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Neuroscience Coverage: Media Distorts, Bloggers Rule - Selected Blogs
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Brain as Icon
“Superwoman has been rumbled,”
declared a Daily Telegraph article in 2001 that chronicled how the
human brain’s inability to “multitask” undercuts the prospects for a woman to
juggle career and family with any measure of success. The brain as media icon
has emerged repeatedly in recent years as new imaging techniques have
proliferated—and, as a symbol, it seems to confuse as much as enlighten.
The steady flow of new studies that purport to reduce human nature to a series of illuminated blobs on scanner images have fostered the illusion that a nouveau biological determinism has arrived. More often than not, a “neurobiological correlate”— tying together brain activity with a behavioral attribute (love, pain, aggression)—supplies the basis for a journal publication that translates instantly into a newspaper headline. The link between blob and behavior conveys an aura of versimilitude that often proves overly seductive to the reporter hard up to fill a health or science quota. A community of neuroscience bloggers, meanwhile, has taken on the responsibility of rectifying some of these misinterpretations.
A study published last week by University College of London researchers—“Neuroscience in the Public Sphere”—tried to imbue this trend with more substance by quantifying and formally characterizing it. “Brain-based information possesses rhetorical power,” the investigators note. “Logically irrelevant neuroscience information [the result of the multitude of correlations that turn up] imbues an argument with authoritative, scientific credibility.”
The study, a content analysis of three broadsheets and three tabloids in Great Britain that spanned the political spectrum from right to left, found the number of neuroscience-related articles climbed steadily overall from January of 2000 to the end December in 2010, nearly doubling, despite drops in 2007 and 2010. Most compelling was the classification of the newspaper stories into three broad memes.
The study pinpoints an undeniable tendency toward neurohype. But the bigger picture transcends the oversimplifying that occurs in the popular media. For the truly interested amateur brain buff, more information—more good (and free) information—exists today than at any point since Santiago Ramón y Cajal penned his stunning line drawings of neurons.
In fact, there has never been a better time for the brain aficionado. The best among the contingent of expert bloggers that read and critique the neuroscience literature approximates a cadre of investigative reporters armed with PhDs in psychology and physiology. Scientific American’s own Scicurious penned a blog on May 2 that describes how a study on high-fat diets and depression that received coverage in the general media could have been much better than it was.
This isn’t an advertisement for ourselves. There are plenty of others worthy of mention who do not count in the Scientifc American stable of bloggers. Neuroskeptic logged in on the same day as Scicurious with an excellent entry on how fMRI studies could be giving false-positive results. And the combing of the literature for what’s important is another service to be had for nothing more than the price of a monthly Internet IP provider. I found “Neuroscience in the Public Sphere” after reading Neurobonkers, an anonymous freelance science writer who flagged the study in his blog. Outside (or maybe even inside) of a graduate-school seminar, this kind of information is really hard to come by. (Also this just in for neurophiles: the giga site, BrainFacts.org—a joint venture of the Kavli Institute, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Society for Neuroscience—is scheduled to launch on Monday morning, a repository for all things brain.)
Quibbles abound from the standpoint of journalistic convention: some neuro bloggers remain behind the wall of a pseudonym. And, of course, the question can be asked about whether you can trust the bona fides of any given writer who hangs out a cyber shingle. But the same sort of query, as the University College of London researchers point out, can be directed in spades toward the Daily Mail or The Times. And, if you’re asking for my vote on who to trust for a verdict on Super Woman and brain games, I’d pick Scicurious and Neuroskeptic any day.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
via Observations by Gary
Stix on 5/4/12
Brain as IconThe steady flow of new studies that purport to reduce human nature to a series of illuminated blobs on scanner images have fostered the illusion that a nouveau biological determinism has arrived. More often than not, a “neurobiological correlate”— tying together brain activity with a behavioral attribute (love, pain, aggression)—supplies the basis for a journal publication that translates instantly into a newspaper headline. The link between blob and behavior conveys an aura of versimilitude that often proves overly seductive to the reporter hard up to fill a health or science quota. A community of neuroscience bloggers, meanwhile, has taken on the responsibility of rectifying some of these misinterpretations.
A study published last week by University College of London researchers—“Neuroscience in the Public Sphere”—tried to imbue this trend with more substance by quantifying and formally characterizing it. “Brain-based information possesses rhetorical power,” the investigators note. “Logically irrelevant neuroscience information [the result of the multitude of correlations that turn up] imbues an argument with authoritative, scientific credibility.”
The study, a content analysis of three broadsheets and three tabloids in Great Britain that spanned the political spectrum from right to left, found the number of neuroscience-related articles climbed steadily overall from January of 2000 to the end December in 2010, nearly doubling, despite drops in 2007 and 2010. Most compelling was the classification of the newspaper stories into three broad memes.
—The Brain as Capital: As the repository of self—a secular surrogate for the soul—the brain is a resource to be optimized through pills, food and training—and, not least, parenting: a consultation with the neuro literature before deciding on the proper punishment for your child? The ever-present theme of brain training methods, for which little proof exists, consumed untold linear inches in news articles throughout the 2000s. “…by stretching the brain with regular crossword and sudoku puzzles, you can make your brain appear up to 14 [count them] years younger.”—Daily Mail, Sept. 13, 2005.
—The Brain as Index of Difference: In this narrative, neuroscience explains distinctions among groups, that men and women are wired differently, and that drug addicts, criminals, gays and the obese are special in ways that correspond to prevailing stereotypes. “Addiction is viewed as a mental disorder, and gays are known to be at higher risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm and drug abuse. Most studies suggest that these problems are brought on by years of discrimination and bullying. But there is another controversial thesis—that gays lead inherently riskier lives. Gambling stimulates the dopamine system in the brain; illicit drugs pep up the same system. Are gays dopamine junkies?—Times, Dec. 18, 2006.
—The Brain as Biological Proof: The neurobiological basis for a behavior—often a brain region that lights up during the course of a particular task—is taken as a means to establish a “rightful place in the natural order.” Back to super heros: “Superwoman has been rumbled. Juggling a career and an active social life is quite literally a waste of time, according to scientists. A study reveals today that attempting several tasks at once is inefficient and could even be dangerous. The findings challenge the notion of women ‘having it all’.”‑Daily Telegraph, Aug. 6, 2001.The authors conclude that, though it was impossible to determine precisely how the original studies and the media coverage diverged, their analysis confirmed that “research was being applied out of context to create dramatic headlines, push thinly disguised ideological arguments, or support particular policy agendas.” The study ends with an entreaty that researchers should come forward at the time of publication to elucidate ways in which their work could be misused “as a vehicle for espousing particular values, ideologies or social divisions”—and to ensure that policy debates surrounding neuroscience remain substantive and bereft of rhetorical fluff.
The study pinpoints an undeniable tendency toward neurohype. But the bigger picture transcends the oversimplifying that occurs in the popular media. For the truly interested amateur brain buff, more information—more good (and free) information—exists today than at any point since Santiago Ramón y Cajal penned his stunning line drawings of neurons.
