Discussions of ethics as applied to mental health issues.
Some of you may be aware of the controversy surrounding Lyme Disease. This is an important topic, in that it exposes the forces that control medical decision making and the consequences of commoditization of health care. Below is a very interesting speech by Dr. Kenneth Liegner of Armonk, NY, a leading Lyme Disease specialist. Full […]
Setting At home, circa 1960; My brother Mike was still at home. My parents found some doc; her name was Dr. May as I recall. She had some ideas about autism and needed data (read: blood) from family members of autistic children, to test a theory or to form a hypothesis or something. What did I […]
I took this photo at the Brooklyn Developmental Center, Brooklyn, NY. Michael was assigned here temporarily as part of the re-assignment of Willowbrook[1] residents, before he was housed in a group home. The photograph is illustrative on several levels. Photographically, it seems clear that Michael is the center of attention. He is different than the other characters […]
[Note: part of this post was excerpted and posted previously. ] My aim in this post is to explore the depiction of mental disorders and disabilities in the medium of photography and my personal experience in wrestling with this. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a disorder is an abnormal physical or mental condition and […]
Imagine that you had an unmanageable child: a child who didn’t understand anything, who sucked up all the care you could give, who seldom responded and did so only after you expended maximal effort. Suppose you had other children. You could not afford private care. If you were offered a solution, would you take it? Suppose there […]
I wonder how many of you have heard someone say, “You should have taken better care of yourself”, after you catch a cold. “What did I do to deserve this?” is the same question. This time it is the victim that blames him or herself. Why is it so easy to cast blame? Does it […]
My Letter to The Times About 10 or so years ago, the New York Times published an article about siblings of autistic children. Lacking in the article was the perspective of someone my age – one who grew up in the 1950s. I was fortunate in having my letter to the editor published. Below is […]
