 
LONDON, September 24 /PRNewswire/ — Brookdale Care, one of the UK’s leading providers of residential support services for people living with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), has welcomed the publication of the NHS Information Centre’s Report Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England, which draws from data gathered in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007.
The Report, which is the first of its kind in the world, highlights the prevalence of ASD in the adult population. It was found that one in one hundred adults in England have an ASD and that the rate is substantially higher in men (at 1.8% of the adult population) than women (at 0.2%). The Report also identifies the fact that adults living with ASD are more likely to be socially disadvantaged and under-supported by services.
Critically, the Report highlights the unique challenges faced by adults with ASD in securing the support they need in order to live their lives to the fullest. In particular, the Report notes that adults living with ASD do not receive the same level of support as adults with mental disorders, because their needs are not so well recognised.
Lesa Walton, Care and Development Director of Brookdale Care, said today;
“Brookdale Care has long championed the cause of securing appropriate support for adults living with ASD. We welcome the publication of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which adds to the growing weight of evidence that, as a nation, we need to be doing more to support some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
“Around one in every hundred adults is living with ASD, but often their needs are simply not being met. However, there is a growing movement to ensure that recognition of ASD and appropriate diagnosis improves and the provision of suitable support is delivered. The NAS’s ‘I Exist’ Campaign and the Autism Bill progressing through Parliament are all steps in the right direction and Brookdale Care will continue to work closely with charities and private providers to push for improvements.”
For more information call Natasha Graham +44(0)207-819-6268 or clickÂ
http://www.brookdalecare.co.uk/autism-news/article/613/Prevalence-of-Autism-
Source: Â http://ca.sys-con.com/node/1120392
Avoidant Personality Disorder is one of the more common personality disorders. Experts estimate that about 5% to 7% of people on the community can be diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD).
Based on the definition in DSM IV-TR, the main characteristic of Avoidant Personality Disorder is to think of oneself as inadequate, flawed and inferior to others.  People with APD tend to believe others don’t like them and are afraid that others will criticize or ridicule them.  This fear of disapproval, rejection, and criticism often causes people with Avoidant Personality Disorder to stay away from social interactions, and to avoid work or school activities that involve getting into contact with other people.  This frequently results in missing out on social and professional networking opportunities, and leads people with APD to have a rather small social circle in which they only interact with people of whom they are sure that they are liked. People with APD are extremely sensitive to rejection and criticism and they usually don’t like trying out new activities that might put them at risk of being embarrassed or ridiculed.
Social Phobia can look very similar to Avoidant Personality Disorder. Social Phobia has to do with being extremely anxious in social situations. Examples would be fear of public speaking, or fear of eating, drinking or writing in front of other people. It could be fear of addressing authority figures, fear of attending parties, or fear of initiating conversations. The fear is mostly about being embarrassed, or of others recognizing that they are anxious. When a person with social phobia finds themselves in their feared situation, they develop intense anxiety with some really strong physical symptoms, such as intense heartbeat, breaking out in a sweat, or hands shaking and shortness of breath. Taken to an extreme, these physical symptoms of anxiety can develop into a full-blown panic attack.
Avoidant Personality Disorder very often overlaps with other personality disorders, for instance, schizoid or dependent personality disorder, and with anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. What has been widely studied is the overlap between Avoidant Personality Disorder and Social Phobia. Different studies looking at how many people with Avoidant Personality Disorder meet criteria for Social Phobia, according to Lynn Alden and colleagues, range from 42% to 100%.
Alden and colleagues in their review paper on this topic make a good point: If you look at the definitions of these two conditions given in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the overlap between the two conditions makes sense: The definition of Social Phobia focuses on performance situations, but it includes difficulty with dating and friendships. These latter difficulties are a core feature of Avoidant Personality Disorder. It is not surprising, then, that there would be significant overlap between two conditions that are defined in similar ways. This is the reason that some experts believe that the two disorders reflect the same underlying problem, with Avoidant Personality Disorder merely constituting a more severe and persistent form of Social Phobia.  This is why some believe that the two disorders should be combined for future incarnations of the DSM into a category of Social Anxiety Disorder.
Source:Â http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=30080&w=11&cn=8
Dr. Leon Eisenberg, who conducted some of the first rigorous studies of autism, attention deficit disorder and learning delays and became a prominent advocate for children struggling with disabilities, died on Sept. 15 at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 87.
The cause was prostate cancer, said his wife, Dr. Carola Eisenberg.
The field of child psychiatry was dominated by Freudian psychoanalysis when, in the late 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Eisenberg began conducting medical studies of children with developmental problems. Working at Johns Hopkins University with Dr. Leo Kanner, who first described autistic behavior, Dr. Eisenberg completed the first detailed, long-term study of children with autism, demonstrating among other things that language problems predicted its severity.
In a similar study among children who were developing normally, Dr. Eisenberg showed that reading difficulties early in school predicted behavior problems later on.
In the 1960s, he performed the first scientific drug trials in child psychiatry, testing stimulants like Dexedrine and Ritalin to soothe the behavior of children identified as “delinquent†or “hyperkinetic.†These studies, which became the basis for drug treatment of what is now called attention deficit disorder, ran counter to psychoanalytic theories on the most effective treatments.
“Leon took a very courageous stand and denounced the way psychiatry treated children, this whole system in which we had a few rich kids and their parents getting psychoanalysis five days a week and still not being cured,†said C. Keith Conners, a professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University. “No one even knew what a cure looked like. He had this conviction that nothing was being done for the bulk of children who needed help, and that we had very little scientific data to guide us.â€
Dr. James Harris, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins University, said that Dr. Eisenberg was “the pivotal person in 20th-century child psychiatry who moved the field from simple descriptions of childhood disorders to actually looking at the science behind both the diagnosis and treatment.â€
Read in Full:Â http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/health/research/24eisenberg.html?_r=2&ref=health
Adolescent anxiety, depression two distinct disorders
Wiley-Blackwell
Adolescent depression and anxiety disorders are two distinct psychiatric disorders, according to Dr William W. Hale III (a researcher of the Langeveld Institute for the Study of Education and Development in Childhood and Adolescence at Utrecht University) in a recent publication in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Hale and his colleagues conducted a five-year, longitudinal study of secondary school adolescents. Every year their depressive and anxiety disorder symptoms were measured. Hale and his colleagues concluded that while adolescent anxiety and depression were strongly related to one another, adolescent depression and anxiety disorder symptoms are in fact best classified as two distinct disorders with parallel, but unique growth processes.
These conclusions are of importance for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) that is planned for publication in 2012. Adolescent depression and anxiety disorders are presently classified in the revised fourth edition of the DSM (DSM-IV-TR) as disctinct disorders, however it has been suggested that these two disorders be given a join classification in the DSM-V. Hale argues that the present-day classification of adolescent depression and anxiety disorders should be preserved in the DSM-V.
Hale 3rd WW, Raaijmakers QA, Muris P, van Hoof A, Meeus WH. One factor or two parallel processes? Comorbidity and development of adolescent anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;50(10):1218-26 Â [Abstract]
Abstract: Diversity of effective treatments of panic attacks: what do they have in common?
Diversity of effective treatments of panic attacks: what do they have in common?