In fact, there has never been a better time for the brain aficionado. The best among the contingent of expert bloggers that read and critique the neuroscience literature approximates a cadre of investigative reporters armed with PhDs in psychology and physiology. Scientific American’s own Scicurious penned a blog on May 2 that describes how a study on high-fat diets and depression that received coverage in the general media could have been much better than it was.
This isn’t an advertisement for ourselves. There are plenty of others worthy of mention who do not count in the Scientifc American stable of bloggers. Neuroskeptic logged in on the same day as Scicurious with an excellent entry on how fMRI studies could be giving false-positive results. And the combing of the literature for what’s important is another service to be had for nothing more than the price of a monthly Internet IP provider. I found “Neuroscience in the Public Sphere” after reading Neurobonkers, an anonymous freelance science writer who flagged the study in his blog. Outside (or maybe even inside) of a graduate-school seminar, this kind of information is really hard to come by. (Also this just in for neurophiles: the giga site, BrainFacts.org—a joint venture of the Kavli Institute, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Society for Neuroscience—is scheduled to launch on Monday morning, a repository for all things brain.)
Quibbles abound from the standpoint of journalistic convention: some neuro bloggers remain behind the wall of a pseudonym. And, of course, the question can be asked about whether you can trust the bona fides of any given writer who hangs out a cyber shingle. But the same sort of query, as the University College of London researchers point out, can be directed in spades toward the Daily Mail or The Times. And, if you’re asking for my vote on who to trust for a verdict on Super Woman and brain games, I’d pick Scicurious and Neuroskeptic any day.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
the young women of Pokot, Kenya are fighting the centuries-old tradition of female genital mutilation with the help of the grassroots group - Selected Blogs
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Female genital mutilation (FGM) Deutsch: Weibliche
Genitalverstümmelung (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Let Us Abandon the
Knife
via Faktensucher by curi56 on
5/5/12
Female genital mutilation (FGM) Deutsch: Weibliche
Genitalverstümmelung (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Vowing “I will never be cut,” the young women of Pokot, Kenya are fighting
the centuries-old tradition of female genital mutilation with the help of the grassroots
group
Kepstono Rotwo – Abandon the Knife. In an award-winning video,
Nancy Tomee fiercely confronts her bewildered mother, insisting, “I’m moving
forward, moving forward.”
“I will never be cut, over my dead body. It’s a vicious cycle, I bury you, then you bury me with the same sorrows….I refuse to witness my mothers’ suffering and then repeat the cycle.”
“I will never be cut, over my dead body. It’s a vicious cycle, I bury you, then you bury me with the same sorrows….I refuse to witness my mothers’ suffering and then repeat the cycle.”
-Abby Zimet – ComlonDreams
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Bipolar Disorder: A new study by Lancaster University has captured the views of people who report some highly-valued, positive experiences while living with the condition. - Selected Blogs
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Reblogged
from Manic Muses:
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Reblogged
from Manic Muses:
Yes, Virginia. There are positives to living with Bipolar Disorder. A new study
by Lancaster University has captured the views of people who report some
highly-valued, positive experiences while living with the condition. I can’t
tell you how refreshing it is to read an article that, for once, actually calls
out some of the positives – and yes there are some – about this serious mental
illness.
Read more… 263 more words
Read more… 263 more words
This is an excellent piece written by one of our members. I highly
reccommend it to you.
Behavior and Law: A facial expression for anxiety - *Forensic* *...* - Behavioral Forensics
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Forensic Psychiatry News ... This expression consisted of two
plausible environmental-scanning behaviors (eye darts and head swivels)
and was labeled as anxiety, not fear. The facial ...
Lowinson and Ruiz's Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook - Journal of American Medical Association (subscription) - Behavioral Forensics
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Lowinson
and Ruiz's Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook
Journal of American Medical Association (subscription) Section 2, “Determinants of Abuse and Dependence,” includes chapters on genetics, neurobiological factors of drug abuse, psychological factors in substance abuse disorders, behavioral aspects, and sociocultural factors. The chapters on genetics and ... |
Behavior and Law: Mike Nova: Does Breivik suffer from *...* - Behavioral Forensics
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Has the 'G-Spot' Been Confirmed at Last? - U.S. News & World Report - Behavioral Forensics
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Has
the 'G-Spot' Been Confirmed at Last?
U.S. News & World Report He said he plans to perform similar forensics on the bodies of women of various ages. If Ostrzenski and others can consistently reproduce the discovery, he said, "it may absolutely change our view of how the orgasm is created; it will change the ... and more » |
Thus, the psychopathic personality trait could be well described in its relation to humor and laughter. Implications of the findings are highlighted and discussed with respect to the current literature. - Behavioral Forensics
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Publication year: 2012
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
René T. Proyer, Rahel Flisch, Stefanie Tschupp, Tracey Platt, Willibald Ruch
This scoping study examines the relation of the sense of humor and three dispositions toward ridicule and being laughed at to psychopathic personality traits. Based on self-reports from 233 adults, psychopathic personality traits were robustly related to enjoying laughing at others, which most strongly related to a manipulative/impulsive lifestyle and callousness. Higher psychopathic traits correlated with bad mood and it existed independently from the ability of laughing at oneself. While overall psychopathic personality traits existed independently from the sense of humor, the facet of superficial charm yielded a robust positive relation. Higher joy in being laughed at also correlated with higher expressions in superficial charm and grandiosity while fearing to be laughed at went along with higher expressions in a manipulative life-style. Thus, the psychopathic personality trait could be well described in its relation to humor and laughter. Implications of the findings are highlighted and discussed with respect to the current literature.
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
René T. Proyer, Rahel Flisch, Stefanie Tschupp, Tracey Platt, Willibald Ruch
This scoping study examines the relation of the sense of humor and three dispositions toward ridicule and being laughed at to psychopathic personality traits. Based on self-reports from 233 adults, psychopathic personality traits were robustly related to enjoying laughing at others, which most strongly related to a manipulative/impulsive lifestyle and callousness. Higher psychopathic traits correlated with bad mood and it existed independently from the ability of laughing at oneself. While overall psychopathic personality traits existed independently from the sense of humor, the facet of superficial charm yielded a robust positive relation. Higher joy in being laughed at also correlated with higher expressions in superficial charm and grandiosity while fearing to be laughed at went along with higher expressions in a manipulative life-style. Thus, the psychopathic personality trait could be well described in its relation to humor and laughter. Implications of the findings are highlighted and discussed with respect to the current literature.
