http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/health/08autism.html?ex=1357448400&en=785cae9e14ba1f60&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

of course thanks to junk science, we have parents how refused to vaccinate their kids and now there's outbreaks occurring.

Personally I think the diagnosis of this such as Autism and bipolar disorder are overused and often wrong.  So there was an apparent link but it doesn't suggest it is the main cause of Autism.  Some suggest it's food additives others possible side effect of pollution.  However some parents are so fickle about their child's behavior that any sign of something "odd" they go running to Child Psychiatrist.  More kids are put on psych meds now more than ever.  Most of those medications have damaging side effects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/health/08autism.html?ex=1357448400&en=785cae9e14ba1f60&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

of course thanks to junk science, we have parents how refused to vaccinate their kids and now there's outbreaks occurring.


Some lady was on TV yesterday, blabbering on about one specific vaccine (now off the market) that apparently did aggravate autism symptoms.

She said "I do not believe it is limited to just this vaccine.  I think this is a problem with ALL vaccines".

You know, maybe she's right...  The price of eliminating polio, smallpox, rubella, and annual flu epidemics has simply been too high.  Let's get rid of all of these dangerous vaccines.

Excuse me while I adjust my tin-foil hat.  ;)

Personally I think the diagnosis of this such as Autism and bipolar disorder are overused and often wrong.  So there was an apparent link but it doesn't suggest it is the main cause of Autism.  Some suggest it's food additives others possible side effect of pollution.  However some parents are so fickle about their child's behavior that any sign of something "odd" they go running to Child Psychiatrist.  More kids are put on psych meds now more than ever.  Most of those medications have damaging side effects.

This country is collectively anxious and depressed.  The breakdown of the family and the bleak outlook for the future makes it hard to cope at any age.  Five-year-olds might not be thinking about it abstractly, but they're picking up on it and becoming depressed.  In children, depression may manifest as either withdrawn or aggressive behavior, and sometimes a cycle of both.  I'm going to agree meds a over-prescribed owing to a subpar healthcare system; however, the right dose of Prozac starting when I was seven might have saved me a world of hurt.  I had depression from the get-go.  I was called disabled and mildly retarded numerous times throughout my childhood.  Never mind that a WISC IQ test at the age of 12 resulted in a score of 135 (135 again at the age of 17 at my most withdrawn, and then at the age 34 I scored 137; IQ doesn't tell you everything, but those scores certainly rule out retardation!) 

The biggest catch-all nowadays is "Aspberger's Syndrome," which my mother now believes half the people in our family have, including her and me! No, I don't have any form of autism.  Depression and social anxiety can mimick Aspberger behavior, but it is in no way the same thing!
::)

This country is collectively anxious and depressed.  The breakdown of the family and the bleak outlook for the future makes it hard to cope at any age.  Five-year-olds might not be thinking about it abstractly, but they're picking up on it and becoming depressed.  In children, depression may manifest as either withdrawn or aggressive behavior, and sometimes a cycle of both.  I'm going to agree meds a over-prescribed owing to a subpar healthcare system; however, the right dose of Prozac starting when I was seven might have saved me a world of hurt.  I had depression from the get-go.  I was called disabled and mildly retarded numerous times throughout my childhood.  Never mind that a WISC IQ test at the age of 12 resulted in a score of 135 (135 again at the age of 17 at my most withdrawn, and then at the age 34 I scored 137; IQ doesn't tell you everything, but those scores certainly rule out retardation!) 

The biggest catch-all nowadays is "Aspberger's Syndrome," which my mother now believes half the people in our family have, including her and me! No, I don't have any form of autism.  Depression and social anxiety can mimick Aspberger behavior, but it is in no way the same thing!
::)


I realize a lot of mental illness is a result of a reaction to a person's environment.  However I feel it is medically unsound to put a five year old on antidepressant or mood stabilizers without addressing the cause behind the depression.  Most medications were not tested on people below the age of 18.  I will agree that it is possible for a child to be clinically depressed.  Obviously you were misdiagnosed.  I was diagnosed with boarderline personality disorder and bipolar 2 at the age of 15.  Put on Deseryl and Depakote.  It zonked me out to the point of where I couldn't function.  They didn't address the real problem until I was in my late 20's.  PTSD. 
I know someone who's been diagnosed with Aspberger's.  They didn't know what else to diagnose him with. ::)  The thing is that people shouldn't be diagnosed and medicated until it's an absolute that they have that illness.  Other wise it is abuse.