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
Funded by:
National Institutes of Health; Grant Number: MH066953-01
Department of Veterans Affairs; Grant Number: ROT0042825
By comparing efficacious psychological therapies of different kinds, inferences about common effective treatment mechanisms can be made.
We selected six therapies for review on the basis of the diversity of their theoretical rationales and evidence for superior efficacy: psychoanalytic psychotherapy, hypercapnic breathing training, hypocapnic breathing training, reprocessing with and without eye-movement desensitization, muscle relaxation, and cognitive behavior therapy.
The likely common element of all these therapies is that they reduce the immediate expectancy of a panic attack, disrupting the vicious circle of fearing fear.
Modifying expectation is usually regarded as a placebo mechanism in psychotherapy, but may be a specific treatment mechanism for panic. The fact that this is seldom the rationale communicated to the patient creates a moral dilemma: Is it ethical for therapists to mislead patients to help them? Pragmatic justification of a successful practice is a way out of this dilemma.
Therapies should be evaluated that deal with expectations directly by promoting positive thinking or by fostering non-expectancy.
Copyright © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company
CBT helps prevent panic attacks in COPD patients
By Mark Cowen
MedWire News: A brief, targeted cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) intervention is effective for the prevention and treatment of panic attacks and associated symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers report.
© 2009 Current Medicine Group Ltd, a part of Springer Science+Business Media
Abstract: Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction for patients with panic disorder
Increased Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction for Patients With Panic Disorder: A Nationwide Population-Based Study
Chen YH, Tsai SY, Lee HC, Lin HC.
From the School of Public Health (Y.-H.C.), Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine (S.-Y.T., H.-C.L.), Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; AND School of Health Care Administration (H.-C.L.), Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Objective: To examine prospectively the relationship between a diagnosis of panic disorder and the risk of acute myocardial infarction within 1 year of follow-up. Panic disorder is associated prospectively with coronary artery disease, but the risk of acute myocardial infarction associated with panic disorder has not been specifically investigated.
Method: This nationwide population-based study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database covering the years 2000 to 2005. A total of 9641 patients diagnosed with panic disorder in 2004 were included, together with 28,923 matched nonpanic disorder enrollees as a comparison cohort. Cox proportional hazard regressions were conducted to compute hazard ratios, after adjustment for comorbid medical disorders and sociodemographic characteristics.
Results: Results indicated that 4.77% of patients with panic disorder (approximately one in 21) experienced an acute myocardial infarction episode within a year, compared with 2.73% of patients in the comparison cohort. The adjusted hazard of acute myocardial infarction was significantly higher (1.75 times, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.55-1.97) for patients with panic disorder, relative to the comparison cohort. The association persisted in further analyses stratified by hypertension, coronary heart diseases, and age.
Conclusion: Panic disorder was identified as an independent risk factor for subsequent acute myocardial infarction. Comprehensive multidisciplinary approaches are needed to optimize primary and secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarction among patients with panic disorder.
Source…
© 2009 American Psychosomatic Society
Abstract: The fear circuitry in panic disorder and its modulation by CBT interventions
de Carvalho MR, Rozenthal M, Nardi AE.
Laboratory of Panic & Respiration, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil, INCT Translational Medicine (CNPq), Brazil; Escola de Medicina e Cirurgia/Centro Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa e Extenso sobre Envelhecimento (CEMPE) (School of Medicine and Surgery/Multi-disciplinary Center for Research and Longevity), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
Panic disorder (PD) is a multidimensional anxiety disorder that involves the activation of a complex brain fear-network. The goals of this systematic review are to pinpoint some working functions of the most important neuroanatomical structures of fear and panic neurocircuitry and to raise hypotheses about how cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) may work on modulating the neurocircuitry of fear.
The bibliographical search was carried out using mainly the PubMed database. Fifty-six articles were selected. A number of studies regarding several brain sites that participate in fear and anxiety circuitry were found and each region was described with its functionalities within the circuitry. Among the structures chosen were: the amygdala, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, which play a special role.
Study hypotheses showed that CBT may operate upstream from the amygdala and exert inhibitory effects on a variety of learned responses. It may work by strengthening the medial prefrontal cortex ability to inhibit firing of amygdala neurons, under the modulation of the hippocampus. Only two studies examined the modulation of fear neurocircuitry with CBT in PD.
The results indicate that CBT has the potential to modify the dysfunctional neural circuitry associated with PD, but there is insufficient evidence to support the preliminary hypothesis.
Source…
© 2009 Informa plc
Stop worrying, help is on the way: York study
Written by By Raymond Kwan, Contributor
Thanks to a new study done by York University, help might be on the way for those who suffer from severe anxiety.
The study found that people with severe anxiety who receive motivational interviews prior to treatment respond better to their treatment.
More…
COPYRIGHT © EXCALIBUR 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tips to Stop Emotional Eating
(Because Food Doesn’t Fix Stress)
ROCHESTER, Minn. — For emotional eaters, food is a best friend, there to boost sprits, calm stress and alleviate boredom.
But according to the August issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, emotional eating often leads to eating too much, especially high-calorie, sweet, salty and fatty foods. Women are especially prone to emotional eating — and then feel guiltier and less healthy than men do after snacking on “forbidden” foods.
The connection between stress and eating likely has roots in brain chemistry. Faced with a real threat, the fight-or-flight reaction kicks in and suppresses appetite temporarily. But when faced with persistent stress — health problems, difficult relationships or too much work — many people turn to high-fat, high-calorie foods for comfort. Using food as a coping strategy doesn’t alleviate stress and will likely cause weight gain.
Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers these suggestions to understand and overcome emotional eating:
Learn to recognize true hunger: A craving for chips or cookies soon after a meal is likely an emotional hunger, not real hunger.
Identify the food triggers: Keeping a journal can help identify patterns in emotional eating, including emotions and feelings when eating; what and how much was eaten; and feelings after eating.
Read in Full:Â http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2009-mchi/5380.html?rss-feedid=4
Pregabalin facilitates successful switch from benzodiazepine therapy in patients with generalised anxiety disorder: Presented at ECNP
By Jenny Powers
ISTANBUL, Turkey — September 18, 2009 — Patients with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) can be switched off benzodiazepines with the assistance of pregabalin treatment, according to a study presented here at the 22nd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress.
More…
Copyright (c) 1995-2009 Doctor’s Guide Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Preliminary evidence of white matter abnormality in the uncinate fasciculus in generalized social anxiety disorder
Phan KL, Orlichenko A, Boyd E, Angstadt M, Coccaro EF, Liberzon I, Arfanakis K.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Psychiatry, the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Background: Individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) exhibit exaggerated amygdala reactivity to aversive social stimuli. These findings could be explained by microstructural abnormalities in white matter (WM) tracts that connect the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, which is known to modulate the amygdala’s response to threat. The goal of this study was to investigate brain frontal WM abnormalities using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with social anxiety disorder.
Methods: A Turboprop DTI sequence was used to acquire diffusion tensor images in 30 patients with GSAD and 30 matched healthy control subjects. Fractional anisotropy, an index of axonal organization, within WM was quantified in individual subjects, and an automated voxel-based, whole-brain method was used to analyze group differences.
Results: Compared with healthy control subjects, patients had significantly lower fractional anisotropy localized to the right uncinate fasciculus WM near the orbitofrontal cortex. There were no areas of higher fractional anisotropy in patients than controls.
