when these switches flip (which isn't really how it works, anyway), and to some degree an invasion of privacy. I may disclose a depressive episode as an explanation for my absence at times, and this page is meant to indicate when I may be in one state or another. That is all.
- Another issue that may affect my editing is my dyscalculia, sometimes called "math dyslexia". Just as dyslexics might switch the lowercase letters "b" and "d", I have trouble with "3" and "5", "6" and "8", and other such combinations. In particular, I have difficulties with ABA-style numbers – one time I had to remember a number that was 787 and I always said it ended in 878. When reviewing my articles for GA, FA, etc., please double check all numbers used in the article to ensure their accuracy. I have already tried to do so, but am limited by my neurology.