Utopix Magazine- Issue 1

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UTOPIX

spring 2024

youth magazine ___

“The eye is like the window to the

soul and mind.”

01.05.2024 Issue 1

1 - editor’s note

2 - changemakers of the month: SENIA

3 - literature

4 - the arts

Editor’s Note

Welcome to the first issue of Utopix Youth Magazine! As we launch

our first issue, we are inspired by the belief that every voice matters,

every perspective is valuable, and every story deserves to be heard.

In light of Mental Health Awareness and Neurodiversity becoming a

prominent issue today, we saw the importance of creating our first

issue to encapsulate such relevant topics. From student research

essays to diverse artworks, Issue 1 is a compilation of over 10

submissions from different youth contributors.

Mental health awareness is the ongoing effort to reduce the stigma

around mental illness and mental health conditions by sharing our

personal experiences. Often, due to prevalent misconceptions

regarding the topic, many individuals suffer in silence, leaving their

conditions unaddressed and misunderstood. On the other hand,

neurodiversity is about embracing our neurological differences and

ensuring everyone feels included. These two topics, although

different in nature, intersect in their quest for understanding,

inclusivity, and acceptance.

With this issue, we hope to achieve two things: challenge the stigma

surrounding mental health and encourage others to recognize the

importance of embracing neurodiversity as a source of strength

within our society. “Utopix Youth Issue 1: The Mind” explores the

diversity of minds that think, feel, and perceive the world in unique

ways. Through the youth perspectives shared in this issue, we wish

to engender a greater appreciation for the unique community of

neurodiverse individuals and the topic of mental health, moving our

society one step closer to an inclusive world.

On behalf of the Utopix team, we’re honored to present

Issue 1 to you. Please enjoy!

Best,

Polly Lee & Jennifer Wang

Co-founders and co-editors-in-chief

This month, Utopix Youth magazine interviewed Dr.Gerald

Anthony from the SENIA (Special Education Network in Asia)

Beijing Board. SENIA is a global organization that supports

individuals with special educational needs and disabilities. They

provide resources, information, and support to educators,

parents, and professionals working with individuals with special

needs. Dr. Anthony, the Director of Scholarships and Chair of

SENIA-Beijing, shared valuable insights and updates regarding

SENIA's mission, initiatives, and achievements in promoting

inclusivity and neurodiversity.

BE WHO YOU ARE AND BE THE BEST

WHO YOU ARE

Changemakers of The Month:

SENIA

by: Polly Lee

One of the events that we recently hosted with

Awesome Place was basically an art exhibition where

we have individuals with neurodiverse needs that

create artwork. They showcase the artwork and then

they’re able to connect with the community by inviting

them in to see the artwork. The event was of small-

medium size, but it actually had a twofold vision and

mission. One was to create a sense of awareness that

there’s some very talented individuals in the

neurodiverse community; and the second is to show

the ability that they actually have. Rather than

focusing on limitations, we choose to highlight the

potential and strengths of these individuals. It's

remarkable how their gifts shine through in areas

where their abilities are recognized. Our goal is to

continually spotlight neurodiverse individuals in

various capacities throughout the community,

fostering awareness and appreciation for their talents

among all.

Q: What are some common misconceptions about

neurodiversity that you have noticed throughout

your missions?

There are quite a few. I kind of touched up on the first

point. There’s a misconception that they don’t have

any abilities and that’s quite unfortunate. A lot of

people will make an immediate judgment based on

misconceptions but actually in the neurodiverse

community a lot of people won’t recognize if there’s

actually differences in what you can see but there’s

also differences and what you can’t see. Take, for

instance, someone who is deaf or someone who isn't

on the autism spectrum; they might not immediately

notice these differences. But once you engage in

meaningful conversations and truly get to know these

individuals, you realize how much they contribute to

shaping our environment and community responses.

Instead of focusing solely on what might seem

“missing” or “wrong,” we should recognize the unique

gifts they bring to the community—like heightened

senses, instinctual knowledge, and innovative thinking.

We need to see not only what’s seen but also what’s

underneath, and I think that’s a common message that

we try to showcase throughout many of our events

and also our conferences.

Q: For those who may not be familiar with SENIA,

could you please introduce yourselves and share a

bit about your roles within the organization?

SENIA International is a non-profit organization that

focuses on not only networking, but also supporting

those who are underserved. We have a mission to

champion inclusion by empowering the global

community to connect, learn, and advocate for one

another. At a local level, SENIA has local chapters

based around the world. Here in Beijing, we have the

largest local chapter, which includes over 500 people.

Q: In what ways does SENIA serve as a beneficial

platform for the neurodiverse community?

SENIA is one of the key pillars of the neurodiverse

community. There are many things we do to serve

them. One of those includes giving scholarships and

awards to individuals with neurodiverse needs. We

also have a resource listing, which provides all the

local providers that service neurodiverse people, and

it give the contact information to that we can share

with the families. We also sponsor special events. For

example, last year we had an Autism Awareness Day

where we held an event for neurodiverse families just

so they can meet one another. Outside of that, we also

have local conferences, where we ask parents,

educators, and professionals to speak. What we're

looking for this year is some youth voices, so that it

can be all inclusive. Additionally, we also provide

different training. We have the SENIA Academy,

where we train teachers and teaching assistants on

how to recognize individuals with neurodiverse needs

and how to serve them.

Q: We understand that SENIA recently collaborated

with *Auesome Place* for an inclusive art exhibition.

Could you elaborate on why events like this are

important to SENIA's mission?

Something that that’s very important for us is to

create an inclusive community and often times in the

community, there’s not a recognition of the unique

gifts that are within the community.

