The Diagnostics and Statistical Manual (DSM), the Shrink's bible, has been around for over 50 years.  Within this manual, there are now possibly nearly 300 mental disorders. 

As a dictionary of suspected mental illnesses, many redefined diagnoses are added to this manual with each edition.

On occasion, a mental disorder is deleted from the DSM, such as homosexuality in the early 1970s.  Its purpose, this manual, is to assist mental health professionals to diagnose and classify mental disorders.

 Published and designed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the DSM is also used, I understand, for seeking mental diagnostic criteria to assure reimbursement.

The DSM is organized by the following:

I- Mental disorders

II- mental conditions

III- Physical disorders/syndromes, medical conditions (co-morbidity)

IV- Mental disorder suspected etiology

V- Pediatric assessments

The APA has historically directed the creation of each edition of the DSM, and assigns selected task force members to create this manual.  This situation has proven to be controversial.

The next DSM, which should be published and available in three years, has a task force that involves 27 people.

 About 80 percent of these individuals are male, and only 4 members are not medical doctors.  Most have had relationships with the NIH, and about 25 percent of these task force members have had relationships with the WHO. 

Historically, at least a third of task force members have had, or do, have often monetary pharmaceutical industry ties in some way.

This makes sense, as about one third of the APAs total financing is from the pharmaceutical industry, which this industry calls, 'gifting'.

The APA required this task force for the next DSM edition to sign non-disclosure agreements- which is rather absurd and pointless.  Lack of transparency equals lack of credibility because of these agreements of the content of the next DSM.  It opposes any recovery model necessary regarding such disorders, I believe. 

The DSM should be evaluated by another unrelated task force or a peer review of sorts to assure objectivity.  This is particularly of concern presently, as many more are diagnosed with mental dysfunctions presently at a concerning rate- with very young children in particular.

Dan Abshear

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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that occurs with sudden onset- normally when one is in their early 30s of their lifespan.  The fact that the disease presents itself after decades of their lives already completed adds further mystery to MS. 

First observed in Holland nearly 600 years ago, a French neurologist was the first to recognize MS in the 1800s.  MS can take the forms of being mild with the symptoms from MS, or MS can be quite brutal for a few with MS.

While the average age of initial acquisition of MS is when one is in their early thirties, however MS has been known to be diagnosed from those as young as 2 years old, and those at the age of 75 years old as well.

Ms affects mostly white females, and the disease is most prevalent in Northern America, but not in the Southern part of the United States.  In the U.S., about 200 new cases of MS are diagnosed every week. 

MS is also frequent with others in Northern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.  About two and a half million people in the world have MS.

MS is a chronic and slowly progressive neurodengenerative disorder, and believed to be an autoimmune disease that at times results in serious physical and cognitive disabilities of the MS patient in time.  This means that the one who has MS has a defect with their immune system, likely, and this immune system determines aspects of their physiology to be foreign invaders, and as a result, attacks such tissues.

 There are 4 classifications of MS that exist, along with 7 different forms of MS.  The most common is the type is the remission followed by relapse of MS.  Remission occurs due to remyelination that occurs after the destruction of the myelin sheath by the immune system of the MS patient, it is believed.  This is ultimately followed by an increase in disease progression with MS.  About half of all MS patients develop increased disabilities within ten years of the initial onset of the disease.

With MS, the myelin sheath that is the covering of their neurological make-up as with others composed of lipids and proteins is attacked by auto antibodies of the immune system of the MS patient, it is believed.  As a result, and in time, the myelin sheath is destroyed, and replaced with scar tissue.  This is what is called scoliosis.  The process that occurs during this destruction is called demylenation.  The nerve damage that occurs as a result is due mainly to inflammation from this process.

The cause of MS is unknown, which makes an accurate or likely prognosis for the MS patient nearly impossible.  Suspected etiologies for this disease have been viral infections, the Epstein-Barr virus in particular, as well as a genetic dysfunction. 

Smoking is believed to increase the risk of acquiring MS.  Vitamin D deficiency has been suspected as the cause of MS as well. Also, damage to what is known as the blood/brain barrier in humans has been suggested as a cause of MS. The duration of MS lasts about 20 years with most who have the disease.

