14/12/2012

news...

Spent lots of today doing uni work...realised it must be lunchtime when reading 'piecemeal' in an academic paper made me hungry...



On another note, got past 1000 page views yesterday - woop! For all the people that keep telling me they 'regularly stalk my blog' or 'checked out my blog' thank you! Keep reading and I'll try to keep filling it with interesting things. Any feedback welcomed :)

07/12/2012

CBT - it works?!

The BBC is about 6 steps behind everyone else again...or perhaps I was just getting ahead of myself, must assume I thought it was already taken as read that CBT can reduce depression...but then I'm a psychology faithful and lack the cynicism I'm sure to gain with age. So, have a read, and I'll research further on CBT and what is actually known about its power to work.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20625639

Does losing Asperger's mean losing children?

I've blogged before about the DSM-5. Due to be published in May 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders remains central to discussion in psychological, medical and political (well maybe not, but it should be) spheres. It's important because subtle changes in how mental disorders are diagnosed can change the lives of children and adults everywhere.
One of the most widely discussed changes is losing the description of 'Asperger's Disorder' from the manual. It was described in the previous edition of the Manual as impairment in social interaction and restricted or stereotyped patterns of behaviour that impair important areas of functioning, without presence of language delay or cognitive development delay. This has been an important area of diagnosis for many people, allowing access to 'Statements' and appropriate treatment and assistance.

But in the last few years, alongside the terms 'autism' and 'Asperger's', the term 'Autistic Spectrum Disorder' has begun to be used. It has become widely accepted that the disorder is a spectrum, with differing cognitive abilities, levels of impairment and characteristics fitting into different areas of the spectrum, united by a triad of impairments. This diagnosis will be in the new DSM and in some ways proves very useful - recognising the degree of coherency across the spectrum, that help is needed for all children who fall on the spectrum however high or low functioning, and the fluidity needed in diagnosis and treatment.

But there are fears that this change in diagnosis will allow children and young people with Asperger's to 'slip through the net'. There are fears it will lead to under (or over) diagnosis. Parents are literally terrified their children will lose the services they really need - just because their cognitive functioning is average or above. This is a political issue and, whether the changes in the DSM-5 are right or wrong, politicians, policy makers, parents and people everywhere need to sit up and listen. Because people with autism may not seem 'typical', but autism is not rare. You may not be able to see Asperger's on someone's face, but Asperger's is not invisible.

Losing Asperger's from the DSM-5 is a bureaucratic change really. It's a consolidation of diagnostic terminology and a modernisation of the way we think about autism. But for some people it means losing their children's support and safety-net. Does losing Asperger's mean losing children?

Read that? Wondered why I keep repeating myself on my blog? Read up and realise, these issues aren't going anywhere: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/12December/Pages/Aspergers-dropped-from-mental-health-manual-DSM-5.aspx

The DSM controversy continues...

http://www.bps.org.uk/news/dsm5-approved-controversy-continues

more to follow...