The results do not confirm previous studies and question the high rates of psychiatric prevalence in prison. - Behavioral Forensics
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Publication year: 2012
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Benjamin Thiry
Many international studies report a high prevalence of personality disorders among inmates on the basis of (semi)-structured diagnostic interviews. The present study proposes a self-reported evaluation of personality disorders using the NEO PI-R. The sample consists of 244 male and 18 female inmates (N =262) who were psychologically assessed. The analysis of the five psychological domains shows that the French-speaking Belgian inmates are as stable, as extroverted, more closed, more agreeable and more conscientious than the normative sample. The NEO PI-R facets are also analyzed. The mean Cohen's d (.26) is small. Two personality disorders have medium effect sizes: obsessive compulsive personality disorder (high) and histrionic personality (low). Small effect sizes exist for antisocial personality (low), psychopathy (low), narcissistic personality (low), schizoid personality (high) and borderline personality (low). In our view, the context of the assessment can partially explain these results but not entirely. The results do not confirm previous studies and question the high rates of psychiatric prevalence in prison.
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Benjamin Thiry
Many international studies report a high prevalence of personality disorders among inmates on the basis of (semi)-structured diagnostic interviews. The present study proposes a self-reported evaluation of personality disorders using the NEO PI-R. The sample consists of 244 male and 18 female inmates (N =262) who were psychologically assessed. The analysis of the five psychological domains shows that the French-speaking Belgian inmates are as stable, as extroverted, more closed, more agreeable and more conscientious than the normative sample. The NEO PI-R facets are also analyzed. The mean Cohen's d (.26) is small. Two personality disorders have medium effect sizes: obsessive compulsive personality disorder (high) and histrionic personality (low). Small effect sizes exist for antisocial personality (low), psychopathy (low), narcissistic personality (low), schizoid personality (high) and borderline personality (low). In our view, the context of the assessment can partially explain these results but not entirely. The results do not confirm previous studies and question the high rates of psychiatric prevalence in prison.
The range of patterns of thought of juvenile delinquents is of great heuristic value and may lead to subsequent research that could further enhance our understanding of these patterns. - Behavioral Forensics
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Publication year: 2012
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Dorothee Horstkötter, Ron Berghmans, Corine de Ruiter, Anja Krumeich, Guido de Wert
This paper presents and discusses the views and attitudes of juvenile delinquents regarding the implications of genomics and neurobiology research findings for the prevention and treatment of antisocial behavior. Scientific developments in these disciplines are considered to be of increasing importance for understanding the causes and the course of antisocial behavior and related mental disorders. High expectations exist with regard to the development of more effective prevention and intervention. Whether this is a desirable development does not only depend on science, but also on the ethical and social implications of potential applications of current and future research findings. As this pilot study points out, juvenile delinquents themselves have rather mixed views on the goals and means of early identification, prevention and treatment. Some welcome the potential support and help that could arise from biologically informed preventive and therapeutic measures. Others, however, reject the very goals of prevention and treatment and express worries concerning the risk of labeling and stigmatization and the possibility of false positives. Furthermore, interventions could aim at equalizing people and taking away socially disapproved capacities they themselves value. Moreover, most juvenile delinquents are hardly convinced that their crime could have been caused by some features of their brain or that a mental disorder has played a role. Instead, they provide social explanations such as living in a deprived neighborhood or having antisocial friends. We suggest that the hopes and expectations as well as the concerns and worries of juvenile delinquents are relevant not only for genomics and neurobiology of antisocial behavior, but also for prevention and intervention measures informed by social scientific and psychological research. The range of patterns of thought of juvenile delinquents is of great heuristic value and may lead to subsequent research that could further enhance our understanding of these patterns.
Source:International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Dorothee Horstkötter, Ron Berghmans, Corine de Ruiter, Anja Krumeich, Guido de Wert
This paper presents and discusses the views and attitudes of juvenile delinquents regarding the implications of genomics and neurobiology research findings for the prevention and treatment of antisocial behavior. Scientific developments in these disciplines are considered to be of increasing importance for understanding the causes and the course of antisocial behavior and related mental disorders. High expectations exist with regard to the development of more effective prevention and intervention. Whether this is a desirable development does not only depend on science, but also on the ethical and social implications of potential applications of current and future research findings. As this pilot study points out, juvenile delinquents themselves have rather mixed views on the goals and means of early identification, prevention and treatment. Some welcome the potential support and help that could arise from biologically informed preventive and therapeutic measures. Others, however, reject the very goals of prevention and treatment and express worries concerning the risk of labeling and stigmatization and the possibility of false positives. Furthermore, interventions could aim at equalizing people and taking away socially disapproved capacities they themselves value. Moreover, most juvenile delinquents are hardly convinced that their crime could have been caused by some features of their brain or that a mental disorder has played a role. Instead, they provide social explanations such as living in a deprived neighborhood or having antisocial friends. We suggest that the hopes and expectations as well as the concerns and worries of juvenile delinquents are relevant not only for genomics and neurobiology of antisocial behavior, but also for prevention and intervention measures informed by social scientific and psychological research. The range of patterns of thought of juvenile delinquents is of great heuristic value and may lead to subsequent research that could further enhance our understanding of these patterns.
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The resulting report, released last October, concluded that far too many prisoners were on round-the-clock lockdown. Relatively modest changes in classification, review, and mental-health policies, it said, would "significantly ... - Prison Psychiatry News
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The resulting report, released last October, concluded that
far too many prisoners were on round-the-clock lockdown. Relatively
modest changes in classification, review, and mental-health
policies, it said, would "significantly ...
(Reuters) - A judge in Ohio on Friday sentenced former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter to more than 10 years in prison for a phony ticket scheme and granted his request to have his damaged brain donated to science after he dies. - Prison Psychiatry News
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Another
ex-NFL player who had concussions to donate brain
Chicago Tribune (Reuters) - A judge in Ohio on Friday sentenced former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter to more than 10 years in prison for a phony ticket scheme and granted his request to have his damaged brain donated to science after he dies. Art Schlichter to spend the next decade in prisonNBCSports.com all 187 news articles » |
In Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: a Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior, Robert I. Simon, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Program in Psychiatry and Law at ... - Forensic Psychiatry News
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In Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: a Forensic
Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior, Robert I.
Simon, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Program in
Psychiatry and Law at ...
What is forensic psychology? Definitions, history, topic areas, theory and practice, careers, debates, criminal profiling and study options are all covered in detail. - Forensic Psychiatry News
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What is forensic psychology? Definitions, history,
topic areas, theory and practice, careers, debates, criminal profiling and study
options are all covered in detail.
"Floyd County is the latest Indiana county to establish a veterans court, whose mission is to treat veterans whose crimes stem from substance abuse and mental health issues related to their combat experience" - Forensic Psychiatry News
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Veterans
court offers treatment instead of jail
NECN Floyd County is the latest Indiana county to establish a veterans court, whose mission is to treat veterans whose crimes stem from substance abuse and mental health issues related to their combat experience. Several other counties, including Porter and ... and more » |
"Sleep problems appear to be a robust predictor of subsequent suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescence and young adulthood. Having trouble falling sleeping or staying asleep had both direct and indirect effects (via depression and suicidal thoughts) on suicidal behavior." - General Psychiatry News
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The prospective relationship between
sleep problems and suicidal behavior in the National Longitudinal Study of
Adolescent Health.