Conclusions: These findings point to an abnormality in the uncinate fasciculus, the major WM tract connecting the frontal cortex to the amygdala and other limbic temporal regions, in GSAD, which could underlie the aberrant amygdala-prefrontal interactions resulting in dysfunctional social threat processing in this illness.
Source…
Copyright © 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Blocking enzyme may repair stress induced brain damage
Bill Hathaway – Yale
Damage to the brain caused by chronic stress or lead poisoning can be repaired by blocking a key molecular pathway, Yale University researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Rats subjected to chronic stress develop damage to the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain crucial to working memory, impulse control and the ability to stay focused on tasks. Long-term stress triggers excessive activity of a family of enzymes called protein kinase C, which in turn damages the cytoskeleton of neurons and hinders their ability transmit information. This loss of the brain’s grey matter due to stress has been linked to poor impulse control, a decline in working memory and inability to focus on tasks. These findings have direct relevance to our understanding of bipolar disorder, where genetic insults increase protein kinase C signaling which may be associated with a loss of prefrontal grey matter and behavioral control.
The Yale team led by senior author Amy Arnsten, professor of neurobiology at Yale, succeeded in protecting against the effects of stress by blocking the action of protein kinase C in rats. The researchers found that dendritic spines of neurons stayed intact and that the rats’ ability to perform a task requiring working memory and impulse control was improved.
“When you inhibit protein kinase C, cells can talk to each other again and you rescue cognition,” Arnsten said.
Blocking protein kinase C has potential for treating bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, Arnsten said. Medications such as lithium can inhibit protein kinase C and have been shown to restore normal levels of grey matter in patients with bipolar disorder. She also noted such a therapy might help reverse the effects of lead poisoning, which causes learning disabilities and behavioral problems in tens of thousands of children. Lead, like stress, can also increase protein kinase C activity and erode grey matter in the prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that medications that inhibit protein kinase C may help restore prefrontal brain function in children with residual problems from lead poisoning.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Yale Stress Center.
Hains AB, Vu MAT, Maciejewski PK, et al. Inhibition of protein kinase C signaling protects prefrontal cortex dendritic spines and cognition from the effects of chronic stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep; doi:10.1073/pnas.0908563106 [Abstract | Full text (
)]
Myth exposed: Quitting smoking doesn’t worsen psychiatric disorders
Marla Paul – Northwestern University
People with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the heaviest smokers in the country, but their doctors are afraid to ask them to quit. They assume that if their patients try to quit smoking, their mental disorders will get worse.
That is a myth, according to Brian Hitsman, a tobacco addiction specialist and assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
This population’s tobacco use and dependence need to be treated, he said. Hitsman has designed and published the first comprehensive, evidence-based plan for psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health providers to help their patients quit smoking. His paper appeared in a recent issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
“These doctors and mental health specialists focus on their patients’ psychiatric health and lose track of their physical health,” said Hitsman, who is a health psychologist. “Tobacco cessation gets a lot of attention, but we leave out a population that smokes the majority of all the cigarettes.“
Between 40 to 80 percent of people with mental illness are daily smokers, depending on the disorder, compared to less than 20 percent of people who don’t have problems with mental illness, according to research. The mentally ill also smoke more cigarettes per day — often up to two packs. They have a disproportionately high rate of tobacco-related disease and mortality, such as cardiovascular disease or cancer, with a correspondingly heavy financial burden to the health-care system.
The mentally ill receive tobacco treatment on only 12 percent of their visits to a psychiatrist and 38 percent of their visits to a primary care physician, Hitsman said.
Doctors erroneously believe mental disorders will worsen if they take away a person’s tobacco. “Not a single study shows that symptoms get worse,” Hitsman said. He examined 13 randomized clinical trials that measured psychiatric symptoms during smoking cessation treatment. Seven studies showed that psychiatric symptoms actually improved during smoking cessation treatment, and six showed no changes.
Another problem is mental health professionals believe tobacco is not a real addiction compared to other drug addictions.
“The perception is patients need tobacco because it’s their only source of pleasure and helps them feel better,” Hitsman said. “There is very little evidence, though, that smoking cigarettes serves to self-medicate emotional symptoms.“
There is evidence from a few studies, however, that when mental health providers insert smoking cessation treatment into the mental health treatment plan, they can help their patients quit or cut down.
“They find if you take advantage of the relationship with the counselor and insert smoking cessation counseling into treatment that you enhance quit rates,” Hitsman said.
His tobacco cessation plan combines cognitive behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy and motivational counseling to help the patient quit. Hitsman also has identified several treatment medications that may further facilitate quitting for this population.
People with mental disorders do have a harder time quitting than the general population, Hitsman acknowledged, but said newer studies show it is possible to enhance the chance of success with this approach. Even if patients simply reduce their smoking, they are much more likely to quit successfully at a later date.
To help motivate the patient, the counselor highlights the benefits of quitting, the personal costs of smoking and the barriers to cessation success. “It gets the person in a problem-solving mode, at the basis of which is a solid relationship with the counselor,” Hitsman said.
Tobacco dependence also needs to be treated as a chronic disease, Hitsman believes. “We know that treatment provided for a longer duration substantially increases the abstinence rates of people without mental disorders,” he noted. “Smokers with mental illness may be especially likely to benefit from extended or maintenance tobacco treatment.“
)]
Comment:
Another common myth is that smoking reduces stress levels. It does, but only of the additional stress produced by withdrawal symptoms as nicotine levels from the last ‘hit’ fall.
Naturopathic treatment significantly improves anxiety
A Â Canadian study finds that naturopathic treatment including the herbal remedy ashwagandha, deep breathing exercises, dietary counseling, and a standard multi-vitamin supplement significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety. This was the first study to evaluate the potential of naturopathic treatment to treat anxiety.
 
U.S suicide trends and online screening interventions
Psychiatry Weekly 2009 Sep 21; 4(21)
Gebbia R.
Executive Director,
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, New York
Introduction
Only about half of Americans who die by suicide had been receiving treatment for a previously diagnosed psychiatric disorder at the time of their death, according to Robert Gebbia, whose organization funds suicide prevention research.
“There are many people suffering from underlying psychiatric disorders that put them at risk for suicide, but who are not in treatment,” says Gebbia. “While there are strategies to identify them and get them into treatment, research indicates that 90% of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death, most often unrecognized or untreated depression. Unfortunately, people don’t realize that these disorders can be fatal.”
© 2009 Psychiatry Weekly, LLC
Experts excited about Servier’s antidepressant Valdoxan
France’s Servier has unveiled more promising data on its first-in-class antidepressant Valdoxan, this time showing superior efficacy over Prozac.
The data, presented at the European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology in Istanbul, involved a 515-patient trial which revealed that the antidepressant efficacy of Valdoxan (agomelatine) was significantly superior to that of Eli Lilly’s Prozac (fluoxetine).
© 2009 PharmaTimes
[UK] Study denies GPs are over prescribing anti-depressants
Medical researchers from the University of Aberdeen say doctors may even be under-prescribing the drugs.
A new study refutes the claim that GPs are handing out antidepressants too readily.
Medical researchers from the University of Aberdeen say doctors may even be under-prescribing the drugs.