Overcoming the stigma associated with mental health

remains a challenge, but education is key. It's

essential for individuals to understand that mental

health is not something to be taken for granted. We

must be mindful and proactive in caring for our mental

well-being and that of our relationships.

Q: Lastly, what message would you like to give to the

young adults of today about the importance of

embracing neurodiversity and prioritizing mental

health in this ever-evolving world we live in?

I would say that the message that that I would like to

relay on behalf of the SENIA Beijing board is: be who

you are and be the best who you are; there's no one

else who can be better at being you than yourself. No

matter what those ebbs and flows are; what those

strength are; what those things you need to work on

are, the truth is that’s what makes us all human. So go

forward with confidence, knowing that who you are is

important. No matter who you are, there’s always

people that support you and there’s always

contributions that you can make to the community. So

everything is a two-way street: never feel isolated and

know that you are appreciated.

I would also just add quickly that there's a common

misconception about wanting to exclude people who

are different. It's natural for us to feel uneasy or even

resistant when faced with something we don't

understand. However, it's important to recognize that

embracing diversity can bring immense value to our

community. By understanding both the differences

and, more importantly, the similarities, we can foster a

more inclusive environment.

IN FACT, YOU'LL OFTEN

FIND THAT THERE ARE

MANY SIMILARITIES

AMONG US, AND IT'S

THESE DIFFERENCES THAT

ACTUALLY HELP OUR

COMMUNITY TO GROW

AND BROADEN ITS

MINDSET.

Q: In a society where there's heavy stigma against

mental health, do you believe there's a way to

overcome this belief? Has SENIA encountered this

issue?

Mental health, especially the last three or four years,

has become a topic that’s growing every day. based

upon kind of the environment that the whole world

has been exposed to the last three or four years and

the topic of mental health is quite important. I would

actually say that in the last few years that stigma

mental health has actually become more of a

necessary priority I would say in the last three or four

years. Previously, a lot of people really didn’t think

about taking care of their mental health, but now

people are very aware of it and they actually are

responding to the needs of their mental health. Before

the focus was a lot more on physical health, but now

there is an intentional targeting of: how can I take care

of my thought process? How can I take care of my

feelings? How can I take care of that relationship

between my my thoughts my feelings?

Literature

Contributors:

Diana Zhang

Jiaxin Gu

Sophia Popova

Polly Lee

Jennifer Wang

The Importance of Genetic and Environmental

Factors On The Development of Disorders

While genetics play an important role in mental health wellness, environmental factors exert

a stronger influence. The development of mental illnesses typically involves interaction

between genetic and environmental factors, such as stressful life events, socioeconomic

status, and access to support systems. Albeit genes can increase the likelihood of developing

mental illnesses in response to environmental experiences. Disorders like schizophrenia,

bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder have significant heritable components

running within families. However, having a family history of certain disorders does not always

guarantee their onset. The two disorders I will be focusing on in this essay are major

depressive disorder (MDD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD).

According to the ADAMHS Board, it is estimated that 1.6% to 5.9% of the general population

has BPD and 75% of that population is made up of women (NHS, 2024). Individuals with a

personality disorder feel, think, behave and relate to the average person differently. Segal

(2021) explains that BPD is one of the most common personality disorders, and is often

diagnosed during adolescence to early adulthood. The symptoms of BPD include impulsive

actions, disturbed patterns of thinking and a fear of abandonment, which manifest in

troubled interpersonal relationships, identity crises and an increased suicide risk. Sultan et al.

(2022) conclude that although the root cause of personality disorders is still not clear, it is

assumed that they occur due to a combination of genes and early environmental influences

such as having a distressing childhood wherein an individual was subjected to abuse or

neglect.

Effects of Genetics and Heritability on BPD

and MDD

The Biosocial Model theorises that a

combination of biological abnormalities in

the

regulation

emotions

and

environment that lacks validation results in

emotional dysregulations (What Is the

Biosocial Theory? | CONCEPT Professional

Training, n.d.). In 2019, Skoglund et al.

carried out a family and twin study focusing

on environmental and heritability factors that

contribute to the development of BPD. They

examined the familial aggregation and

genetic propensity for BPD in Swedish

national registries, encompassing 1.8 million

individuals born between 1973 and 1993.

The data included 11,665 individuals who

received a BPD diagnosis. When compared

to individuals with unaffected relatives, the

study revealed that 46% of all BPD diagnoses

found their roots in heritability

While BPD can be triggered by childhood

trauma or neglect (Omar, 2023), wherein

the development of this illness has a

specific ‘time slot’ in which it is most likely

to be ‘triggered/unlocked’ (Bandelow et al.,

2005), depression can occur at any age. 5%

of the global adult population suffers from

depression, being most common among

young adults. Clinical depression (or MDD),

can be caused by stressful life events

including, but not limited to, pregnancy,

strained

familial

relations.

MDD

categorised as a mood disorder, with

feelings of sadness and anhedonia being the

defining characteristics (NHS Website,

2023).

However, it also showed that non-shared unique environmental factors contributed to

54% of the variance. They highlighted that environmental influences, such as SES

(Socioeconomic Status) and parenting styles, had no significant impact on results.

Nevertheless, unique environmental factors such as trauma displayed a staggering 54%

correlation with the diagnosis. The diagnosed individuals reported traumatic history,

suggesting a potential connection between environmental factors and BPD, further

complicating the identification of specific causal factors.

DIANA ZHANG

Diana Zhang spet her formative years in Canada, then attended The

Western Academy of Beijing from grade 3 through 10. Now, she is

immersed in the stimulating academic environment of Cheltenham

Ladies' College in the UK, where she is tackling A-Levels in Maths,

Psychology, Economics, and an EPQ. Diana's passion for psycology

fuels her desire to explore the intricacies of human behavior, aspiring

to pursue a major in psychology for university.

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