The disease is at times difficult to diagnose, and MS has been mistaken for a psychological disorder in the past. The initial episode of the onset of MS involves the development of brain lesions, as well as optic neuritis. 

A MRI performed on one suspected to have MS patient clearly shows lesions in the brain of a MS patient at multiple sites.  In addition to at least two separate MRIs performed on the suspected MS patient.  Often, a lumbar puncture may be performed on the patient as well, to obtain cerebral spinal fluid for analysis to confirm the diagnosis of MS.

 Such similar diagnostic evidence can occur in what is known as clinically isolated syndrome as well.  Yet half of all patients with this syndrome progress to the disease state of MS.  And after the initial symptoms of MS, after about 10 years pass, MS patients experience neurological damage that progresses more rapidly.

The first symptoms that the MS patient experience often include visual dysfunctions, and extreme fatigue, in most cases.  The MS symptoms are both sensory and motor in nature as well.  As the disease of MS progresses in the MS patient, other additional symptoms may occur, such as affective disorders, cognitive dysfunction, muscle spasms, as well as bowel dysfunction and voiding abnormalities due to the damage of their nervous system by MS.

Depression is present with most patients with MS.  And suicides are unfortunately frequent with the MS patients as well.

Part of the MS disease process, normally, is alternating between episodes of much welcome relief in the form temporary remission- followed by MS relapses that can last from days to months. 

As far as the extent of treatment efficacy offered to MS patients, it falls between intuitive and empirical selections for treatment options, which are various pharmacological agents.  Yet treatment should be initiated as early as possible for the MS patient to delay the progression of their disease.  And often multiple medications are needed to control the symptoms of the MS patient.

Treatment with corticosteroids is standard with MS patients.  Interferon is another selection for management of the MS patient, yet interferon has been believed to be effective in only about half of MS patients  Overall, immunomodulary or immunosuppressive agents should be selected and given to the MS patient, primarily. 

Other treatments evolving for MS patients include an antibiotic called doxycycline, which has been shown to slow the progression of MS.  Remarkably, parasitic hookworms, which can be damaging to humans when they reside in the human intestines, which leads to anemia, actually may be beneficial for the MS patient as well, as these parasites have been shown to decrease the activity of the immune system of the MS patient that is responsible for the damage it causes the MS patient.

Daily niacin injections have been shown to be advantageous for the MS patient by offering protection from the inflammation that occurs, which causes both damage and pain for the MS patient.

Some biologic agents, such as Compath which is an agent often used for Leukemia patients, have been shown to decrease and delay the progression of MS, and relapse episodes as well.  Tysabri is another beneficial biologic agent for MS patients that is given intravenously once a month for MS patients.  Tysabri decreases the frequency of the symptoms of MS patients, it has been observed by others who have used this biologic for MS treatment.

SSRI antidepressants and statin drugs, which are prescribed for high cholesterol mostly, have been shown to decrease the progression of MS.  Testosterone therapy for men with MS has been linked with decreased brain degeneration in this MS patient population. 

Overall, treatment of the MS patient is rather expensive, with the biologic agents in particular.

Presently, there are many promising treatments for MS that will be available in the future.  This would include  bone marrow stem cell transplantation, which has been proven to reset the immune system of the MS patient to within normal limits, as well as improves their neurological state.

Fortunately, most MS patients have a fairly mild expression of this disease, and are quite capable of living normal lives, with a normal human lifespan.  Most MS patients do not become severely disabled as well.  If death occurs with the MS patient, it typically is due to secondary complications.

For over a decade, I’ve done what is called the MS-150, which is a two day bicycle ride with thousands of others to raise money for multiple sclerosis.  And we ride 150 miles in those two days.  I did not know much about this disease until recently, and I hope improved treatment options become available for MS patients,

Dan Abshear

Published on:  www.helium.com

The Consequences Of Autonomous Parenting

As the year 2008 came to a close, legislators were confident that an economic stimulus package would be presented in the media as to be incredibly beneficial for American Citizens. 

Yet we were not being bailed out by our government, in fact.  Wall Street was.  And we are paying for it whether or not we approve of what has been implemented.  And what has been implemented may cost us, the American citizens, nearly a trillion dollars.