Antidepressant prescriptions have more than trebled in Scotland in the last decade – and with no evidence to explain the rise, it has been suggested GPs have been over-prescribing them.
© stv.tv 2009
Treatment guidelines issued on depression during pregnancy
For women with serious conditions, medication may be the best route, but ‘talk therapy’ may alleviate suffering for others, according to a document prepared by two national physicians groups.
By Melissa Healy
For the nearly one in four women who experience symptoms of depression during pregnancy, physicians on the front lines have long had little more than a prescription for antidepressants and a massive dose of uncertainty to offer.
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times
Managing depression in pregnancy
Gretchyn Bailey
A new report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, published in the September-October 2009 issue of General Hospital Psychiatry, explores the management of pregnancy and depression.
Depression is not uncommon in pregnant women. Between 14 and 23 percent of pregnant women will experience a depressive disorder while pregnant. In 2003, approximately 13 percent of pregnant women took an antidepressant at some point during their pregnancy. This rate has doubled since 1999. Many women go untreated due to concerns regarding the safety of treating pregnant women.
The report describes results from an unusual collaboration of authors from the American Psychiatric Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as a consulting developmental pediatrician. These authors reviewed the world’s English-language literature and reported results describing the association of depressive symptoms and antidepressant treatment on fetal and neonatal outcomes.
Both depressive symptoms and antidepressant exposure were found to be associated with fetal growth changes and shorter gestations. Short-term neonatal irritability and neuro behavioral changes were also linked with both maternal depression and antidepressant treatment. Some, but not all, studies reported low rates of fetal malformations with first trimester exposure, but there was no specific pattern of defects for individual medications or class of agents.
“This timely article by Yonkers and colleagues reviews the data on the potential effects of both antidepressant medications and depressive symptoms on birth and fetal outcomes,” said Wayne J. Katon, MD, Editor-in-Chief of General Hospital Psychiatry.
Yonkers KA, Wisner KL, Stewart DE, et al. The management of depression during pregnancy: a report from the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2009 Sep-Oct;31(5):403-13 Â [Abstract]
Artificial neural networks pinpoint methods for predicting postpartum depression
Plataforma SINC
Worldwide, 13% of women who give birth suffer from postnatal depression, which causes a significant deterioration in a mother’s quality of life and her ability to care for her baby. Now, Spanish researchers have developed a model to diagnose this illness with a predictive power of 80% – the best result to date for this kind of depression.
“Early diagnosis of postnatal depression would make it possible to intervene to prevent it from developing among women at risk,” says Salvador Tortajada, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).
The experts studied data on 1,397 Spanish women who gave birth between December 2003 and October 2004 in seven hospitals in Spain, and devised various models that can predict – with an 80% success rate – which mothers run the risk of developing depression during the first weeks after giving birth.
This study, published recently in the journal Methods of Information in Medicine, reports the best results to date in terms of predicting this illness. “Now it needs clinical evaluation, and for psychiatrists to start to test it directly on patients in order to study the true potential of these tools,” says Tortajada.
The researchers used artificial neuronal networks and extracted a series of risk factors highlighted in previous studies – the extent of social support for the mother, prior psychiatric problems in the family, emotional changes during the birth, neuroticism and polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene (genes with high levels of expression lead to an increased risk of developing the illness).
They also discovered two protection factors that reduce the risk of depression – age (the older the woman the lower her chance of depression), and whether or not a woman has worked during pregnancy (which reduces the risk). The researcher points out that: “it can be seen that these factors are relevant in the neuronal networks, but not by using other statistical methods.” The path is now clear for future studies to corroborate these findings.
However, many studies have shown that between 10 and 15% of women who give birth suffer from depression, normally between the second and third month after having given birth. This illness affects the patient’s emotional and cognitive functions (in extreme cases leading to suicidal tendencies), and may have serious knock-on effects on the child’s future development.
Tortajada S, Garcia-Gomez JM, Vicente J, et al. Prediction of Postpartum Depression Using Multilayer Perceptrons and Pruning. Methods Inf Med. 2009;48(3):291-8 Â [Abstract]
 
Possible breakthrough in understanding the molecular basis of major depression
Psychiatry Weekly 2009 Sep 21;4(21)
Sussman N.
Editor, Primary Psychiatry and Psychiatry Weekly,
Professor of Psychiatry, Interim Chairman, Department of Psychiatry,
New York University
Introduction
One of the more frustrating aspects of treating depressive illness is our inability to predict the risk of developing the disorder or to confirm the diagnosis with any objective test-some form of imaging or blood test, for example. This may soon change.
© 2009 Psychiatry Weekly, LLC
Unintended consequences of FDA antidepressant warnings
Primary Psychiatry. 2009;16(9):14
Sussman N.
Dr Sussman is editor of Primary Psychiatry as well as professor of psychiatry and interim chairman in the Department of Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City.
By now, most readers of Primary Psychiatry are familiar with the October 2003 alert by the Food and Drug Administration Public Health Advisory citing the risk of suicidality for pediatric patients taking antidepressants. In February 2005, the FDA went further, asking that antidepressant product information contain a black box warning to that effect. In May 2007, the warning was extended to young adults 18-24 years of age.
© 2009 Primary Psychiatry a Publication of MBL Communications
 
Press Contacts: Ari Ne’eman
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
Phone: 732.763.5530
E-mail: aneeman@autisticadvocacy.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Autistic Community Condemns Autism Speaks’ “I am Autism†Campaign
“We are the true voices of Autism,†say Autistic adults; Campaign spreads
stigma, prejudice and inaccurate information; ASAN vows protest of upcoming
Autism Speaks fundraisers
Washington, DC (September 23rd, 2009) – The autism community reacted in
horror today to Autism Speaks’ new “I am Autism†campaign, presenting
Autistic people as kidnap victims and burdens on their family members and
communities.
“I am autism. I have no interest in right or wrong. I will plot to rob you
of your children and your dreams….And if you’re happily married, I will make
sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands, and I
will bankrupt you for my own self-gain,†says the “I am Autism†video,
released yesterday and created by Academy Award-nominated director
Alfonso Cuarón and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Billy Mann.
“This is the latest in a series of unethical fundraising strategies adopted
by Autism Speaks,†said Ari Ne’eman, an adult on the autism spectrum and
President of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), “This type of fear
mongering hurts Autistic people, by raising fear and not contributing in the
slightest to accurate understanding of the needs of Autistic adults and
children.†ASAN’s Columbus, Ohio chapter has already made arrangements to
protest Autism Speaks’ upcoming local fundraising walk and other ASAN
chapters will be making similar arrangements shortly, said Ne’eman.
In addition to relying on fear and pity mongering to raise funds, the Autism
Speaks video repeats frequently referenced claims of higher than average
divorce rates amongst parents of Autistic children. However, a 2008 study
conducted by HarrisInteractive for Easter Seals in cooperation with the
Autism Society of America found divorce rates for parents of Autistic
children lower than those for families with no children with disabilities.
The video also relies heavily on the idea of rapidly increasing autism
rates. Another new study, released the same day as the video, by the British
Government’s National Health Service found that autism rates among adults
are the same as amongst children, indicating that the popular “epidemicâ€
claim of rapidly increasing autism incidence is likely false.
