A lot of brands will be making statements today about what happened at our nation's capital yesterday. Most will run the range from "insincere" to "oblivious."

We debated if we should. But as a mental health platform, we feel we have a responsibility to say a few things.

1. White supremacy is not a mental illness.

The attempted coup that happened yesterday was not the product of mental illness.

We cannot deflect the responsibility of those involved by labelling them "unhinged," "crazy," or "sick."
As a platform that is dedicated to unpacking ableism when we see it, we feel a strong responsibility to name this quite clearly: a legacy of racism, woven through and through in this country, is not the product of mental illness.
It may be unfathomable to those of us who have had the privilege of not seeing it. It may be shocking to those of us who had more faith in our democracy than this.

That does not mean we should label what we do not understand an "illness." It means we should educate ourselves.
2. Yes, what we collectively experienced is trauma. If you find yourself struggling to "go back to normal," that is understandable.

It is our hope that you will extend grace to yourself, and to those around you who are having a hard time today.
3. We understand that this trauma is not new to people of color in this nation. It is not new to Indigenous peoples, for whom history is simply repeating itself. It is not new to Black people, who live in fear of this kind of violence every day.
4. We understand this statement will feel provocative to some. But as a platform dedicated to having important conversations about mental health, we MUST acknowledge how the political and cultural climate we live in impacts the mental health of vulnerable people.
We hope you will take really good care today. If you need to step away from your newsfeed, please take the time. Your mental health is important.

If there are people you might need to check on, reach out, too. Genuine connection is so essential right now.
Thank you for trusting us as a resource for your mental health, and for the mental health of those you care for. We take this responsibility very seriously. And as such, we know that mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum — and we won't stand by and pretend that it does.

More from Health

1/16
Why do B12 and folate deficiencies lead to HUGE red blood cells?

And, if the issue is DNA synthesis, why are red blood cells (which don't have DNA) the key cell line affected?

For answers, we'll have to go back a few billion years.


2/
RNA came first. Then, ~3-4 billion years ago, DNA emerged.

Among their differences:
🔹RNA contains uracil
🔹DNA contains thymine

But why does DNA contains thymine (T) instead of uracil (U)?

https://t.co/XlxT6cLLXg


3/
🔑Cytosine (C) can undergo spontaneous deamination to uracil (U).

In the RNA world, this meant that U could appear intensionally or unintentionally. This is clearly problematic. How can you repair RNA when you can't tell if something is an error?

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


4/
DNA's use of T instead of U means that spontaneous C → U deamination can be corrected without worry that an intentional U is being removed.

DNA requires greater stability than RNA so the transition to a thymine-based structure was beneficial.

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


5/
Let's return to megaloblastic anemia secondary to B12 or folate deficiency.

When either is severely deficient deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP*) production is hindered. With less dTMP, DNA synthesis is abnormal.

[*Note: thymine is the base in dTMP]

https://t.co/AnDUtKkbZh

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The UN just voted to condemn Israel 9 times, and the rest of the world 0.

View the resolutions and voting results here:

The resolution titled "The occupied Syrian Golan," which condemns Israel for "repressive measures" against Syrian citizens in the Golan Heights, was adopted by a vote of 151 - 2 - 14.

Israel and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/HoO7oz0dwr


The resolution titled "Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people..." was adopted by a vote of 153 - 6 - 9.

Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No' https://t.co/1Ntpi7Vqab


The resolution titled "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan" was adopted by a vote of 153 – 5 – 10.

Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/REumYgyRuF


The resolution titled "Applicability of the Geneva Convention... to the
Occupied Palestinian Territory..." was adopted by a vote of 154 - 5 - 8.

Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/xDAeS9K1kW