J Psychiatr Res. 2012 Apr 30;
Authors: Wong MM, Brower KJ
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Previous research has found a longitudinal relationship between sleep problems and suicidal behavior while controlling for depression and other important covariates in a high risk sample of adolescents and controls. In this paper, we replicated this longitudinal relationship in a national sample and examined whether the relationship was partially mediated by depression, alcohol-related problems and other drug use. METHODS: Study participants were 6504 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (ADD HEALTH). RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, sleep problems (i.e., having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep) at Wave 1 were associated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts at Waves 1, 2, and 3 (W1, 2 and 3). In multivariate analyses, controlling for depression, alcohol problems, illicit drug use, and important covariates such as gender, age, and chronic health problems, sleep problems at a previous wave predicted suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts at a subsequent wave. In mediation analyses, W2 depression significantly mediated the effect of W1 sleep problems on W3 suicide thoughts. Moreover, W2 suicidal thoughts also significantly mediated the effect of W1 sleep problems on W3 suicidal attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep problems appear to be a robust predictor of subsequent suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescence and young adulthood. Having trouble falling sleeping or staying asleep had both direct and indirect effects (via depression and suicidal thoughts) on suicidal behavior. Future research could determine if early intervention with sleep disturbances reduces the risk for suicidality in adolescents and young adults.
PMID: 22551658 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
via Medicine
JournalFeeds » Psychiatry by admin on 5/5/12
J Psychiatr Res. 2012 Apr 30;
Authors: Wong MM, Brower KJ
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Previous research has found a longitudinal relationship between sleep problems and suicidal behavior while controlling for depression and other important covariates in a high risk sample of adolescents and controls. In this paper, we replicated this longitudinal relationship in a national sample and examined whether the relationship was partially mediated by depression, alcohol-related problems and other drug use. METHODS: Study participants were 6504 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (ADD HEALTH). RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, sleep problems (i.e., having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep) at Wave 1 were associated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts at Waves 1, 2, and 3 (W1, 2 and 3). In multivariate analyses, controlling for depression, alcohol problems, illicit drug use, and important covariates such as gender, age, and chronic health problems, sleep problems at a previous wave predicted suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts at a subsequent wave. In mediation analyses, W2 depression significantly mediated the effect of W1 sleep problems on W3 suicide thoughts. Moreover, W2 suicidal thoughts also significantly mediated the effect of W1 sleep problems on W3 suicidal attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep problems appear to be a robust predictor of subsequent suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescence and young adulthood. Having trouble falling sleeping or staying asleep had both direct and indirect effects (via depression and suicidal thoughts) on suicidal behavior. Future research could determine if early intervention with sleep disturbances reduces the risk for suicidality in adolescents and young adults.
PMID: 22551658 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Forensic Psychiatry News ... "The prosecution - and the first, heavily criticised psychiatric evaluation - tried to make Breivik's claims of an international network seem ludicrous, the daydreams of a megalomaniac." - Mike Nova's starred items
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Forensic Psychiatry News ... The
prosecution - and the first, heavily criticised psychiatric evaluation - tried
to make Breivik's claims of an international network seem ludicrous,
the daydreams of a megalomaniac. Yet it has only ...
See more of Mike Nova's starred items ...
*Forensic Psychiatry* News: Key Journals: Behavioral Forensics *...* - Mike Nova's starred items
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Law and Human Behavior; Behavioral Sciences and the Law;
British Journal of Psychiatry; Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and
Psychology; American Journal of Psychiatry; Criminal Justice and Behavior
... Journal of Psychiatry and Law; Bulletin of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and Law; Mental & Physical Disability Law Reporter; American
Journal of Psychiatry; American Psychologist; Journal of Forensic Psychology
Practice; International Journal of Psychiatry ...
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Forensic Psychiatry News ... Tseng - 2001 -
855 pages - Preview. This is the first book of its kind to be written in
textbook style for national and international readers and particularly
for clinicians working in multiethnic societies.
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American Journal of Forensic Psychology. Print
only. Available at Law Library (Periodicals): v.1 (1983) to the present.
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. Print only. Vol.1
(1978) to present available at the Law Library ...
Suicide: The fourth-leading cause of American deaths abroad - USA TODAY - Mike Nova's starred items
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 USA TODAY |
Suicide:
The fourth-leading cause of American deaths abroad
USA TODAY Medical examiners and forensics experts say that suicides abroad may be classified as accidents, drowning or a cause other than suicide, because many countries do not properly investigate or perform autopsies to determine cause of death. and more » |
Mike Nova: American Psychiatry and Jewish Insecurities: "American Psychiatry itself needs to be invited to Freud's couch for the final and in-depth analysis... "
Today, May 05, 2012,
57 minutes ago | noreply@blogger.com (Mike
Nova)
American Psychiatry and Jewish
Insecurities
I am fully aware that being a Jew does not provide automatic immunity against accusations of antisemitism, and, if anything, enhances them greatly. However, at the risk of invoking these accusations ( I am a Jew and NOT an antisemite at all), I dare to say that psychological significance and influence of ethnic factor in a profession intellectually dominated by Jews (historically, starting with Freud, and currently) has to be examined with scientific objectivity and distance.
It is a big, difficult and painful subject and it requires a great deal of tact and dispassionate, again, objectivity. But if we want to understand its significance, it has to be addressed.
American Psychiatry itself needs to be invited to Freud's couch for the final and in-depth analysis of not only this, relatively trivial and minor "ethnic factor", but many, many much more important factors in the pathogenesis of the depression that ails it.
Freud's Couch, 19 Bergasse Wien
I am fully aware that being a Jew does not provide automatic immunity against accusations of antisemitism, and, if anything, enhances them greatly. However, at the risk of invoking these accusations ( I am a Jew and NOT an antisemite at all), I dare to say that psychological significance and influence of ethnic factor in a profession intellectually dominated by Jews (historically, starting with Freud, and currently) has to be examined with scientific objectivity and distance.
It is a big, difficult and painful subject and it requires a great deal of tact and dispassionate, again, objectivity. But if we want to understand its significance, it has to be addressed.
American Psychiatry itself needs to be invited to Freud's couch for the final and in-depth analysis of not only this, relatively trivial and minor "ethnic factor", but many, many much more important factors in the pathogenesis of the depression that ails it.
