issuesdaily.com staff article
I have been involved in dog training for some time and as such, I spend a great deal of time researching new findings in how dogs learn. Developments are fast and furious in the realm of dog behavior with major studies usurping our traditional ideas of how dogs think and why they do what they do. From University of Pennsylvania’s current year-long study into dog aggression to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s stand on acceptable training methods…it is a field in transition.
So it is with some interest that an article featured in the Los Angeles Times today regarding current deliberations going on over the DSM – V, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It was one of those headlines which caught my eye and made me think, of course, why shouldn’t it be updated?
If we are publishing changes in our thinking on the subject of canine brains, isn’t it a certainty that we need to revamp our thinking on the human brain? Advances in research, technology and a change in our society should be reflected when dealing with the topic of human mental functioning.
According to the La Times article, this will affect what services people will be eligible for, anti-discrimination laws, and what insurance companies will cover. Medicalizing mental disorders will bring about a wider range of care.
The DSM-V is expected to go into more detail and also take into consideration many different factors such as age, race, gender, culture and physical health.
The DSM-V has been under scrutiny because of ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The New England Journal of Medicine commented on May 7 that “56% of DSM-V task force and committee members have industry ties.” Committee members are required to abide by conflict-of-interest rules with caps on the amount they can receive from the pharmaceutical industry while serving on committee.
I think it is a development well worth keeping an eye on. With all the changes in our ideas about addiction, developments in brain imaging and genetics, as well as the increasing occurrence of conditions such as autism and bi-polar disorder, it will be interesting to see how these changes will be reflected in the revised edition. With the care of so many dictated by the DSM-V and services approved or denied based on its guidelines, we can only hope that the promise of a more science-based measuring tool will soon become a reality.
It is cause for some concern that the so-called ‘bible of psychiatry’ is not as dynamic as the fields of technology which surround it. As psychiatrists spend the next 18 months debating the issues to be addressed in the new edition, one has to wonder at its relevance in a world in which technology is moving forward so quickly.
Los Angeles Times Article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-mental-disorder26-2009may26,0,3081443.story
Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney
HBO series details Alzheimer’s pain, progress
Date: 5/9/2009 4:23 PM
LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maria Shriver said her role in a major HBO documentary series on Alzheimer’s stems from the professional and the intensely personal.
“I approached this project as a child of Alzheimer’s,” she said, a reference to her father, Sargent Shriver, who was diagnosed in 2003 with the fearsome disease that causes deepening, irreversible dementia.
Her work on the four-part “The Alzheimer’s Project” also reflects her vantage point as a journalist and a citizen who wants others to get involved in overcoming Alzheimer’s, she said.
“It’s going to take all of us as a nation to get involved in finding a cure for this,” said Shriver, a series executive producer and host of one of the programs.
There’s reason for hope, according to the documentary. In fact, “The Alzheimer’s Project” was a result of the progress being made toward treating and possibly preventing the brain disorder, said series producer John Hoffman.
After HBO’s similarly ambitious project “Addiction,” produced in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health, the cable channel wanted to continue its relationship with the agency, Hoffman said.
The search for the next topic focused on “where science has advanced and the public is unaware of these gains in knowledge,” said Hoffman.
Alzheimer’s fit that profile, he said. The disease also is among the most-feared in the nation, affecting at least 5 million Americans and expected to hit millions more as the population ages, Hoffman said.
But scientists are beginning to crack the disease’s code, according to the HBO project, which carefully — and without hype — documents advances against the disease.
The series, beginning Sunday and airing over three nights, also focuses on the emotional toll Alzheimer’s takes on its sufferers and those close to them.
It open with “The Memory Loss Tapes,” an intimate look at seven people living with Alzheimer’s. The two-part “Momentum in Science,” airing Monday and Tuesday, explores research advances with the scientists and physicians leading the way.
Also airing Monday is “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” with Shriver, which gives voice to the children and grandchildren of Alzheimer’s patients. Tuesday’s “Caregivers” details the hard work and rewards of those in the disease’s inner circle.
Besides being featured on all HBO channels and HBO On Demand, the series will stream free on hbo.com. There’s also a companion book, “The Alzheimer’s Project: Momentum in Science,” and a Web site.
Executive producer Sheila Nevins recognizes that some viewers might be more interested in the science while others are drawn to the personal accounts.
“We don’t want people to see one part and think that’s the whole story. Every part in contingent on the other,” Nevins said. “The hope is that each show answers questions and raises others answered in the multiple programs.”
Shriver, formerly with NBC News, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty and wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the call to action must include but go beyond government support for Alzheimer’s research and caregivers.
“It’s up to our generation to help find a cure,” Shriver said. “A cure is not just going to happen unless we stand up and say, ‘There are millions and millions of use, and we’re dying in a different way alongside the person who has Alzheimer’s.’”
___
On the Net:
http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney
LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maria Shriver said her role in a major HBO documentary series on Alzheimer’s stems from the professional and the intensely personal.
“I approached this project as a child of Alzheimer’s,” she said, a reference to her father, Sargent Shriver, who was diagnosed in 2003 with the fearsome disease that causes deepening, irreversible dementia.
Her work on the four-part “The Alzheimer’s Project” also reflects her vantage point as a journalist and a citizen who wants others to get involved in overcoming Alzheimer’s, she said.
“It’s going to take all of us as a nation to get involved in finding a cure for this,” said Shriver, a series executive producer and host of one of the programs.
There’s reason for hope, according to the documentary. In fact, “The Alzheimer’s Project” was a result of the progress being made toward treating and possibly preventing the brain disorder, said series producer John Hoffman.
After HBO’s similarly ambitious project “Addiction,” produced in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health, the cable channel wanted to continue its relationship with the agency, Hoffman said.
The search for the next topic focused on “where science has advanced and the public is unaware of these gains in knowledge,” said Hoffman.
Alzheimer’s fit that profile, he said. The disease also is among the most-feared in the nation, affecting at least 5 million Americans and expected to hit millions more as the population ages, Hoffman said.
But scientists are beginning to crack the disease’s code, according to the HBO project, which carefully — and without hype — documents advances against the disease.
The series, beginning Sunday and airing over three nights, also focuses on the emotional toll Alzheimer’s takes on its sufferers and those close to them.
It open with “The Memory Loss Tapes,” an intimate look at seven people living with Alzheimer’s. The two-part “Momentum in Science,” airing Monday and Tuesday, explores research advances with the scientists and physicians leading the way.
Also airing Monday is “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” with Shriver, which gives voice to the children and grandchildren of Alzheimer’s patients. Tuesday’s “Caregivers” details the hard work and rewards of those in the disease’s inner circle.
Besides being featured on all HBO channels and HBO On Demand, the series will stream free on hbo.com. There’s also a companion book, “The Alzheimer’s Project: Momentum in Science,” and a Web site.
Executive producer Sheila Nevins recognizes that some viewers might be more interested in the science while others are drawn to the personal accounts.
“We don’t want people to see one part and think that’s the whole story. Every part in contingent on the other,” Nevins said. “The hope is that each show answers questions and raises others answered in the multiple programs.”
Shriver, formerly with NBC News, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty and wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the call to action must include but go beyond government support for Alzheimer’s research and caregivers.
“It’s up to our generation to help find a cure,” Shriver said. “A cure is not just going to happen unless we stand up and say, ‘There are millions and millions of use, and we’re dying in a different way alongside the person who has Alzheimer’s.’”
___
On the Net:
http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney