Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?
For the past 10 years, Waschbusch has been studying “callous-unemotional” children — those who exhibit a distinctive lack of affect, remorse or empathy — and who are considered at risk of becoming psychopaths as adults. To evaluate children, Waschbusch uses a combination of psychological exams and teacher- and family-rating scales, including the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits, the Child Psychopathy Scale and a modified version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device — all tools designed to measure the cold, predatory conduct most closely associated with adult psychopathy. (The terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” are essentially identical.)
Currently, there is no standard test for psychopathy in children, but a growing number of psychologists believe that psychopathy, like autism, is a distinct neurological condition — one that can be identified in children as young as 5. Crucial to this diagnosis are callous-unemotional traits, which most researchers now believe distinguish “fledgling psychopaths” from children with ordinary conduct disorder, who are also impulsive and hard to control and exhibit hostile or violent behavior. According to some studies, roughly one-third of children with severe behavioral problems also test above normal on callous-unemotional traits.
Interesting article that touches on a few major, MAJOR, issues in child psychopathology. How early is too early to diagnose a child? What are the negative implications of labeling a child a psychopath? Should the term psychopath even be used to describe these individuals that are non-violent?
Numbers: The Majority of Minors Have Faced Mental Illness ⇢
Not surprised by these figures at all.
82.5: The percentage of children and young adults who exhibit significant symptoms of mental illness at some point between the ages of 9 and 21.
The startling statistic comes from a collaborative study conducted by Duke University and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which surveyed 1,420 children over 12 years beginning in 1993. Investigators checked in up to nine times to test for anxiety, depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more.
The results: 61.1 percent met the diagnostic criteria for mental illness during at least one appointment, while an additional 21.4 percent had problems bad enough to interfere with school, social life, or family relations.
“We have to destigmatize the idea of mental disorder. We shouldn’t be surprised that the brain has problems, just like the rest of the body.”
Psychiatry Manual Drafters Back Down on Diagnoses
In a rare step, doctors on a panel revising psychiatry’s influential diagnostic manual have backed away from two controversial proposals that would have expanded the number of people identified as having psychotic or depressive disorders.
The doctors dropped two diagnoses that they ultimately concluded were not supported by the evidence: “attenuated psychosis syndrome,” proposed to identify people at risk of developing psychosis, and “mixed anxiety depressive disorder,” a hybrid of the two mood problems.
They also tweaked their proposed definition of depression to allay fears that the normal sadness people experience after the loss of a loved one, a job or a marriage would be mistaken for a mental disorder.
In a RARE step the American Psychiatric Association actually listens to psychologists and public concerns over definitions of mental illness. But only two concerns.
They gave you these, don’t expect much more from them.
Childhood Stress Leaves Genetic Scars
Traumatic experiences in early life can leave emotional scars. But a new study suggests that violence in childhood may leave a genetic mark as well. Researchers have found that children who are physically abused and bullied tend to have shorter telomeres—structures at the tips of chromosomes whose shrinkage has been linked to aging and disease.
“Children who experience physical violence appear to be aging at a faster rate,” says neuroscientist and co-author Avshalom Caspi. As a result, he says, they may face increased risk of disease in adulthood and possibly shortened lifespan.
The more we research and understand stress, the more we learn about its complex nature and implications on our health, both mentally and physically. Expect a lot more of this research in the near future.
Commonly diagnosed mental illnesses such as depression evoke less sympathy
In a modern world where the boundaries at which mental illnesses are diagnosed are broadening and treatment is becoming increasingly successful, research has shown a reduction in sympathy and support for the most common of these illnesses.
The research, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, focused on interviews conducted with 165 individuals with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, and other less severe disorders. Justification of a “sick” role for patients with commonplace illnesses such as depression was shown to be lessened in both the public as well as close relations.
This research highlights the need for public awareness of condition severity regardless of its frequency.
Primary Research (Open access for a limited period)
Photo Credit: ashley rose via Flickr
Great Brain Scan PSA for the Alzheimer Society in BC.