_______________________________________________________________________
Freud's Couch, 19 Bergasse Wien
Prison Psychiatry News
Today, May 05, 2012,
3 hours ago | noreply@blogger.com (Mike
Nova)
Google
Reader - Prison Psychiatry News
Prison Psychiatry News
"Prison Psychiatry News" bundle created by Mike Nova
A bundle is a collection of blogs and websites hand-selected by your friend
on a particular topic or interest. You can keep up to date with them all in one
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There are
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- candidaabrahamson
- Criminal Justice and Behavior recent issues
- Faktensucher
- go it alone (together)
- Prison Watch Network
- prison gangs - Google News
- prison mental health - Google News
- prison psychiatry - Google News
- prisons - Google News
- PRISON NEWS
- Observations
- NYT > Crime and Criminals
- NYT > Prisons and Prisoners
- CorrectionsOne Columnist Articles
- CorrectionsOne Daily News
- Death Penalty Information Center
- prison gangs - Google Blog Search
- prison mental health - Google Blog Search
- prison psychiatry - Google Blog Search
- prisons - Google Blog Search
- Prison News
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/5/12
Gang
member gets 40 years for summer stabbing
Chicago Tribune A Greeley gang member will spend much of his adulthood in prison, after essentially being raised in the gang culture, which led to his involvement in a brutal stabbing last summer. Weld District Court Judge Thomas Quammen on Friday sentenced Alexander ... |
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/5/12
Last
18th Street Gang member takes deal in organized crime
case
Chicago Tribune 12, 1994 and March 17, 2011, the suspects participated in the enterprise, whose purpose was "financial gain through illegal activities; to establish and maintain respect, power, control and influence over the entire gang subculture in prison and in the ... and more » |
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/5/12
Gang
conviction merits 123 months
Daily Commercial A 27-year-old Zellwood man, arrested last year as part of an investigation into two neighborhood-based street gangs in Lake and Orange counties, has been sentenced to 123 months in federal prison. Brandon Denard Smith pleaded guilty in February to ... |
via prison
mental health - Google News on 5/5/12
 Sportsnet.ca |
10-plus
years prison term for ex-OSU QB
Chillicothe Gazette Watson postponed his sentencing and gave Schlichter more time to have his mental health assessed. Schlichter had asked for prison drug abuse counseling after he was sentenced. In April, Schlichter signed paperwork allowing his brain and spinal cord to ... Ex-NFL, Ohio St. QB faces 10-plus years for ticket schemeUSA TODAY all 185 news articles » |
via Prison
News on 5/5/12
They are among 1,500 to 2,500 Palestinian prisoners who
started refusing food 19 days ago, demanding a halt to imprisonment without
charges, an end to solitary confinement and reinstating family visits from
Gaza.
via prison
mental health - Google Blog Search by Break the Chains on 5/4/12
The resulting report, released last October, concluded that
far too many prisoners were on round-the-clock lockdown. Relatively
modest changes in classification, review, and mental-health
policies, it said, would "significantly ...
via prison
mental health - Google Blog Search by By Julie Small on 5/4/12
“Half the prison population is either going to be
needing a high level of medical care because they have serious long-term
conditions or they're going to have serious mental health conditions,”
said Kelso. California's efforts to ...
via prison
mental health - Google Blog Search by admin on 5/4/12
Prison Planet.com. May 4, 2012. Police and court
records reveal that three of the five suspects entrapped and arrested by the FBI
in a supposed plot to blow up a bridge in Ohio suffer from mental
health problems, according to a report posted ...
via prison
mental health - Google Blog Search by Political prisoners of thailand on
5/4/12
Somyos' wife, who visits him once a week in
prison, said the 50-year-old journalist seems to have been treated
acceptably in prison, but his mental health is deteriorating.
In his testimony, Somyos argued that the two February ...
via candidaabrahamson by
candidaabrahamson on 5/5/12
My friend Evelyn has potential to be a terminally tedious
grandparent. She talks about her grandkids as if we–meaning the world–are merely
fortunate that these children have chosen to grace us with their presence. I try
to act appropriately grateful. I have heard about merit scholarships,
acceptances to magnet schools, stellar performances on the recorder [...]
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/5/12
 The Star |
Jail
for ringleader and his Sheffield drug gang
The Star A DRUGS gang leader who controlled a 'drugs empire' with a 'mixture of fear and bluster' has been locked up for 23 years. James Flinders, aged 48, led an operation across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire but was snared by police as members ... and more » |
via prisons
- Google News on 5/5/12
 Daily Mail |
Goudhurst
Timpson academy for prisoners opened by Kenneth
Clarke
Kent News PRISONERS at a new employment training academy in Kent have called the scheme “life changing”. Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke and Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt attended the official opening of the new Timpson Academy on Monday. Government to urge retailers to employ prisonersThe Guardian Prisoners can be honest and motivated workers, Ken Clarke tells business as he ...Daily Mail Businesses 'should help prisoners get work'BBC News Telegraph.co.uk -The Independent -The Press Association all 227 news articles » |
via prisons
- Google News on 5/5/12
 Alton Daily News |
Panel
right to advise against closing prisons
Morris Daily Herald The commission said the women's prison in Dwight and the maximum prison in Tamms should stay open, along with a developmental center in Jacksonville, mental health centers in Tinley Park and Rockford and a youth detention facility in Murphysboro. Panel: Don't close prisons, other facilitiesDubuque Telegraph Herald Legislative panel: Don't close prisons, mental facilities in IllinoisRockford Register Star Ill. panel: Don't close prisons, mental facilitiesBloomington Pantagraph Carmi Times -WBEZ all 33 news articles » |
via Faktensucher by curi56 on
5/5/12
Canada:
The Ktunaxa – Living the Language – Al Jazeera English.
http://aje.me/Ij1Hio Video
Can the internet save a language? For the Ktunaxa nation, an indigenous people inhabiting parts of north-western America, the answer may just be ‘yes’.
The Ktunaxa language is related to no other on earth and only a handful of people speak it fluently. Most of them are members of the oldest generation, something that has spurred a race against time for a community that must record and preserve as much of the language spoken today as possible. In a few years, it might already be too late.
http://aje.me/Ij1Hio Video
Can the internet save a language? For the Ktunaxa nation, an indigenous people inhabiting parts of north-western America, the answer may just be ‘yes’.
The Ktunaxa language is related to no other on earth and only a handful of people speak it fluently. Most of them are members of the oldest generation, something that has spurred a race against time for a community that must record and preserve as much of the language spoken today as possible. In a few years, it might already be too late.
via Prison
News on 5/5/12
Gay couples are one step closer to having civil unions in
Colorado after another Republican-led House committee approved legislation that
appears to have enough support to get to the governor's desk.
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/4/12
 Yorkshire Post |
Prison
vow over sham marriages as Yorkshire gang
sentenced
Yorkshire Post A WARNING has been issued to criminals planning sham marriages in Yorkshire after a gang was jailed yesterday, including a man who had kept a crib sheet on his bride to be. Pakistani Tahir Naqqash was due to marry Slovak mother-of-four Zlatica Balogova ... and more » |
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/4/12
Gang
member to spend up to three years in juvenile
detention
Yakima Herald-Republic A Yakima gang member known as "Little Maniac" will serve up to three years for shooting a grandmother and her grandson, and for a separate shooting incident involving a 6-year-old girl. The 54-year-old woman and her grandson were walking home from a ... and more » |
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/4/12
Study
of prison chaplains sheds light on faith behind
bars
San Antonio Express The study said state prisons hold the bulk of the country's convicts (1.4 million), but little has been released to the public on religion in these institutions. Chaplains in state prisons fulfill a range of functions. Nearly all said they lead worship ... |
via prison
gangs - Google News on 5/4/12
 NewsNet5.com |
16
arrested in Lorain gang sweep
Chronicle-Telegram In order to charge the suspects with participating in a gang, the police and prosecutors must prove that the men have extensive criminal backgrounds and have ties to a gang. Each suspect faces two to eight years in prison for that charge, ... More arrests expected in Lorain gang sweepThe Morning Journal Lorain: Violent criminal sweep nets 19 in murders of nineWKYC-TV all 14 news articles » |
Study of prison chaplains sheds light on faith behind bars - San Antonio Express-News
Today, May 05, 2012,
4 hours ago | noreply@blogger.com (Mike
Nova)
Study
of prison chaplains sheds light on faith behind bars - San Antonio
Express-News
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Study-of-prison-chaplains-sheds-light-on-faith-3535633.php#ixzz1u01ARX7X
Study of prison chaplains sheds light on faith behind bars
Kansas City Star
Updated 11:55 p.m., Friday, May 4, 2012
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Movies and television portray hardened
criminals cursing God and everyone else.
