Mental and Physical Health

[karaddin]

Ugh I even looked on the page to see if the book was linked and missed it, so blind. I'll wait for your thoughts on the book, but thanks for that post, you too TGU.

[Guest Raidne]

Sadly, you'll be waiting a bit longer; apologies. Thought I'd have to get to it - hopefully by next weekend.

[Sci-2]

PBS will be showing Neurotypical at 10 pm, a documentary presented from the view of those who have autism:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2364989611/

[Sci-2]

Biomarker Could Point the Way Past Trial-and-error Inefficiencies – NIH-funded Study

Pre-treatment scans of brain activity predicted whether depressed patients would best achieve remission with an antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“Our goal is to develop reliable biomarkers that match an individual patient to the treatment option most likely to be successful, while also avoiding those that will be ineffective,” explained Helen Mayberg, M.D., of Emory University, Atlanta, a grantee of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health.

[Sci-2]

Biology of Suicide

What drives people to suicide? NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that in laboratories around the country, neuro-scientists are trying to find out. They're studying the brains of people who've committed suicide and comparing them with people who died suddenly. People who commit suicide appear to have different brain chemistry than others.

eta: something weird is happening with linking...

[Sophelia]

To add to Sci's mental health resources list, for anyone who 'hears voices', visit:

http://www.intervoiceonline.org/

inspired by yesterday's TED talk by Eleanor Longden:

http://www.ted.com/talks/eleanor_longden_the_voices_in_my_head.html

[Sci-2]

To add to Sci's mental health resources list, for anyone who 'hears voices', visit:

http://www.intervoiceonline.org/

inspired by yesterday's TED talk by Eleanor Longden:

http://www.ted.com/t...in_my_head.html

Thanks Sophelia. Listening to the talk now!

[Sci-2]

Special Needs Resources

At M&L Special Needs Planning, we feel that access to the right information is the key to planning a successful future. In keeping with our goal to keep you informed, and to provide you with the tools to enable you to plan a happy and successful future for your family, we have compiled a list of special needs resources. As always, if you have any questions about any of these resources, or the services that we provide, please contact us. We are happy to help.

Organizations: This special needs resource link will take you to a list of organizations that are dedicated to providing special needs services to your family and your child with special needs. The list includes organizations from all across the country.

Advocacy: Advocacy is a public process by an individual or group which attempts to influence governmental policy and resource allocations. We have compiled a list of advocacy groups that can help you fight for issues that are pertinent to you and your family.

Government and Social Security: A key aspect of our special needs planning services involves working with governmental agencies in order to access public resources. We have provided you with the websites for a number of agencies that you may need to contact in order to receive information or benefits that are important to your family’s future.

Housing: There are a number of organizations which provide information and services related to housing issues and questions. These special needs resources are excellent starting points for understanding housing services.

Disability: This link will take you to a list of websites which contain a wealth of information related to disability, including the link to disability.gov, a redesigned federal website that connects more than 50 million Americans with disabilities to thousands of resources on disability related issues, programs and services.

Local ARCS: The ARC is the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This link will take you to the websites of the ARC chapters located in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The ARCs are located in every state and are an excellent special needs resource for the family with special needs.

Post-Secondary Options: Many parents of children with special needs worry about what their child will do after high school. We have compiled a list of programs and special needs resources to help you access information and begin to plan for this transition in your child’s life.

Health: This list of websites will help you access information regarding medical insurance, medication control, as well as other health related issues.

Transitioning: The transition from school into adulthood is an essential and often complex step in the life of a person with special needs. These special needs resources will provide you with information and access to service providers who can help you and your child with special needs on his or her transitioning journey.

Employment: This section is geared towards employment resources for adults with special needs. There is a number of organization which compile information on this topic. We will add only the best special needs resources to this category.

Magazines and Articles: We have a gathered a number of really fantastic magazines and articles that can provide you with expert information, other special needs resources, and can provide links to other members of the special needs community.

General Assistance: These resources are designed to help with any overall questions, or to provide general information or help on a wide range of topics.

Children with Special Needs: A brief description of what it means to be a child with special needs, the emotional process of the first diagnosis, and the important of early intervention. Early intervention services for both the Washington D.C. area, and nationwide are provided at the end of the article.

Children with Healthcare Needs: A brief description of what it means to be a child with special healthcare needs, how it can impact the family situation, and statistics regarding children with special healthcare needs from across America. Resources to help you find help in obtaining a diagnosis, healthcare, and support are provided.

Special Education Schools: When it comes to helping children with special needs realize their fullest potential, special education schools are a valuable asset. Follow this link for a brief article outlining exactly why special needs schools are so important, and the ways in which the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 affects the way we educate our children with special needs.

Special Need Trust: A Special Needs Trust is the only legal solution to protect an individual with disabilities to qualify for government benefits. Follow this link for a brief explanation of what the term means and the different types of Special Needs Trusts, as well as other important points to consider when setting up your own Special Needs Trust.

