Archive for December, 2014
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A cup of hot chocolate. A funny movie. A snowball fight. These are all things that can cure the winter blues. It’s easy to feel gloomy or un-energetic on dark and windy winter days. But it’s often equally as easy to pick yourself with a little physical exercise or a happy movie.
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But what if the things that normally make you feel better don’t help?
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If you find yourself feeling unhappy for days at a time or losing interest in the activities you once took pleasure in, you may be one of the millions of Americans who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
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Seasonal Affective Disorder is a specific type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Most people experience SAD during the fall and winter, though occasionally some suffer SAD episodes during the spring and summer. Symptoms may start out mild and worsen as the season progresses. SAD can be debilitating, and can have a destructive effect on sufferers’ lives.
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Experts believe that SAD develops primarily due to lack of exposure to regular amounts of sunlight. SAD sufferers may be particularly sensitive to light, so the lack of exposure during winter months typically has a greater effect on them. There may also be a genetic aspect to the disorder — it’s often found in families with a history of SAD, alcohol abuse, or depression.
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While cases of SAD have been reported all over the world, the disorder occurs most commonly in northern climates with shorter winter days and less exposure to sunlight. SAD appears more frequently in women, with females making up 60 to 90 percent of SAD sufferers. In America, more than 10 million people are affected by SAD.
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Related Articles
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Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD): “Winter Blues†Linked to Mutation of the Eye:
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Latest on Depression: Includes Depression Myths, Iproniazid, Antidepressants on Trial, Suicidal Thoughts in Men, SAD, Disposal of Meds, Herbal Meds, Patient Rights, Overcoming Hopelessness Etc:
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Bright Ideas For Treating The Winter Blues:
https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/bright-ideas-for-treating-the-winter-blues/
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It’s a Wonderful Life†– CBT for Depression:
https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/its-a-wonderful-life-cbt-for-depression/
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Cognitive Therapy Helps All Types of Depression:
https://www.aspie-editorial.com/2011/01/22/cognitive-therapy-helps-all-types-of-depression/
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Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, improves the symptoms of severe depression, according to a new pilot study.
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The research, conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is believed to be the first ever to give laughing gas to people with depression.
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Of the 20 patients with treatment-resistant depression in the study, two-thirds were significantly improved after inhaling nitrous oxide, while only one-third improved after breathing a placebo gas.
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Dr Elisabeth Hurley, Research Officer at Autism West Midlands, will co-chair the NAS conference ‘Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum’ in October. In the following article, she outlines some of the issues to be addressed at the conference.Â
That there are on average four or five times as many boys with autism than girls,1 is a commonly used statistic when it comes to autism. But when you dig deeper this statistic turns out to be much more complicated and reveals some interesting possibilities to consider when thinking about girls with autism.
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Dec
8
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The campaign is seeking comments on the first draft of their Bill and we will be feeding our thoughts into the draft Bill setting out how we think it should be improved. They are also encouraging individuals, MP, members of the House of Lords and organisations to pledge their support.
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To find out more, to comment on the draft and to pledge your support, see:Â https://lbbill.wordpress.com/
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Source:
http://www.autism.org.uk/news-and-events/news-from-the-nas/justice-for-lb-bill.aspx
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by: Mary E. Stewart, Louise Barnard, Joanne Pearson, Reem Hasan, Gregory O’Brien
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Autism, Vol. 10, No. 1. (1 January 2006), pp. 103-116, doi:10.1177/1362361306062013Â Key: citeulike:12220121
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Abstract
Depression is common in autism and Asperger syndrome, but despite this, there has been little research into this issue. This review considers the current literature on the prevalence, presentation, treatment and assessment of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome. There are diagnostic difficulties when considering depression in autism and Asperger syndrome, as the characteristics of these disorders, such as social withdrawal and appetite and sleep disturbance, are also core symptoms of depression. Impaired verbal and non-verbal communication can mask the symptoms of depression. Symptoms associated with autism and Asperger syndrome such as obsessionality and self-injury may be increased during an episode of depression. There is a clear need to develop specific tools both for diagnostic purposes and for measurement of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome in order to help alleviate the distress caused by this treatable illness.
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by: Jinah Kim, Tony Wigram, Christian Gold
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Autism, Vol. 13, No. 4. (1 July 2009), pp. 389-409, doi:10.1177/1362361309105660Â Key: citeulike:5393385
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Abstract
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Through behavioural analysis, this study investigated the social-motivational aspects of musical interaction between the child and the therapist in improvisational music therapy by measuring emotional, motivational and interpersonal responsiveness in children with autism during joint engagement episodes. The randomized controlled study (n = 10) employed a single subject comparison design in two different conditions, improvisational music therapy and toy play sessions, and DVD analysis of sessions. Improvisational music therapy produced markedly more and longer events of `joy’, `emotional synchronicity’ and `initiation of engagement’ behaviours in the children than toy play sessions. In response to the therapist’s interpersonal demands, `compliant (positive) responses’ were observed more in music therapy than in toy play sessions, and `no responses’ were twice as frequent in toy play sessions as in music therapy. The results of this exploratory study found significant evidence supporting the value of music therapy in promoting social, emotional and motivational development in children with autism.