“This video doesn’t represent me or my child,†said Dana Commandatore, a
parent of an Autistic child living in Los Angeles, California. “Whatever the
challenges that autism may bring, my son deserves better than being
presented as a burden on society. Autism Speaks’ misrepresentation makes
my life and the life of my child more difficult.â€
“Autism Speaks seems to think that parents’ embarrassment at their kids’
meltdowns is more important than autistic kids’ pain,†writes Sarah, an
Autistic blogger at the blog *Cat in a Dog’s
World<http://autisticcats.blogspot.com/>
“Autistic people deserve better than what Autism Speaks has to offer.â€
The new video is reminiscent of the December 2007 NYU Child Study Center
“Ransom Notes†campaign, which consisted of faux ransom notes claiming to
be from an anthropomorphized disability which had kidnapped a child. Those ads were withdrawn after two and a half weeks, due to widespread outcry from
self-advocates, parents and professionals and the condemnation of twenty-two
national disability rights organizations, led by the Autistic Self Advocacy
Network. The Ransom Notes controversy was reported on by The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, Good Morning America, The Washington Post
and other major media outlets. ASAN announced plans to work with the
cross-disability community on a similar response to Autism Speaks’ campaign.
“The voices of real autistic people, and of families who do not subscribe to
the presentation of their family members as something sinister and criminal,
clearly do not matter to Autism Speaks,†said Paula Durbin-Westby, an adult
on the autism spectrum in Virginia, who serves on the board of the Autistic
Self Advocacy Network. “Our community is furious about Autism Speaks’
continued exploitation and will be taking action.â€
Selected initial responses to Autism Speaks’ “I am Autism†campaign from
bloggers in the Autism community follow:
Club 166 (Parent):
http://club166.blogspot.com/2009/09/when-will-they-listen.html
“The above video takes up where the Ransom Campaign ended, and goes on from
there. Not content just to dehumanize autistic individuals, the Autism
Speaks video goes on to paint a picture of horror using the most vivid
imagery it can find-your marriage will fail, you will go broke, you will
never be able to function in society at all, etc…
Two years ago the NYU Child Study Center claimed ignorance of the way that
autistic (and other disabled individuals) felt. The response at that time
was heard throughout the country, even in major national media. I wonder
what excuse Autism Speaks can possibly come up with this time.â€
Turner and Kowalski (self-advocate): http://turnerandkowalski.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/i-am-autism-speaks/
“I am Autism Speaks
I will steal your voice and make sure you can never speak for yourself.
I will steal your parents’ money and spend it on a residence on Park Avenue.
I will use demeaning language to degrade, pity and marginalize you.
I have declared war on you.â€
Emily (Parent):
http://daisymayfattypants.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-if-someone-did-this-with-say-downs.html
“This is horrific. I cannot believe that these people thought it was OK to
demonize a developmental disorder in this way, behaving as though autism
were something separate from the people who have it, like a wart or a blight
or a boil that should be burned off or lanced and drained before it infects
someone else or destroys your marriage, rather than what it really is, a
differential neural construct that is just as much a part of the people who
have it as their eye color. Is there any other developmental difference or
genetic disorder that could be vilified in this way with an assumption of
impunity? Dyslexia? Schizophrenia? Tourette’s? Depression? Chromosomal
disorders? Doubt it.â€
Sarah (Self-advocate):
http://autisticcats.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-am-autism-embarrassment-trope.html
“Autism Speaks seems to think that parents’ embarrassment at their kids’
meltdowns is more important than autistic kids’ pain. They’re wrong in that,
and they’re also wrong to suggest that donating money to Autism Speaks and
trying to find a “cure” is the only way to solve this problem. Because while
Autism Speaks-funded scientists play with genes in their laboratories, real
autistic people are living our lives and will continue to suffer serious
anxiety in many public places. Instead of writing another check to Autism
Speaks, I suggest actually trying to figure out why an individual autistic
person may be experiencing these difficulties. And taking steps on both a
personal and societal level to ensure that public places are more
accommodating of autistic people.
Autistic people deserve better than what Autism Speaks has to offer.â€
—
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
info@autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530
————————————————
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths.org
If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www.change.org/donation/create?charity_id=211198
 
 “Tell Bruce Springsteen Why Autism Speaks Doesn’t Speak For Us and Help Fight Autism Speaks!”
Hello,
As many of you are aware, Autism Speaks sunk to a new low yesterday – even
for them! The “I am Autism” campaign repeats the same tired old lies as the
NYU Child Study Center’s Ransom Notes ads, which our community successfully
stopped in 2007, and goes even further, presenting Autistic people as
useless burdens on society, on our families and on the world at large. ” “I
am autism. I have no interest in right or wrong. I will plot to rob you of
your children and your dreams….And if you’re happily married, I will make
sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands, and I
will bankrupt you for my own self-gain,†says the video campaign. Full text
is available here<http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=58>.
As we did in response to the “Ransom Notes” ads, we are preparing a joint
letter from the disability community in response to these horrific
statements, which we hope to have available early next week. If you are
connected to an organization that might be interested in signing on to such
a letter, please e-mail info@autisticadvocacy.org immediately.
In addition, we are encouraging people to act immediately by joining ASAN in
writing singer Bruce Springsteen, scheduled to participate in an Autism
Speaks fundraiser in November, to end his newfound association with
this organization
that devalues our lives and speaks about us without us. You can contact
Springsteen’s publicist at mlaverty@shorefire.com <mlaverty@shorefire.com>or
by phone at 718-552-7171.
Finally, as we mentioned in our initial press
release<http://asansouthwestohio.blogspot.com/2009/09/autistic-community-condemns-autism.html>this
morning, ASAN Activists and allies are preparing to confront Autism
Speaks fundraising in their own communities. If you would be willing to
organize a protest in your community, whether you are a self advocate,
family member or other ally, please e-mail us at info@autisticadvocacy.org.
There has never been a more important time for our community to assert our
voice.
Thank you and, as always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!
Regards,
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
info@autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530
Groups Outraged Over Video Released By Autism Speaks
By Michelle Diament
SEPTEMBER
25, 2009
A group of leading disability organizations is calling on Autism Speaks’
benefactors to end their support for the organization. The move comes in
response to a video distributed by Autism Speaks which critics say depicts
people with autism as less than human and burdens on society.
The video, which aired at Autism Speaks’ World Focus on Autism event earlier
this week in New York, features two parts.
The first part shows young people with autism as a voice-over declares, “I
am autism.†The man’s voice continues by describing autism as a disorder
that works “faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined,†will
ensure that your marriage fails, will bankrupt you, cause you not to sleep
and make it “virtually impossible†to go out in public without experiencing
embarrassment or pain.
The second portion of the video features more hopeful images. The
voice-overs declare that through love for their children, parents and others
will work tirelessly to overcome the challenges autism presents.
In response, disability advocates are now coming together to condemn the
video, which they say is part of a pattern of behavior by the nation’s
largest autism advocacy organization.
In a letter being prepared for open circulation next week, the group of
advocates say the video is a “fundraising tool†that relies on “fear,
stigma, misinformation and prejudice against autistic people.†The letter
will be sent to Autism Speaks donors, sponsors and supporters and it will be
posted publicly, organizers say.
Already the American Association of People with Disabilities, ADAPT and TASH
are among the organizations that have signed on to the letter organized by
the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Other organizations are now reviewing
the document.
