The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) is up for revision. The proposed revisions have generated a good deal of controversy.
Some autism advocates want autism out of the DSM entirely, on the ground that it is not "a mental illness". This to me is a naive view.
Allen Frances MD was chair of the DSM-IV Task Force and of the
department of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham,
NC. He is currently professor emeritus at Duke.
He is writing a blog for Psychology Today on the DSM-V controversies, DSM-V in Distress.
Posts of interest to me (and I hope, readers of this blog):
Death Goes to School | Psychology Today.
"Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers". If you've been reading about the horrors of the Irish reform schools in the past, this report will make you aware that we in the United States are doing just as badly, and what's more we're doing it right now.
A clue giving a partial explanation of all these adult actions may be
found in the term "therapeutic holding". A small number of articles in
professional journals have used this term. They use the expression
"therapeutic holding" in claiming that children receive
psychotherapeutic benefits from being physically restrained when
agitated and having the restraint continue for a period of time
afterward. However, there is no research supporting this claim. In
articles where authors have cited empirical research as supporting the
idea of therapeutic holding, many of the articles cited have actually
been about "holding therapy",
a different, though equally disturbing, technique which I will discuss
in a later blog. It is possible that some school administrators or
staff have come across references to therapeutic holding, have failed
to understand the lack of evidence for its usefulness, and have
employed their limited knowledge in making decisions about teachers'
restraint practices.
But why would anyone at any time have thought
of physical restraint as a form of treatment for emotional disturbance
and "misbehavior"? Of course, restraint and various forms of
asphyxiation have long been favored by torturers, as they create
enormous pain and terror in the victim but are reversible (if the
asphyxia is not allowed to go too far). I need not comment on our
present national discussion of this matter. I should also note that
restraints in the form of strait jackets and "wet packs"
(immobilization by wrapping in wet sheets) were very much part of psychiatricdrugs. These methods were not simply a matter of maintaining physical control of patients, but were thought to calm agitation.
Jean Mercer was sued in small claims court by Ronald Federici, a clinical psychologist who practices in another state. The basis for the suit was Mercer's writings critical of the other psychologist's approach to treating "attachment disordered" children. She won the suit. The complainant is appealing.
Details:
Doctor's Data, a lab that caters to chelation therapists, has sued Dr. Stephen Barrett. [Barrett S. Why Doctor's Data is trying to muzzle me. Quackwatch, July, 2010]. http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/dd_suit.html
The suit is primarily concerned about Barrett's article, "How the urine toxic metals test is used to defraud patients," which describes how chelationists mislead patients into believing that they need treatment for heavy metal toxicity. [http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/urine_toxic.html]
The heart of the deception is "provoked" testing, in which the practitioner administers a chelating agent before the urine specimen is obtained. This artificially raises the levels of lead, mercury, and/or other heavy metals in the urine. The test report states that its "reference values" are for non-provoked specimens. However, if a provoked test level exceeds the reference values-which it usually does-it is reported as "elevated," even though it should not be considered significant. Dr. Barrett's article also tabulates disciplinary actions, court decisions, and lawsuits related to provoked testing.