**Trigger Warning: Self-injury
Allowing People to Harm Themselves
John Stuart Mill would say, in most cases, we should allow people to harm themselves – assuming they are rational adults.
An interesting thought from one of my favorite blogs, Big Think. Using John Stuart Mills’ Harm Principle to propose the notion that rational adults should be allowed to harm themselves, because we already harm ourselves in a variety of other behaviors. Remember, a behavior is only deviant or criminal because society has named it as such. We all agree to the social contract, and in doing so adhere to its rules. We label one behavior that is harmful, drinking alcohol, as socially acceptable, while another behavior that is not as harmful, smoking marijuana, is labeled as deviant and criminalized.
And while Big Think points out that we do not actively promote or advocate these behaviors, we do see them slip into our subconscious through a myriad of advertising techniques and we model behavior from childhood on. But there is a point at which we say that a dangerous behavior is not acceptable. Self-injury and suicide cross that fine line in the eyes of society. That can be seen even on Tumblr, which banned self-injury blogs and images. Read more about that here.
In terms of practice, there are many psychologists and trained mental health professionals that already understand that self-injury, while harmful and unfathomable by some, is seen as a symptom of mental illness and needs to be addressed without the stigma and shame that often accompanies self-injury.
Well obviously not advocating self-injury, Big Think is pointing to the difference between harmful behaviors that are allowed and others that are frowned upon and the moral line we draw between the two.
Shining light in the ears may alleviate SAD symptoms
Millions of people experience depression and lower levels of energy in the winter due to seasonal-affective disorder (SAD), or the “winter blues.” Since the disorder is thought to arise due to a shortage of natural light, one common form of treatment is light therapy, in which the person sits in front of a bright, full-spectrum light at certain times of day. But the effectiveness of light therapy has been unclear, and now researchers from Oulu, Finland, think they know why: light-sensitive regions of the brain may actually play a larger role in SAD symptoms than those in the eyes. For this reason, they’ve designed earphones that shine light through the ear canal to light-sensitive proteins on the brain’s surface, with encouraging results.
Practical, non-pharmaceutical, and effective? I like it. Maybe a coupling with some CBT?
For some reason, a major opinion in autism research was that autism develops suddenly in young children. I always sided with the camp that argued autism develops gradually, and that we were not able to detect the slow changes. Unless the child is showing severe signs, parents are not going to bring his or her child to see a doctor, so early determinants of autism were not being detected. But this has all changed in the last few years.
A new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism.
“At this point, it’s a preliminary albeit great first step towards thinking about developing a biomarker for risk in advance of our current ability to diagnose autism.”
The study also suggests, Wolff said, that autism does not appear suddenly in young children, but instead develops over time during infancy. This raises the possibility “that we may be able to interrupt that process with targeted intervention,” he said.
This study examined 15 separate fiber tracts, and found significant differences in FA trajectories in 12 of the 15 tracts between infants who did develop autism versus infants who did not. Infants who later developed autism had elevated FA at six months but then experienced slower change over time. By 24 months of age, infants with autism had lower FA values than infants without autism.
On a side note, this paper that was published has 18 researchers as co-authors. 18 RESEARCHERS AS CO-AUTHORS. What a great professor to work with, although try to explain how you were the 18th author on a paper without laughing.
IMAGE CREATED BY JASON WOLFF, PH.D. Red and yellow regions represent abnormal nerve fiber development in six month old infants who develop autism
Tumblr bans self-harm blogs ⇢
Tumblr will begin banning and removing self-harm blogs. Are you in favor of the censorship? Do self-harm blogs actually increase the practice of self-harm, or are we taking away avenues for sufferers to express their disorder and see that they are not alone? I’m not arguing whether or not Tumblr has the right to censor, obviously they possess that right. I’m thinking more about the experience of the followers of those blogs and actual damage caused or therapeutic value to those followers. I hate that PsyPORT linked a article from Fox.