The letter cites a public service announcement and another film from 2005
called “Autism Everyday†as other examples of fear-based tactics used by
Autism Speaks.
The group of advocates go on to ask the public to no longer support Autism
Speaks and instead find new ways to support people with autism and other
disabilities.
“Autism Speaks believes that its bottom line will be helped by portraying
autistic people as less than human,†says Ari Ne’eman, president of the
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. “This is really damaging if you’re trying to
get your child included in school or if you’re an autistic person trying to
find a job or get included in society more broadly.â€
When asked about the video, Autism Speaks representatives tried to distance
the organization from the short film, which appears on the group’s Web site
and includes home videos solicited through the organization.
Representatives said the film was created by Academy Award-nominated
director Alfonso Cuarón and Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Billy
Mann, both of whom have children with autism. The film is set to a poem
written by Mann.
“It is an intensely personal expression by these two fathers and their hope
is that the piece inspires other voices and artists in the autism
community,†according to a statement from Autism Speaks. “No one perspective
can ever be the definitive voice of autism. We encourage everyone in the
autism community to acknowledge the myriad voices and have tolerance for the
spectrum of opinions.â€
 http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/09/25/autism-speaks-video/5541/
 Autism Speaks Still Claims They Are Autism … Let’s Prove Them Wrong
Hello,
Last week, Autism Speaks continued their pattern of exploitation of Autistic
people and our families by releasing the video “I am
Autism”<http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=58>,
in which Autistic people are portrayed as stolen children and burdens on our
families and on society. Contrary to some claims, Autism Speaks continues to
promote the video on its website
<http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/united_nations_world_focus_on_autism_2009.php>and
through youtube. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDdcDlQVYtM> In addition,
this is just a small part of a long history of problems with Autism Speaks.
*Autism Speaks uses unethical fundraising tactics relying on fear and
devaluing the lives of Autistic people: *Autism Speaks’ unethical
fundraising tactics are not limited to the new “I am Autism†video. Its
television Public Service Announcements compare having a child on the autism
spectrum to having a child caught in a fatal car accident or struck by
lightning. Autism as a fate worse than death is a consistent theme in Autism
Speaks’ fundraising.
*Very little money donated to Autism Speaks goes toward helping Autistic
people and families: *According to their 2008 annual report, only 4% of
Autism Speaks’ budget goes towards the “Family Service†grants that are the
organization’s means of funding services. Given the huge sums of money
Autism Speaks raises from local communities as compared to the miniscule
sums returned to services, supports or educational initiatives that have a
practical impact on the lives of Autistic people and our family members,
Autism Speaks is a tremendous drain on the ability of communities to fund
autism service-provision and education initiatives. Furthermore, while the
bulk of Autism Speaks’ budget goes towards research (65%), only a small
minority of Autism Speaks’ research budget goes towards research oriented
around improving services, supports, treatments and educational
methodologies available to Autistic adults and children.
*Autism Speaks excludes the people it pretends to represent: *Autism Speaks
is one of an increasingly few number of major disability advocacy
organizations that refuse to include any individual with the disability they
purport to serve on their board of directors or at any point in their
leadership and decision-making processes. In large part due to Autism Speaks
public relations strategy of presenting Autistic people as silent burdens on
society rather than human beings with thoughts, feelings and opinions of our
own, Autism Speaks’ governance policies are deeply unrepresentative and out
of step with the mainstream of the non-profit and disability communities.
*Autism Speaks funds eugenics: *A major portion of Autism Speaks research
agenda is oriented around genetic research with eugenic implications. One of
Autism Speaks major priorities is the identification of genetic biomarkers
for the autism spectrum, thus allowing the prenatal identification and
potential selective abortion of Autistic fetuses prior to birth. We are not
opposed to genetic research and we take no position on the broader abortion
issue, but we are deeply concerned about the potential for eugenics in
Autism Speaks’ research. The refusal of the organization to consider the
ethical, moral and social implications of what it funds is deeply
concerning, particularly given the 92% rate of selective abortion for the
developmental disability Down Syndrome. Rather than fund research and
services that can help to improve the quality of life of Autistic adults and
children, Autism Speaks funding is primarily directed towards preventing our
very existences.
For these reasons and others, we assert that Autism Speaks does not speak
for us. ASAN is organizing protests all over the country, with a successful
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxIPqE3DYG4&feature=related>one
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYeZVQu5H3A>in
<http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17878-poetic-autism-film-divides-campaigners.html>Portland,
Oregon having already occurred. If you’d like to participate in the protest,
e-mail us at info@autisticadvocacy.org. Together, we can take action against
an exploitative organization and reclaim our voice.
Thank you and, as always, Nothing About Us Without Us!
Regards,
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
info@autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530
Letter In Response to Autism Speaks’ Exploitative Practices
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and other organizations representing the
Cross-Disability Community are distributing this joint letter to the
sponsors, donors and supporters of Autism Speaks following the
organization’s latest offensive and damaging Public Service Announcement, “I
am Autism” <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDdcDlQVYtM>. If you are an
organization that would like to sign on to the letter, please e-mail ASAN at
info@autisticadvocacy.org before Close of Business Tuesday, October 6th,
2009. If you are an individual who would like to join ASAN’s upcoming
protests of Autism Speaks in Ohio, New England, New York City and elsewhere
across the country please e-mail ASAN at info@autisticadvocacy.org Thank you
for your support and please feel free to distribute for additional
signatories.*
To the Sponsors, Donors and Supporters of Autism Speaks:
We, the undersigned organizations representing self advocates, parents,
professionals and allies in the Autism, Autistic and Disability Communities,
are writing to you to express our concern about the recent actions of Autism
Speaks. Our work is about helping empower and support people with
disabilities of all kinds, including adults and youth on the autism
spectrum, and we recognize that there are a wide variety of means towards
accomplishing this goal. Yet, Autism Speaks’ recent choice to use fear,
stigma, misinformation and prejudice against Autistic people as a
fundraising tool does real damage to people with disabilities everywhere.
The most recent example of this lack of ethics can be found in Autism
Speaks’ new “I am Autism†campaign which states, *“I am autism…I know
where you live…I work faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes
combined. And if you’re happily married, I will make sure that your marriage
fails. Your money will fall into my hands and I will bankrupt you for my own
self-gain…I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily
attend a temple, birthday party, or public park without a struggle, without
embarrassment, without pain…I am autism. I have no interest in right or
wrong. I derive great pleasure out of your loneliness.”*
Not only does this campaign rely on offensive stereotypes and inaccurate
information (research indicates that parents of Autistic children are not
more likely to divorce than parents of non-Autistic children), but it also
does real damage to the cause of disability rights. By choosing to portray
Autistic people as husks of real people, stolen out of our own bodies,
Autism Speaks reinforces stereotypes and prejudice against people with
disabilities that have existed for centuries and have been the source of
pain, segregation and violence.
We are calling on you to end your support for Autism Speaks and to find new
ways to show your support for Autistic people and others with disabilities.
As the result of a pattern of unethical behavior and irresponsible
governance, outlined below, we believe that Autism Speaks as an organization
no longer deserves your time, energy, money and support.