Doctor's Data is asking for damages exceeding $10 million and a sweeping injunction against further criticism. Although it is unlikely to prevail, defending against the lawsuit could be costly. Contributions to Barrett's defense fund can be made through the Quackwatch donations page: http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html
Those who support Barrett (updated silently as I find them)
June 30 2010 Orac More Legal Thuggery Against A Defender of Science-Based MedicineDoctor's Data
June 30 2010 Stavros Isaiadis More Libel Lawsuits instead of Scientific Debate Journey Through A Burning Mind Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Barbara Drescher Quackwatcher Dr. Steve Barrett Is Under Attack Woo Fighters Doctor's Data and Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Monica Pignotti Science Based Medicine Blog on Legal Thuggery Potential Harmful and Other Questionable Therapies Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Todd W. Doctor's Data Inc. Uses Legal Threat to Silence Criticism Silenced by Age of Autism Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Skepacabra News from Around the Blogosphere Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Kim Wombles Supporting Skeptics Who Speak Up Countering Age of Autism Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 The Ashartus Files Attacks on Scientists The Ashartus Files Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Glenn Reynolds Threatening Bloggers is Generally a Bad Idea Instapundit Doctor's Data
June 30 2010 Peter Trzeciak Legal Trouble Again -- Spreading the News Pete's Wicked Blog Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Mike Masnick Quackwatch Sued for Suggesting Medical Lab Quackery Techdirt Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Derek Lowe "Doctor's Data": Telling the Truth and Getting Sued for It In the Pipeline (Corante) Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 John Pieret This Could Take A While Thoughts in a Haystack Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 John Pieret The DDI DDDidn't Thoughts in a Haystack Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Jack of Kent US libel suit against Quackwatch Jack of Kent Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Landon Ross Quackwatch Sued by Quacks The Rational Ape Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Ian Musgrave Anti-Science Bullies At It Again Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Timothy Sandefur Quackwatch needs your help The Panda's Thumb Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Anonymous Coward Chelation Therapy Quack sues Quackwatch Bayblab Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Cujo359 Medical Quackery Meets Legal Quackery Slobber and Spittle Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Dana Hunter The Legal Jackboot En Tequila Es Verdad Doctor's Data
July 1 2010 Brad Evans The Streisand Effect? I hope so Blue Horizons Doctor's Data
July 1 Robert Carroll Skeptic's Dictionary Quackwatch Doc Sued for $10 Million Doctor's Data
July 1 Acagle ArcheoBlog How Not to Sweep An Enemy Under the RugDoctor's Data
July 2 2010 Health Care Renewal Quackwatch being sued by "Doctor's Data", a laboratory that caters to chelation therapists Health Care Renewal Doctor's Data
July 3 2010 The Lucky Atheist Spread the Word: Quacks Sue Skeptic Doctor's Data
July 3 2010 Hemant Mehta Science Defender Gets Sued by Doctor's Data The Friendly Atheist Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 PZ Myers Attempted Intimidation by a Quack Pharyngula Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 Horse Goes West Intimidation Fail Horse Goes West Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 Bing McGhandi Doctor's Data: Litigious F^ckwits Suing Quackwatch Happy Jihad's House of Pancakes Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 Michael Hawkins Doctor's Data is a Fraud For the Sake of Science Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 Peter Bowditch Doctor's Data Millenium Project Doctor's Data
July 4 2010 Mike Stanton Doctor's Data Sues Quackwatch Action for Autism Doctor's Data
July 5 2010 MediaWatchWatch Doctor's Data Doctors Data (UK)Doctor's Data
July 5 2010 Walter Olson Lab sues Stephen Barrett (Quackwatch)Doctor's DataOverLawyered
July 6 2010 Cohen Stephen Barrett von Betrügern verklagt Doctor's Data Esowatch (in German, thanks Cohen)
July 6 2010 Kimball Attwood, Doctor's Data sues Quackwatch Doctor's Data Science-Based Medicine
July 6 2010 Skeptico Doctor's Data Sues Quackwatch Doctor's Data Skeptico
July 6 2010 Beatis Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch Sued by Doctor's Data Doctor's Data Anaximperator
July 6 2010 PalMD Quackbusting is Dangerous Work Doctor's Data White Coat Underground
July 6 2010 Paul Ingraham More Legal Bullying Must Be Met With Public Outcry Doctor's Data Save Yourself.ca
July 6 2010 Scott Gavura Defencer of Science-Based Medicine SuedDoctor's Data Science-Based Pharmacy
July 7 2010 Le Canard Noir Doctor's Data The Quackometer
July 8 2010 Paul Bradshaw Quackwatch blog sued by Doctor's Data
Doctor's Data Online Journalism Blog
ParentDish, which is an AOL enterprise, ran a story on the JJudge Rotenberg Center Evidently, they do not monitor comments, allowing many that recommend killing children with severe or profound disabilities.
I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
–Written 1917, accepted by the United States House of Representatives on April 3, 1918.
The very, very short version: an independent health-care-fraud muckraking association is being intimidated, via a law suit with a $10 million dollar claim. The suit has been filed on behalf of a for-profit laboratory that does millions of dollars of business providing tests that enable quack or questionable "therapies" for heart disease, autism, and other conditions.
The for-profit laboratory has deep pockets and has associates with even deeper pockets.
If you want to support health-care-fraud muckraking, go here to donate. If you are a skeptic or dislike legal bullying, you should donate.
The longer and detailed version is below the fold.
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