Tumblr said that while it is committed to supporting and defending freedom of speech, it does draw some limits.
“Some specific kinds of content aren’t welcome on Tumblr,” the staff wrote. Blogs that cross the line into active promotion or glorification of self-harm behaviors will be removed.
In addition to taking down blogs that support eating disorders, cutting and suicide, Tumblr will refer readers to appropriate help organizations when they search for self-harm content. For instance, when a Tumblr user types in tags that are associated with support tips for anorexics such as “thinspiration,” “thinspo” and “pro-ana,” Tumblr will show a public service message such as:
“Eating disorders can cause serious health problems, and at their most severe can even be life-threatening. Please contact the [resource organization] at [helpline number] or [website].”
However, some Tumblr bloggers are concerned that the new policy will do more harm than good. “Self- harm blogs are helping me know that I’m not alone in this world,” a Tumblr user wrote. “Without my blog and everyone else’s blogs, I’d probably be dead by now.”
A London-based user has launched an online petition to stop the ban. She said that self-harm bloggers post this content because it is an accurate representation of feelings that they would otherwise not be able to express. To them, Tumblr is a form of therapy, she said.
Her petition has been signed by more than 1,650 supporters. It urges Tumblr to consider an alternative to the ban. Bloggers posting self-harm related content could be required to include a disclaimer that the author cannot be held responsible for how viewers interpret the content they post along with links to recovery sites.
Battery Life Anxiety (BLA)
An increased level of stress and worry brought about by the fear that a person’s cell phone battery will not last until the end of the day, leaving the individual without the use of a cell phone. The increased anxiety usually begins when the individual first leaves his or her place of residence and notices that the cell phone is not fully charged. Throughout the day, the individual will repeatedly check the cell phone’s battery level, causing the battery to loose life at a quicker pace. Additionally, the individual will alter his or her normal cell phone usage in order to save some battery life for the rest of the day or night.
Recommended therapy to treat Battery Life Anxiety: Unfortunately there is no evidence-based treatment currently recommended by mental health physicians to treat BLA. However, the individual can take preventative mesures to slow the spread of the anxiety: 1) Make sure that the cell phone gets charged at night or in the morning before he or she leaves the house, 2) Close all applications that the individual is not currently using in order to prevent unnecessary battery usage, and 3) realize that humans have existed for thousands of years prior to the creation of the cell phone and going a few hours without one is perfectly normal.
Please submit any and all questions or concerns about BLA to your local mental health physician.
Thank you.
Ketamine: A New Treatment for Depression?
You may have heard recently that ketamine, an anesthetic medication, may be a promising treatment for depression. There have been no new drugs that treat depression in a unique way in decades, but ketamine works in a different way in the brain than traditional antidepressants.
Ketamine blocks a chemical called glutamate in the brain, which is different from the action of many antidepressants. Most antidepressants work on the neurotransmitters, of which serotonin is the most well known. Ketamine can help put a patient to sleep for surgery or relieve a patient who is in pain by placing them in a kind of trance called ‘dissociative anesthesia’. For this reason, the drug can also be abused, helping those who wish to leave reality; the drug can also cause hallucinations similar to PCP.
Your Brain On Psilocybin Might Be Less Depressed
Magic mushrooms are said to blow your mind, but the hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin, the active ingredient, actually reins in key parts of the brain, according to two new studies.
The memorably vivid emotional experiences reported by mushroom users may flourish because the parts of the brain suppressed by psilocybin usually keep our world view tidy and rational.
And since the brain area affected by psilocybin can also be out of whack in mental health problems such as depression, the researchers speculate that the drug may turn out to be useful in treating mental illness.
The studies are among the first to use brain imaging to take a peek at the brain on psilocybin.
“Depression can be described as a particularly restrictive state of mind,” Carhart-Harris told Shots. “People are stuck on how terrible they are. This seems to suggest that people can have a lifting of that negative thinking under psychedelics.”
Interesting to see mushrooms, ecstasy, and LSD back in therapeutic use.