I realize a lot of mental illness is a result of a reaction to a person's environment.  However I feel it is medically unsound to put a five year old on antidepressant or mood stabilizers without addressing the cause behind the depression.  Most medications were not tested on people below the age of 18.  I will agree that it is possible for a child to be clinically depressed.  Obviously you were misdiagnosed.  I was diagnosed with boarderline personality disorder and bipolar 2 at the age of 15.  Put on Deseryl and Depakote.  It zonked me out to the point of where I couldn't function.  They didn't address the real problem until I was in my late 20's.  PTSD. 
That's why I chalked up some of the problem to a crappy healthcare system in which kids from wealthy families get all the therapeutic intervention the parents want while kids from poor families get handed a bottle of tablets and sent on thier way.  Prozac probably would not have been the best route even if they had it when I was seven; however, I do wish they understood depression as a childhood illness as well as an adult illness back then. 

I don't have a textbook case of PTSD, but I have many symptoms of post-trauma. 


I know someone who's been diagnosed with Aspberger's.  They didn't know what else to diagnose him with. ::)  The thing is that people shouldn't be diagnosed and medicated until it's an absolute that they have that illness.  Other wise it is abuse.

Absolutes are infrequent in medical diagnoses and quite rare in psychiatry.  There is a lot of trial-and-error in diagnosing and treating psychiatric illnesses, which is why I don't like GPs prescribing psychiatric meds. 

That's why I chalked up some of the problem to a crappy healthcare system in which kids from wealthy families get all the therapeutic intervention the parents want while kids from poor families get handed a bottle of tablets and sent on thier way.  Prozac probably would not have been the best route even if they had it when I was seven; however, I do wish they understood depression as a childhood illness as well as an adult illness back then. 

I don't have a textbook case of PTSD, but I have many symptoms of post-trauma. 
Absolutes are infrequent in medical diagnoses and quite rare in psychiatry.  There is a lot of trial-and-error in diagnosing and treating psychiatric illnesses, which is why I don't like GPs prescribing psychiatric meds. 


Some wealthy families choose medicating their kids because it sure beats dealing with the problem.  Why deal with unpleasantness when drugs can make your kids pleasant and manageable.  PTSD is often misdiagnosed and treated as everything else.  There is such a thing as "Shadow" illnesses.  Which means the person doesn't fully meet all the symptoms required to be diagnosed with an illness.
Trial and error have harmful effects on a patient both physically and mentally.  Especially when a Doctor disregards a persons ability to adapt to constant med changes.  I believe it's called feeling like a lab rat. 

One possible suspect in the skyrocketing numbers of autism cases is almost never talked about. 

Marijuana.

Several studies have linked an increased percentage of autism cases to parents who have used marijuana.  Yet insanely, some parents are reporting that they use marijuana to try and treat their children's autism.

Of course, this does nothing to help solve the problem, it simply keeps the child zonked out.  To me, you might as well give them some crack or LSD.

And personally, I tend to believe this for one very good reason.  I know 3 children who are diagnosed with autism.  And in all 3 cases, one or both of the parents were marijuana users.  In 2 cases, the father was a chronic user.  In the other, both the mother and father were smokers (father chronic, mother occasional).  Only one of the parents smoked cigarettes (father).

One possible suspect in the skyrocketing numbers of autism cases is almost never talked about. 

Marijuana.

Several studies have linked an increased percentage of autism cases to parents who have used marijuana.  Yet insanely, some parents are reporting that they use marijuana to try and treat their children's autism.

Of course, this does nothing to help solve the problem, it simply keeps the child zonked out.  To me, you might as well give them some crack or LSD.

And personally, I tend to believe this for one very good reason.  I know 3 children who are diagnosed with autism.  And in all 3 cases, one or both of the parents were marijuana users.  In 2 cases, the father was a chronic user.  In the other, both the mother and father were smokers (father chronic, mother occasional).  Only one of the parents smoked cigarettes (father).


Having a child with autism, I would say this theory belongs in the movie "Reefer Madness"  I know too many people who have children with autism who wouldn't know marijuana from bisquick.