Officially called the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, this act was sold to the American public as relief from their financial concerns and their families would then be able to maintain what may be left of their financial stability- including their homes. 

We get to now keep our homes!  I love my country!

In actuality, this Act included what was called the troubled asset relief system for corporations who had to find their quid pro quo government cronies for some cash to get by until they get paid next with this bailout for them.

 Really, can assets be actually troubled?  I always believed that if one is troubled, one is worried and concerned, or emotionally and mentally disturbed.  I’ll accept the definition with the latter words of this definition if I were to define a corporation.

This bill has over 100 pages of fiction divided into three titles:   Title one is the troubled assets relief system.  Title two is the budget related provisions (the words here are very specific, are they not?).  Title three is creatively called tax provisions.

Yet Obama called mortgage lenders greedy and irresponsible- and accused them of being the catalyst for our country’s financial crisis (so it has been reported),  So Obama created the foreclosure rescue program, and dedicated 75 billion of that economic stabilization to assure home foreclosures would not occur, if he could help it. 

Meanwhile, as of last January, sales of existing homes rose well over thirty percent versus this same time last year due to foreclosures.  Many who are buying these homes are first time buyers, who Obama allowed an eight thousand dollar contract for such people who were virgins of domestic ownership.

Obama said that this money would be issued to various mortgage securities firms so that they would significantly lower the mortgage payments of others in need. Well, of course, this is not overall mandated by our new president.  It is left to the discretion of each mortgage security as to how and if this money will be disbursed as intended. 

We have been pacified by a virtual benefit for our homes, ladies and gentlemen.

Corporations, by their very nature, are simply something that exists, like evil.  Corporations receive legal rights that most citizens are unaware of, and are not shared these same rights as the corporations.  The corporate system is designed with deliberate intent to protect the owners of the corporation, the shareholders, from any potential liabilities. 

The corporation’s Board of Directors in fact run their corporation.  This legal independence, ultimately, allows corporations to act autonomously.  Their freedom regarding this profit motive has become progressively more overt, and witnessed by the American public, finally, in recent years.

So foreclosures are still happening throughout the country, and as a result, people are losing their homes and livelihoods.  Such Americans are penalized for not being economically viable at the time- while their employers are given a blanket by their government.  And this reminds me of something that happened over twenty years ago.

So, does anyone recall the Savings and Loans Crisis that primarily occurred n the 1980s?  The savings and Loan industry thankfully received new parents in 1982- very wealthy parents.  The GSDI Act of 1982 was created to increase competition, or narcissism, I’m not quite clear on this, within this industry.

These two faceless new parents of the savings and loan industry were not only rich, but believed in freedom from their acquired offspring.  While they monitored the behavior of their older siblings, banks, with appropriate regulations, they took a stance of apathy with their newly adopted children involved within the Savings and Loan Industry.  The industry was extremely elated, obviously. 

The institutions in this industry realized that they could do whatever they wanted, and if something goes wrong, mommy and daddy will ‘bail’ them out of their troubles, which is actually what they did for about a decade.

We, the American citizens, paid at least 150 billion dollars for that crisis created by few others who acted with reckless disregard for the welfare of others.  And of course, another pacifying Act was created by our lawmakers towards the end of this crisis called the FIRRE act of 1989.  Again, this Act was basically to reassure the public that problems are being resolved that happened by those few bad people.

One particular Savings and Loan company illustrated politics for many of us.  Charles Keating, chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association in Irving, California, overall paid 5 senators well over a million dollars to keep regulators from his front door, which they did for quite a long time.  It is amazing what others may do if you pay them enough money.  Keating was convicted of multiple acts of fraud after the damage he did to so many others.

Should our Federal Government bailout those many homeowners facing foreclosure?  Probably, but not many are optimistic that this will occur.  What should occur immediately is a moratorium with those facing foreclosure and the lending institutions that are the reasons for their foreclosures.  They deserve such a moratorium considering all that has happened to all of us that was not our fault.  A moratorium is appropriate for most experiencing this form of damage presently with foreclosures.

And our government has to stop encouraging corruptive behavior by rewarding such criminals after they create a crisis that potentially destroys so many others,

Dan Abshear