Maryland Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Resource Locator: In order to improve access to information about needed services and resources, Maryland’s Office for Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs created the resource database. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) of Maryland created the online resource database for children and youth with special health care needs. In Maryland, over one third of families of these children report that they cannot easily access needed community based services and half of the same families report that they need help finding services for their youngsters. For families in rural areas of the state, it can be even more difficult to find specialty services.

[Guest Raidne]

I read Fast Minds. The Adult ADD Factbook by Ron Sterling is still the most helpful book that I've read. On Fast Minds:

The positive: There are some helpful ideas, and it's nit one-size-fits-all. For me, the insight into identifying "critical moments" that predictably lead to future success or failure and heading off impulsive action was very helpful.

The negative: I was very impatient with this book. It looks like something written for people with ADD at first glance, but isn't. There are many stories of various individuals that are probably supposed to add interest, but are largely irrelevant and boring. The how-to-have-ADD tips are so involved, multi-step, and lacking clear indicators for action that the authors might as well have said the best way to cope with ADD is to not have ADD, so despite their intentions, I didn't walk away with a pro-ADD impression - afraid that's a marketing gimmick only. I don't really think there was much insight into positive aspects of ADD.

Overall, I'd probably skip it unless you're looking for one or two additional insights.

[Guest Raidne]

I just read another book - The Gift of Adult ADD - that is the best one I've come across thus far. Like, potentially life-changing good.

The author is cautious about medication, but it's really beside the point. It's about trusting and listening to your intuition, taking your distractions and need to refresh and recharge seriously, and ADD as a different more diffuse kind of consciousness that enables the person to constantly pull in and inferentially process wide swaths of information, facilitating creativity and insight.

[Guy Kilmore]

Special Needs Resources

This is a decent start, I would add that most counties have some form of DHS and some kind of entity you can speak with; I would direct people to check the Health and Human Services Department of the County they live in for supports and referrals.

[Sci-2]

Coffee drinking linked to 50% lower risk of suicide

A bit weird since IIRC there was another recent study suggesting too much coffee is bad for your body?

=-=-=

This is a decent start, I would add that most counties have some form of DHS and some kind of entity you can speak with; I would direct people to check the Health and Human Services Department of the County they live in for supports and referrals.

Thanks Guy - I have more resources in the Google Doc in my sig as well.

eta: add my comment about the link

[Sci-2]

• 3 Common Chemical Dangers in Your Home
  
• Staying Safe in Your Community
  
• Backyard Safety Tips
  

[Sci-2]

NSPW Resources from the American Association of Suicidology

Suicide Prevention Resource Guide from CSN

"Ask the Expert" Facebook Forum on Suicide Prevention: VetoViolence Observes NSPW

eta: formatting

[Sci-2]

ADHD, or Childhood Narcissism?

Ten times as many children are diagnosed with ADHD today as were in the 1970s. What if their behavior—consistently distracted, hyperactive, impulsive—really indicates something else?

In a typical American classroom, there are nearly as many diagnosable cases of ADHD as there are of the common cold. In 2008, researchers from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University found that almost 10 percent of children use cold remedies at any given time. The latest statistics out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the same proportion has ADHD.

The rising number of ADHD cases over the past four decades is staggering. In the 1970s, a mere one percent of kids were considered ADHD. By the 1980s, three to five percent was the presumed rate, with steady increases into the 1990s. One eye-opening study showed that ADHD medications were being administered to as many as 17 percent of males in two school districts in southeastern Virginia in 1995.

With numbers like these, we have to wonder if aspects of the disorder parallel childhood itself.

[TerraPrime]

Saw this in my FB stream and thought it might resonate with some of the people interested in this issue:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/comics-that-capture-the-frustrations-of-depression

[3CityApache]

Dear Board, has anyone had anything to do with an ARPwave rehabilitation method? It's brand new here in Poland but I was told it was quite common in the US and incredibly effective in significant shortening of a rehabilitation process after orthopaedic surgeries (knee ligament reconstruction in my case). They say (which is really hard for me to believe) that they can shorten recovering from 6-9 months to mere 7 weeks. I'm almost six months after the surgery myself and still very far from optimal form. But it is quite expensive (the whole set of ten treatments is almost $1000, the kind of money I'm not willing to spend not being sure it really can help). Any feedback would be welcome.

[Guest Raidne]

To sci's link, what about narcissism correlates with ADD? I've never seen any overlap - over-confidence is inversely correlated, for example.

[Sci-2]

I should have noted I wasn't presenting the article as anything definitive.

It just seemed worth discussing.

[brook]

I'm not in the US but our experience of getting help for my son mirrors The Great Unwashed's, it was lengthy and involved multiple steps and individuals. Medication was also a last resort option after absolutely everything else had failed.

We still don't have a full diagnosis, it seems likely that adhd is only part of the story. All I really know is the current mix of medication and behavioural therapy he is getting has worked wonders, and three days off one of his meds (because his father is a fucking moron) convinced me that sticking with it is not only best for everyone who has to live with him but for him too. There isn't much that's more heartbreaking or scary than watching your nine year old screaming that he wishes he was dead while threatening to run out onto a busy road.