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December 1, 2014
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In the movie, Steel Magnolias, Shelby, following a reaction to an excess of insulin, struggles to blurt out the sentence, “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
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Autism Speaks controversial video, “Autism Every Day” features a scene where a mother briefly discusses committing suicide in her car with her autistic daughter. The girl is seen playing in the background as she says this.
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It would seem impolite to talk about someone when they are standing within earshot, yet autistics experience this behavior on a regular basis.
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In today’s world, a quick assessment of a person’s intelligence is often made on the basis of social skills.
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Failure to respond in a “typical” way is equated with a failure to understand.
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Autistics at every level of the spectrum can understand. Some with exceptionally high I.Q.s may understand a situation better than the person who is speaking to them.
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They, simply, do not know how to respond.
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A condition such as selective mutism, or apraxia of speech might be behind this failure to respond. A person with Asperger’s syndrome might be able to respond, but is reluctant to do so due to past social failures.
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Non-verbal autistics who communicate with keyboards will report understanding what was being said around them, including being called “damaged” or a “burden.”
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Many in the autistic community would call this a form of discrimination.
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Read in Full:
http://www.examiner.com/article/autistic-person-the-room?cid=rss
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
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Tim Teeman
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Alex Sharp is 25, fresh out of Juilliard, and suddenly the hottest star on Broadway, receiving raves for his role in ‘The Curious Case of The Dog In The Night-Time.’
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by JTeam  | Posted December 6, 2014  | Chatham, Illinois
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You think raising one special needs child can be hard. I am a single father who worked full time and raised three boys with three different disabilities. While I got divorced when the kids were 8 and 11, it was not because of their disabilities that we divorced but my wife’s mental condition that was getting worse.
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My oldest son (r) has Angelman Syndrome, can’t communicate with his voice or hands, sleeps 8 hours in a 36 hour day, can’t stand on his own, feed himself, dress himself and has seizures. He is now in a group home because I locked him in his room at night for his own safety and the state felt that it was a danger to him and offered to pay for his care in a group home if I wouldn’t fight it.
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The son in the middle has Autism. He can talk but most of his words are “scripted” or “parroting” what he had heard. When he was younger, he would have violent outbursts clearing off tables, shelves and hitting himself. But with patience, I have taught him how to deal with the things in life that would trigger these outbursts. He would leave the house and run off to do his own things which I also addressed and he no longer does.
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And my youngest son (l) had Asperger’s Syndrome which is a social disorder in the Autistic Spectrum.. I say had because through my putting him into social situations and many discussions, we have worked on his issues and while he still has concerns about social situations, he is in college, living in a dorm and seems to be doing very well. Not a social butterfly but he has made some friends.
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Read More …
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1194930?ref=feeds%2Flatest
Dear Friends,  Like me, many of you spent this past Thursday with those you care about celebrating Thanksgiving and thinking about the things in your lives that matter most.  I’ve always enjoyed these moments. Aside from the food and good company, they represent an opportunity for us to take a moment and reflect both on how far we’ve come and how far is still left to go.  This has been a big year for the Autistic community and the progressive disability rights movement. In January, ASAN and our allies successfully lobbied the White House to include people with disabilities in their groundbreaking executive order requiring a $10.10/hour minimum wage for workers employed under federal service and concessions contracts.  Shortly afterwards, after five years of pressure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a groundbreaking new regulation spelling out for the first time what Home and Community Based Services are – and more importantly, what they are not. Thanks to this new rule and ASAN’s toolkit on how to make it work, advocates have a new tool to move our people out of sheltered workshops and group homes and into truly inclusive environments.  And this summer, after years of trying, ASAN and our allies succeeded in ending the Combating Autism Act. Thanks to our allies in Congress, we are putting pressure on the administration to implement its replacement in a way that values and elevates Autistic voices. Because the national conversation on autism shouldn’t be happening about us, without us.S  Still, despite these steps forward, there’s much to be done. Hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities still suffer segregation in sheltered workshops and institutions. The national conversation on autism is still dominated by organizations that exclude autistic people and work to silence our voices. Even of those in our community who are included, too many face violence in schools, from law enforcement and, at times, even at home.  Tomorrow, December 2nd, is #GivingTuesday – a national initiative in which those who can are urged to make a contribution to a cause that matters. For those of you who can afford to do so, I’d like to ask you to make a contribution to support ASAN’s ongoing work to empower people with disabilities and our allies. If you can’t afford to make a financial contribution, consider urging your friends on social media to do so by joining our thunderclap on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.   Thank you for your support this year, and in the year to come. As always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!   Warm regards,  Ari Ne’eman President Autistic Self Advocacy Network |