*Autism Speaks uses damaging and offensive fundraising tactics which rely on
fear, stereotypes and devaluing the lives of people on the autism spectrum:
*Autism Speaks’ unethical fundraising tactics are not limited to the new “I
am Autism†video. Its television Public Service Announcements compare having
a child on the autism spectrum to having a child caught in a fatal car
accident or struck by lightning. In fact, the idea of autism as a fate worse
than death is a frequent theme in their fundraising and awareness efforts,
going back to their “Autism Every Day†film in 2005. Indeed, throughout
Autism Speaks’ fundraising is a consistent and unfortunate theme of fear,
pity and prejudice, presenting Autistic adults and children not as full
human beings but as burdens on society that must be eliminated as soon as
possible.
*Very little money donated to Autism Speaks goes toward helping Autistic
people and families: *According to their 2008 annual report, only 4% of
Autism Speaks’ budget goes towards the “Family Service†grants that are the
organization’s means of funding services. Given the huge sums of money
Autism Speaks raises from local communities as compared to the miniscule
sums it gives back, it is not an exaggeration to say that Autism Speaks is a
tremendous drain on the ability of communities to fund autism
service-provision and education initiatives Furthermore, while the bulk of
Autism Speaks’ budget (65%) goes toward genetic and biomedical research,
only a small minority of Autism Speaks’ research budget goes towards
research oriented around improving services, supports, treatments and
educational methodologies, with most funding going towards basic research
oriented around causation and genetic research, including the prospect of
prenatal testing. Although Autism Speaks has not prioritized services with a
practical impact for families and individuals in its budget, its rates of
executive pay are the highest in the autism world, with annual salaries as
high as $600,000 a year.
*Autism Speaks excludes the people it pretends to represent: *Autism Speaks
is one of an increasingly few number of major disability advocacy
organizations that refuse to include any individual with the disability they
purport to serve on their board of directors or at any point in their
leadership and decision-making processes. In large part due to Autism
Speaks’ public relations strategy of presenting Autistic people as silent
burdens on society rather than human beings with thoughts, feelings and
opinions, Autism Speaks’ governance policies are deeply unrepresentative and
out of step with the mainstream of the disability non-profit community.
Contrary to the “I am Autism†video, which equates autism with AIDS and
Cancer, autism is not a terminal disease. It is a disability, one that comes
with significant challenges in a wide variety of realms. Yet the answer to
those challenges is not to create a world in which people are afraid of
people on the autism spectrum. The answer is not to create a world in which
the word autism is met with terror, hatred and prejudice. It is to work to
create a society that recognizes the civil rights of Autistic people and
others with disabilities. It is to work to create a world in which people
with disabilities can benefit from the supports, the services and the
educational tools necessary to empower them to be full citizens in society.
We are Autism’s true voice – Autistic people and those with other
disabilities ourselves, and our allies, family members, friends and
supporters. Autism Speaks does not speak for us. We are not stolen – we are
right here. Our lives may be difficult – but they are worth living. Autism
Speaks Does Not Speak For Us and we will not work with an organization that
relies on damaging and offensive stereotypes to advance an agenda out of
step with those they purport to represent. We call upon you to recognize
this and find better avenues for your admirable desire to support Autistic
people and our families. We call upon you to end your support for Autism
Speaks.
Regards,
*National:*
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
ADAPT
TASH
Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund
The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN)
Autism Network International (ANI)
Little People of America (LPA)
Not Dead Yet
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Autistic Spectrum Partnership In Research and Education (AASPIRE)
Mothers From Hell 2
*International:*
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network-Australia
Autism Rights Group Highland (in Scotland, United Kingdom)
The Autistic Community of Israel
Autreach IT in the United Kingdom
The Southwest Autistic Rights Movement (SWARM) in the United Kingdom
*Local and Regional:*
ADAPT-Montana
The Center for Disability Rights in Rochester, NY
The Regional Center for Independent Living in Rochester, NY
The Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
The Institute for Disability Access in Austin, Texas
The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education
The Paraquad Center for Independent Living in St. Louis, Missouri
The Lonesome Doves in Pennsylvania
TASH-New England
Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Mississippi (TEAAM)
Wesleyan Students for Disability Rights at Wesleyan University in
Connecticut
Tangram in Indianapolis, Indiana
—
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
info@autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530
————————————————
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths.org
If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www.change.org/donation/create?charity_id=211198
Autism Speaks Pulls Video As Critics Turn Up Heat
October 2, 2009
Under pressure, Autism Speaks removed a
controversial video from its Web site Thursday
and privately apologized to a number of
disability organizations. Despite this, critics
are pressing forward with a public letter
condemning the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization.
Â
<http://www.disabili tyscoop.com/ 2009/09/25/ autism-speaks- video/5541/>controversy
surrounds a
<http://www.disabili tyscoop.com/ 2009/09/25/ autism-speaks- video/5541/>video
called “I am autism,†which was released in
September at Autism Speaks’ World Focus on Autism event.
The video includes an eerie voice-over declaring
that autism will ensure that your marriage fails,
bankrupt you and make it “virtually impossibleâ€
to go out in public without experiencing
embarrassment or pain. In contrast, a second,
more hopeful portion of the video says parents
and others will work tirelessly to overcome the challenges autism presents.
Many self-advocates found the video offensive.
Autism Speaks said the video was merely an
expression of two fathers who produced the film,
both of whom have children with autism.
Under continuing pressure, however, the group
removed the video from its Web site Thursday and
privately apologized to leaders of other
disability organizations critical of the film.
Still, the video remains on Autism Speaks’ YouTube channel.
“Autism Speaks staff has made every effort to
reach out to those who have expressed their
disapproval in order to discuss their concerns
and criticisms,†according to the organization’ s spokesman Adam Pockriss.
Nonetheless, critics are proceeding with their
campaign against Autism Speaks, publicly
releasing a letter Thursday asking the group’s
sponsors, donors and supporters to find new ways
to support people with disabilities.
The letter charges that the video uses, “fear,
stigma, misinformation and prejudice against
Autistic people as a fundraising tool†and says
doing so “does real damage to people with disabilities everywhere.â€
More than two dozen disability organizations
including the National Council on Independent
Living, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
and the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network have already signed the letter.
Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All
Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions
click <http://www.disabili tyscoop.com/ reprints- and-permissions>here.
Jan
22
 
By Michelle Roberts
Health reporter, BBC News
Latest autism figures should dispel any fears about the MMR jab being linked to the condition, say experts.
The NHS Information Centre found one in every hundred adults living in England has autism, which is identical to the rate in children.
If the vaccine was to blame, autism rates among children should be higher because the MMR has only been available since the early 1990s, the centre says.
This is the first time the rate in adults has been evaluated.
Tim Straughan, chief executive of The NHS Information Centre, said: “This landmark report is the first major study into the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among adults to be carried out anywhere in the world.
“While the sample size was small and any conclusions need to be tempered with caution, the report suggests that, despite popular perceptions, rates of autism are not increasing, with prevalence among adults in line with that among children.
“It also suggests that, among adults, rates of autism remain broadly constant across age groups.
“The findings do not support suggestions of a link between the MMR vaccine and the development of this condition.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “There is no credible evidence to support the link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
“MMR vaccine has been used extensively and safely around the world for over 30 years and is the best way of protecting your child against measles, mumps and rubella.”
Concern over the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was sparked by a paper published in The Lancet in 1998 by Dr Andrew Wakefield.