Having a child with autism, I would say this theory belongs in the movie "Reefer Madness"  I know too many people who have children with autism who wouldn't know marijuana from bisquick.


How many kids who's parents lived through the 60's have autism?  Most of the diagnosing is done with kids who parents lived through the 80's and 90's. 

How many kids who's parents lived through the 60's have autism?  Most of the diagnosing is done with kids who parents lived through the 80's and 90's. 

Far more people of child-bearing age smoked marijuana in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s than in the '60s.

I have never seen studies linking marijuana use with autism, though I don't doubt they exist.  You can find studies linking anything to anything. 

I have known dozens of people whose parents were/are marijuana users (including my own in the '60s and '70s) and NONE of their kids are autistic.

Far more people of child-bearing age smoked marijuana in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s than in the '60s.

I have never seen studies linking marijuana use with autism, though I don't doubt they exist.  You can find studies linking anything to anything. 

I have known dozens of people whose parents were/are marijuana users (including my own in the '60s and '70s) and NONE of their kids are autistic.



I think you made my point a bit clearer than I did. :)  There is more than one cause of autism.  Some say it's genetic, others say it's food allergies.  I don't think they'll ever pin-point one cause.  What should be done is find therapeutic ways of dealing with it instead of causing parents to panic over cause.  Panic over cause does nothing for the kid or adult who has it.

I think you made my point a bit clearer than I did. :)  There is more than one cause of autism.  Some say it's genetic, others say it's food allergies.  I don't think they'll ever pin-point one cause.  What should be done is find therapeutic ways of dealing with it instead of causing parents to panic over cause.  Panic over cause does nothing for the kid or adult who has it.

On a related topic--remember all the hysteria about "crack babies"?  Turns out most "crack babies" actually had fetal alcohol syndrome.

Of course, smoking anything (pot, cigarettes....or crack) with child in utero is dangerous, but that demon rum is even worse. 

They used to say smoking marijuana would make men grow breasts, never went up one cup size!
;)

Far more people of child-bearing age smoked marijuana in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s than in the '60s.


I think if you look for data to back that up, you're going to be a bit disappointed.  marijuana usage dropped off quite a bit in the 1980s (Just say No!  and snort some coke instead) and was on a pretty steady downward trend until the mid 90s or so. Too lazy to google up stats to back that up, but I do remember reading it at some point when the numbers started going up again.

If pot usage tracked autism rates, they wouldn't have risen steadily for the past few decades.  There'd have been a rise, a drop, a rise again.

I think it's just sloppy diagnosis for the most part.  Too many people looking for it as an excuse for why their kid isn't a little genius like they'd prefer.  Stuff like that tends to put the kids with the true problem at a disadvantage because too much energy is wasted looking at things that aren't there.

On a related topic--remember all the hysteria about "crack babies"?  Turns out most "crack babies" actually had fetal alcohol syndrome.

Of course, smoking anything (pot, cigarettes....or crack) with child in utero is dangerous, but that demon rum is even worse. 

They used to say smoking marijuana would make men grow breasts, never went up one cup size!
;)


It was also said that those babies went through a withdrawl after they were born.  They were withdrawling from alcohol not crack.

Thankfully that's just a newer Wives tale, training bras are a bitch to get used to.  :P

I think it's just sloppy diagnosis for the most part.  Too many people looking for it as an excuse for why their kid isn't a little genius like they'd prefer.  Stuff like that tends to put the kids with the true problem at a disadvantage because too much energy is wasted looking at things that aren't there.


THANK YOU. That is my feeling on it exactly. I have smoked pot, I have vaccinated Jason, I have done probably everything against the book of child rearing. My kid is fine. He's smart, he's healthy, and he's very active. And no, the active part is not going to get him diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or whatever other random letters they string together and call a "problem". ::)

*I* might be autistic according to what I've read on Wikipedia :o

*I* might be autistic according to what I've read on Wikipedia :o


According to the tests I've taken, Aspenger's would be a pretty good fit for me as well... a mild case like the Bill Gates style, not closer to the Rainman type.

There is a movement afoot on the Net amongst people with proper diagnosis of autism, that what they have isn't something they feel they need a cure for.  They're fine as they are.  Being outwardly social and outgoing isn't for everyone.  It'd be nice to think that people might be a little less pushy on the whole "you should get out and meet other people" mindset.