In reality, many inmates worship God and practice their faith behind bars.
A recent 50-state survey of chaplains by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life offered a rare look at the worshipers behind bars.
The study said state prisons hold the bulk of the country's convicts (1.4 million), but little has been released to the public on religion in these institutions.
Here are some of the major findings:
Chaplains in state prisons fulfill a range of functions.
Nearly all said they lead worship services, perform religious instruction, do spiritual counseling and organize religious programs. Fifty-seven percent considered the first three their most important functions, but only a third said this is where they spend most of their time.
The chaplains are overwhelmingly Christian (mainly Protestant), male and middle-aged. They also are well-educated, with 62 percent having advanced degrees.
And most like their jobs. Two-thirds said they were very satisfied, and only 6 percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied.
If there seems to be one essential, but challenging, aspect of most prison religion programs, it is in the area of rehabilitating inmates and preparing them for re-entry into society.
More than seven in 10 chaplains considered access to high-quality religion-related prison programs — and support from religious groups after inmates are released — to be “absolutely critical” to successful rehabilitation.
Of chaplains who work in prisons that have rehabilitation or re-entry programs, 57 percent said their quality has improved in the past three years, and 61 percent said participation has increased.
The study gives considerable attention to the topic of religious extremism in prisons.
The researchers explained: “Since the 9/11 terrorism attacks, religious extremism has been a topic of high public interest in the United States. Some experts specifically have raised concerns that prisons could be a breeding ground for home-grown terrorists and have suggested that prison chaplains and other prison administrators need to monitor religious activity more closely.”
Estimates of how common extreme religious views are tend to vary with the security level of the facility and the chaplain's background.
Protestant chaplains were more likely than Catholic or Muslim chaplains to say that religious extremism is either very or somewhat common, and the view was stronger among white evangelical Protestant chaplains than white mainline Protestants.
Nevertheless, 76 percent of chaplains said religious extremism rarely or almost never poses a security threat.
An open-ended question tried to assess what chaplains regarded as extreme. The answers were wide-ranging.
The most common reply was racism disguised as religious dogma, which included racial intolerance or prejudice. This went both ways, as both black and white inmates expressed racial superiority.
Other answers included hostility toward gays and lesbians, negative views of women and intolerance toward sex offenders.
An almost equal number of chaplains said extremism included religious intolerance, such as expressions of religious superiority and attempts to coerce others into their beliefs.
A majority of chaplains said that attempts by inmates to convert other inmates are either very common (31 percent) or somewhat common (43 percent).
It doesn't always work, but the chaplains either said a lot of inmates change religions (26 percent) or some change religion (51 percent). Among those who reported at least some switching, about half said the number of Muslims is growing, followed closely by Protestant Christians and pagan and Earth-based religions.
The chaplains estimated that two-thirds of the inmates in the prisons where they worked were Christians and 5 percent to 9 percent were Muslim, followed by other groups. They said most religious groups have remained relatively stable in size but there was shrinkage of 20 percent among Catholics and 17 percent among the unaffiliated.
However, the researchers cautioned, “Chaplains' perspectives on the religious makeup of inmates may reflect a number of different influences, including their degree of exposure to various groups in the course of their work.”
Requests for religious accommodations, such as religious books or texts and meetings with leaders from inmates' faith, are most always granted. About half of the requests for specific religious diets and religious items or clothing usually are granted but special hairstyles or grooming is mostly denied.
Some chaplains regarded some requests as bogus or extreme, such as seeking raw meat for a Voodoo ritual, said one chaplain. Others said some so-called religious groups were a cover for nonreligious activities, such as gangs that claim to be religious and promote violence.
In reality, many inmates worship God and practice their faith behind bars.
A recent 50-state survey of chaplains by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life offered a rare look at the worshipers behind bars.
The study said state prisons hold the bulk of the country's convicts (1.4 million), but little has been released to the public on religion in these institutions.
Here are some of the major findings:
Chaplains in state prisons fulfill a range of functions.
Nearly all said they lead worship services, perform religious instruction, do spiritual counseling and organize religious programs. Fifty-seven percent considered the first three their most important functions, but only a third said this is where they spend most of their time.
The chaplains are overwhelmingly Christian (mainly Protestant), male and middle-aged. They also are well-educated, with 62 percent having advanced degrees.
And most like their jobs. Two-thirds said they were very satisfied, and only 6 percent were very or somewhat dissatisfied.
If there seems to be one essential, but challenging, aspect of most prison religion programs, it is in the area of rehabilitating inmates and preparing them for re-entry into society.
More than seven in 10 chaplains considered access to high-quality religion-related prison programs — and support from religious groups after inmates are released — to be “absolutely critical” to successful rehabilitation.
Of chaplains who work in prisons that have rehabilitation or re-entry programs, 57 percent said their quality has improved in the past three years, and 61 percent said participation has increased.
The study gives considerable attention to the topic of religious extremism in prisons.
The researchers explained: “Since the 9/11 terrorism attacks, religious extremism has been a topic of high public interest in the United States. Some experts specifically have raised concerns that prisons could be a breeding ground for home-grown terrorists and have suggested that prison chaplains and other prison administrators need to monitor religious activity more closely.”
Estimates of how common extreme religious views are tend to vary with the security level of the facility and the chaplain's background.
Protestant chaplains were more likely than Catholic or Muslim chaplains to say that religious extremism is either very or somewhat common, and the view was stronger among white evangelical Protestant chaplains than white mainline Protestants.
Nevertheless, 76 percent of chaplains said religious extremism rarely or almost never poses a security threat.
An open-ended question tried to assess what chaplains regarded as extreme. The answers were wide-ranging.
The most common reply was racism disguised as religious dogma, which included racial intolerance or prejudice. This went both ways, as both black and white inmates expressed racial superiority.
Other answers included hostility toward gays and lesbians, negative views of women and intolerance toward sex offenders.
An almost equal number of chaplains said extremism included religious intolerance, such as expressions of religious superiority and attempts to coerce others into their beliefs.
A majority of chaplains said that attempts by inmates to convert other inmates are either very common (31 percent) or somewhat common (43 percent).
It doesn't always work, but the chaplains either said a lot of inmates change religions (26 percent) or some change religion (51 percent). Among those who reported at least some switching, about half said the number of Muslims is growing, followed closely by Protestant Christians and pagan and Earth-based religions.
The chaplains estimated that two-thirds of the inmates in the prisons where they worked were Christians and 5 percent to 9 percent were Muslim, followed by other groups. They said most religious groups have remained relatively stable in size but there was shrinkage of 20 percent among Catholics and 17 percent among the unaffiliated.
However, the researchers cautioned, “Chaplains' perspectives on the religious makeup of inmates may reflect a number of different influences, including their degree of exposure to various groups in the course of their work.”
Requests for religious accommodations, such as religious books or texts and meetings with leaders from inmates' faith, are most always granted. About half of the requests for specific religious diets and religious items or clothing usually are granted but special hairstyles or grooming is mostly denied.
Some chaplains regarded some requests as bogus or extreme, such as seeking raw meat for a Voodoo ritual, said one chaplain. Others said some so-called religious groups were a cover for nonreligious activities, such as gangs that claim to be religious and promote violence.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Study-of-prison-chaplains-sheds-light-on-faith-3535633.php#ixzz1u01ARX7X
Hebephilia update: DSM-5 workgroup stubbornly clinging to pet diagnosis - by Karen Franklin, Ph.D. on 5/4/12 | Mike Nova's starred items
Today, May 05, 2012,
6 hours ago | noreply@blogger.com (Mike
Nova)
Google
Reader - Mike Nova's starred items
Mike Nova's starred items
Mike Nova's starred items
via In the news by Karen Franklin
PhD by Karen Franklin, Ph.D. on 5/4/12
 |
| Salvador Dali*: The Average Bureaucrat |
A few weeks ago, I reported on an open letter to the American Psychiatric
Association, calling for it to reject three controversial expansions of sexual
paraphilia diagnoses that are being promoted by government evaluators in civil
commitment cases.
A lot has happened since then. The only one of the three
controversial diagnoses still in the running for official status has been
altered for the umpteenth time. An esteemed journal is issuing a scathing
critique. And the open letter is generating buzz in the blogosphere.
The open letter has
garnered more than 100 signatures, many from prominent forensic psychologists
and psychiatrists in the U.S. and internationally. If you intend to sign on but
haven’t yet, act now because I understand it will be submitted very soon. (Click
HERE to review the text; click HERE to email your name and professional
title to co-author Richard
Wollert.)
Hebephilia gets yet another makeover
This week, the Sexual Disorders Workgroup for the upcoming
fifth edition of the APA's diagnostic manual toned
down its proposal to turn sexual attraction to young teens into a mental
disorder. As psychiatrist Allen Frances explains
at his DSM5
in Distress blog, hebephilia is still there -- you just have to read the
small print to see it:
Dali: Enchanted Beach with Three Fluid Graces
Confronted by universal opposition from the rest of the field, the DSM 5 group has been forced progressively to whittle down their pet, but they so far have refused to just drop it altogether. 'Hebephilia' first lost its free-standing independence and was cloaked as Pedohebephilia. When this didn't fly, the term was dropped altogether in the title but the concept was slipped into the definition of Pedophilia -- which was expanded out of recognition by having a victim age cut-off of 14 years. No one accepted this outlandish suggestion and now finally the work group comes back with ‘early pubescent children' and tries to keep 'hebephilia' as a term in the subtype. The instability of the criteria sets associated with this concept is additional evidence that the fervor for its adoption stems from emotional loyalty rather than reasoned review of its weak conceptual and research base. How can the group vouch for the reliability of the diagnosis when the concept and criteria are changing every month? This is no way to develop a diagnostic system.
The staunch insistence on this transparent attempt to turn
statutory rape into a mental disorder owes in large part to the makeup of the
sexual disorders workgroup. As Frances
notes, "the most wayward of all the DSM 5 work groups" is "lopsidedly
dominated" by psychologists from a sex clinic up in Toronto, whose ambition is
"to find a place in DSM 5 for their pet diagnosis."
Although the group's other outlandish proposals, Paraphilic
Coercive Disorder and Hypersexuality, have been shelved for the time being,
Frances worries that putting them in the appendix "for further study" is still
risky:
Recognizing that the jig is up on the grand design, members of the DSM 5 sexual disorders work group have been heard saying they may have to settle for an Appendix placement for their three hothouse creations. This would create forensic dangers. We have learned from the abuse of "Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified" in Sexually Violent Predator cases that any (even remote) legitimization by DSM 5 is certain to be misconstrued and misused in the courtroom.Come on guys. This is absolutely absurd just on the face of it…. So back to the drawing board, DSM 5 sexual disorders work group. The grand dream is lost -- now at least make sure you don't mess up on the fine print.
On the professional listservs today, some conspiracy
theorists were speculating that the new wording signifies a plot to enhance the
standing of physiological testing in sex offender assessment. The latest
proposed criteria for "pedophilia, hebephilic type" require "equal or
greater sexual arousal from prepubescent or early pubescent children than from
physically mature persons." How to determine that fuzzy standard? Enter the penile plethysmographer, a new
niche career track, penis cuff at the ready to measure who is aroused by
what.
"There is withering criticism already that the DSM is being
expanded to sell more drugs," wrote one colleague. "Now it appears that
psychiatry and psychology are conspiring to use the DSM to spur PPG tests --
tests which risk leaving patients with traumatic and indelible memory traces. Do
most psychiatrists really want to open this door?!"
Orwellian thought police?
The mere idea of allowing the American Psychiatric
Association to dictate "normal" sexuality frightens English Professor Christopher
Lane. Lane, whose book Shyness:
How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness exposed the unscientific inner
workings of the DSM-III committee, expressed shock over the first listed
criterion for the shelved disorder of hypersexuality: "Excessive time is
consumed by sexual fantasies and urges, and by planning for and engaging in
sexual behavior." On his Side
Effects blog, Lane mused:
"Excessive time"? What exactly does that mean, and according to whose standards? That's not a small or trivial matter to settle when the APA is talking in vague generalities about the nation’s libido -- how much sex it wants and how much sex the APA thinks it should think about wanting. The APA is talking about how much time Americans can devote to sexual fantasy before it suggests that we’re mentally ill if our preoccupations are stronger than those set by the relevant task force.
Dali: Femme a Tete de Roses Does that initiative seem to overreach a bit, even to the point of sounding almost Orwellian? It does so to me. If we're to have criteria, are quotas next, including for fantasy? It’s as if the East Coast offices of the APA had morphed into those of the Thought Police in Orwell's 1984, warning citizens that they’d overstepped their "sexual thought quota" for the week and must be rationed -- or punished accordingly.