‘Safe’ vaccine
This research has since been discredited.
But, until now, little was known about how autism affected people over the course of a lifetime.
For example, autism rates could have been lower among older age groups because people had gradually recovered from the condition or died prematurely.
The latest findings, based on nearly 7,500 adults, suggests that this is not the case, and that prevalence of autism spectrum disorder remains broadly level across all age bands.
While 1% of adults had an autism spectrum disorder, which includes autism and Asperger’s syndrome, the rate for men was higher (1.8%) than for women (0.2%). This was in line with studies among child populations which show higher rates amongst boys.
And in line with recent report from the National Audit Office, the study also found many of these adults are failing to get the diagnosis and specialist help they need.
Mr Straughan said: “This does beg some questions about whether services, as currently configured, are meeting the needs of this group of people.”
Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, said: “The NAS has long campaigned to raise awareness of the fact that services and support for adults with autism are woefully inadequate.
“This study gives us further evidence to demand that more vital support is put in place.”
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “This study will feed into the first ever adult autism strategy, which we will publish at the end of this year.
“The strategy should kick-start radical improvements in services for all forms of autism.”
People with autism spectrum disorder may suffer a range of problems, including difficulty interacting with other people and communicating their feelings.
 
Lawyer: Teacher’s action not a crime
Now-retired Perry educator asks that felony charges of hitting mentally disabled man be dropped
Posted: September 22, 2009
“This young man was anything but an average student, was anything but an average child,” Deputy Prosecutor Tom McLennon said during a hearing in Marion Superior Court.
Judge Marc Rothenberg said he would rule on the motion to dismiss charges by Sept. 29. If he denies the motion, Cripe will stand trial Oct. 7.
Cripe, 65, is now retired and plans to let his teaching license lapse, his attorneys said.
Both times, Cripe’s attorneys said, Mobley was unruly and struck the teacher first, and he responded with a light touch after verbal commands failed.
“Those two incidents do not rise to the level of a crime,” defense attorney Andrew Duncan said. “It is our contention that Mr. Cripe was trying to restore order to a classroom where there was a disruptive student.”
Abuse, neglect claims not reported at 2 Miami schools
As child welfare heads look into two recent incidents involving autistic students, they warn: Heed the state’s mandatory child-abuse reporting law, or face consequences.
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com
State child-welfare administrators are investigating allegations of abuse or neglect involving autistic children at two Miami schools, and why authorities at both schools failed to report them.
The first incident occurred on Sept. 2, when an 11-year-old boy with autism told his parents he had been struck on the neck by a teacher’s aide at Gilbert Porter Elementary School in Miami. The boy said the aide became angry when he used a curse word, took him into a bathroom and slapped him.
The incident is being investigated both by the Miami-Dade Schools police and the Department of Children & Families, said spokespeople from both agencies.
In a second incident, DCF is investigating how a 7-year-old girl with autism was allowed to wander off from the Carrie Brazer Autism Center and cross the street before being rescued by a good samaritan in a parking lot at nearby Baptist Hospital, said Flora Beal, a DCF spokeswoman in Miami.
The mother of the little girl said administrators at Carrie Brazer also failed to notify her that the little girl had wandered off, Beal said.
“I don’t know what it is going to take to get mandatory reporters to actually make the call,” said Jacqui Colyer, DCF’s top administrator in Miami. “There is a penalty for not making the call.”
In 1999, Florida lawmakers made it a misdemeanor for adults who come in regular contact with children — including teachers, coaches, social workers, clergy and counselors — to fail to report suspicions that a child has been abused or neglected.
Neither Colyer nor a spokesman for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office could recall such a mandatory reporter ever being prosecuted under the statute, which carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
“Mandatory reporting is about making sure schools are transparent and telling the truth and looking out for the best interests of children,” Colyer said.
And in the case of autistic or other disabled children, the need to report concerns is even more acute, said Beal. “We are charged with protecting the vulnerable,” Beal said, “and who are more more vulnerable than children who cannot even speak for themselves?”
In the Gilbert Porter Elementary case, the youngster’s mom said DCF was not made aware of the incident for nine days — and only when the agency was contacted by the parents.
Kelly Villavicencio Ruocco, 37, said her son, Sebastian, came home from school upset, and told her his aide had slapped him. She reported her concerns to the school the next day, she said, and took her son to his pediatrician after his neck became red and painful.
A report from the boy’s doctor, which Ruocco shared with The Miami Herald, diagnosed the boy as suffering from “trauma to the right side of neck” that resulted in muscle spasms.
Ruocco said she’s angry, because school administrators tried to talk her out of demanding an investigation. “I said, `I don’t care; I want an investigation. If it happened to my son — who, thank God can talk — I don’t know what [the aide] can do to other kids who can’t communicate.’ ”
John Schuster, a spokesman for Miami-Dade schools, confirmed that the schools police are looking into Ruocco’s allegations. The teacher’s aide who was accused of hurting the boy is not at the school for personal reasons, he added.
Read Article In Full:Â http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1245081.html
 
By Claire HackÂ
A Leyton mother claims she ‘went through hell’ to get a diagnosis of her daughter’s learning difficulties
A MOTHER claims she went through ‘three years of hell’ before her daughter was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.
The North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) has since admitted one of its doctors acted unprofessionally and has apologised.
Mrs A, who asked the Guardian to conceal her identity, also claimed her own health was scrutinised rather than her daughter’s after comments were made about her use of a wheelchair.
She said: “I went through hell for three years. I was asked about what medication I was taking – it seemed a bit suspect.
“I was accused of having Munchausen by Proxy and inventing illnesses for my daughter.â€
She first saw doctors at the children’s centre at Thorpe Coombe Hospital in November 2006 after her daughter, then six, was referred by her family GP.
Mrs A, of Leyton, said her daughter’s school suspected autism, leading to her referral to Thorpe Coombe.
The family was seen by a Dr Steve Isaacs, who did not acknowledge there was anything seriously wrong with the child but referred her to Great Ormond Street Hospital for a second opinion.
Mrs A said: “My daughter was put into mainstream school and her statement of special educational needs was stopped. She was quite significantly behind everybody else her age.”
She added her daughter should have been given an independent referral to Great Ormond Street, but Dr Isaacs did this.
His senior manager should have done this, to ensure future assessments were not influenced.
Great Ormond Street first assessed the child in 2007 but did not find evidence of autism.
The issue was raised with NELFT at a meeting in November 2008 and Mrs A received a letter from operational director of specialist services Sue Boon in March 2009.
The letter apologises for several aspects Dr Isaacs’ conduct, including the fact the referral to Great Ormond Street not independent.
Read Article in Full:Â http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/whereilive/localheadlines/4582604.LEYTON__Mother_s__three_years_of_hell__over_Asperger_s_diagnosis_for_daughter/#show
 
The Novelty Warehouse, an online store selling sensory toys for children with special needs, celebrated its first birthday back in March. The store provides a range of toys – starting at pocket money prices – designed to aid positive play by stimulating the senses, encouraging communication and developing motor skills. Owner Liz Howard, whose son has special needs, opened the store after being dismayed at the price-tags on toys aimed at the special needs market. She won the Business Entrepreneur category in the Merseyside Woman Of The Year competition in 2008.
Visit www.thenoveltywarehouse.com
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