Lane analyzed hebephilia through his characteristic
historical lens:
It's an archaism, a throwback literally to 19th-century psychiatry, but refers to practices that were as central to the Classical age -- and thus to Western democracy -- as were Socrates, Plato, and especially Plato’s Symposium, one of the foundational books in the West on eros and love.The APA is already trying to determine how long normal grief should last before it’s thought pathological. Its brisk, jaw-dropping answer: two weeks. Do we really want the same organization dictating how often we can think about sex? These kinds of proposals can only end badly.
Leading journal tackles the
controversy
The good news this week, which should have all of us
jumping up and down with joy, is that the APA has caved in under massive public
pressure and dropped its plan for a new psychosis risk disorder. This disorder
would have put thousands if not millions of youngsters at risk of being dosed up
with dangerous antipsychotic drugs based on a suspicion that they might go crazy
in the future. Mixed Anxiety Depression has also bit the dust.
 |
| Dali: Daddy Longlegs of the Evening Hope |
But, as featured in a special
issue of the esteemed Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases due out
in June on the raging diagnostic controversies, there are still many battles
ahead as the bloated DSM-5 enters the final stretch. The special issue will
tackle diagnostic inflation, pharmacological conflicts of interest,
controversies with the newly revamped personality disorders, and problems with
diagnostic reliability in the recent field trials. Hebephilia, often neglected
amidst controversies with wider impact such as psychosis risk syndrome and the
pathologization of normal grief, merited an article in this special issue.
In "Hebephilia and the Construction of a Fictitious
Diagnosis," forensic psychologists Paul Good and the late Jules
Burstein make a strong case for abandoning this faux disorder, which will
only make the APA more of a laughingstock in the future.
Good and Burstein catalog an assortment of empirical
problems. These range from the difficulty of reliably measuring "recurrent and
intense" sexual arousal to problems determining the pubertal status of a young
teenage victim. They also challenge the very idea that sexual attraction to
pubescent minors is a mental illness, rather than merely illegal.
Although the Sexual Disorders Workgroup hides behind a
fictive notion of a pure and ethereal "science," Good and Burstein clearly
believe that hebephilia, if added to the DSM-5, will be mainly invoked in a
partisan manner in forensic proceedings, in order to justify harsher punishment
and involuntary civil detention. Because of its power to do harm, they say, its
scientific grounding should be especially strong. If it does manage to worm its
way into the DSM, they say, it should still be challenged in court:
We believe the admissibility of the proposed revision to DSM-5 that would include Hebephilia as a type of Pedophilia could be challenged in a court of law based on current legal standards. For example, since there is no professional consensus or general acceptance in the scientific community to support the notion of Hebephilia as a mental disorder, it would have difficulty passing the Frye test for admissibility. Similarly, without a widely established body of peer-reviewed, validation research and repeated studies showing inter-rater reliability in the laboratory and among clinicians in the field, Hebephilia would also have difficulty meeting the criteria specified in the Daubert standard.
Indeed, this is just what has been happening to hebephilia
in federal court, where at
least three civil detention petitions in a row have been thrown out due to
the level of controversy in the field over this purported condition.
With all of this tumult, it seems that the DSM-5 excesses
are producing a backlash against the American Psychiatric Association and,
indeed, fueling disenchantment with the whole enterprise of psychiatric
diagnosis.
As Frances
writes, the turnaround on psychosis risk syndrome came about due to a
combination of:
- extensive criticism from experts in the field
- public outrage
- uniformly negative press coverage
- abysmal results in DSM-5 field testing
For the first time in its history, DSM 5 has shown some flexibility and capacity to correct itself. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of what will turn out to be a number of other necessary DSM 5 retreats. Today's revisions should be just the first step in a systematic program of reform.… This is certainly no time for complacency. Much of the rest of DSM 5 is still a mess. The reliabilities achieved for many of the other disorders are apparently unbelievably low and the writing of the criteria sets is still unacceptably imprecise.
Who
needs reliability?
Frances calls for slowing down the process to allow for
additional field testing and, more importantly, an independent scientific review
of all the remaining controversial DSM-5 changes. But the DSM-5 folks are taking
a different tack. Faced with field trial results showing very poor reliability
-- not much better than chance -- for many of their proposed diagnoses, they
want to change the definition of what counts as minimally adequate.
 |
| Dali: Autumn Cannibalism |
It’s pretty ironic: The DSM-III went down in history for elevating
the importance of reliability at the expense of validity. Remember,
diagnostic reliability just means that similarly trained raters see a certain
symptom presentation and call it by the same label. It says nothing about
external validity, or whether the label is meaningful in explaining a real-world
phenomenon. But reliability is basic. If a diagnostic label cannot be reliably
applied, you can't even start talking about its validity. And now, the same
psychiatric organization that reified the kappa reliability statistic as the
be-all, end-all of science is trying to tell us that traditional kappa levels
are unrealistically high for psychiatric research.
Historically, psychiatric reliability studies have adopted the
Fleiss standard, in which kappas below 0.4 have been considered poor. In the
January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, Helena Kraemer and
colleagues complained that this standard is unrealistically high, and lobbied
for kappas as low as 0.2 -- traditionally considered poor -- to be deemed
"acceptable."
Former DSM-III guru Robert Spitzer and colleagues object to this
proposal in a letter in
the latest issue of the Journal. "Calling for psychiatry to accept kappa
values that are characterized as unreliable in other fields of medicine is
taking a step backward," they state. "One hopes that the DSM-5 reliability
results are at least as good as the DSM-III results, if not better."
Alas, just wishing won't make it so. Despite its grandly stated
ambitions, the DSM-5 will likely go down in history as a major gaffe by American
psychiatry in its continuing struggle for world dominance.
Remember to check out the open
letter
and send in your name, if
you are in agreement with it.
Further reading:
- American Sex and American Psychiatry: The APA is trying to determine how much sex we can fantasize about by Chris Lane at Side Effects
- DSM 5 Rejects 'Hebephilia' Except for the Fine Print: Now the devil is in the details by Allen Frances at DSM5 in Distress
- Wonderful News: DSM 5 Finally Begins Its Belated and Necessary Retreat: Perhaps this will be the beginning of real reform by Allen Frances at DSM5 in Distress
*Salvador Dali: "One day it will have to be
officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater
illusion than the world of dreams."
___________________________________________________________________
See also:
Friday, May 4,
2012
Allen Frances, M.D.: "The grand dream is lost - now at least make sure you don't mess up on the fine print." - DSM 5 Rejects 'Hebephilia' Except for the Fine Print | Psychology Today
DSM 5 Rejects 'Hebephilia' Except for the Fine Print |
Psychology Today
DSM5 in Distress
DSM5 in Distress
The DSM's impact on mental health practice
and research.
*
Friday, May 4,
2012
_______________________________________________
Elsevier Selected as New Publisher of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee
Yesterday, May 04,
2012, 10:43:12 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Mike
Nova)
Elsevier
Selected as New Publisher of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - PR
Newswire - The Sacramento Bee
Elsevier Selected as New Publisher of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Published: Wednesday, May. 2, 2012 - 3:56 am
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