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brain function

Psychiatric Diagnosis and DSM 5: Maps to Nowhere

by Dr Charles Parker on February 13, 2010 · 24 comments

Diagnostic Bible? Scientific Heresy

Diagnostic Bible: Scientific Heresy

If you are lost, forget being found with this bible.
You may be thinking the new, long awaited DSM5 psychiatric diagnostic manual would herald pointed improvements in the evolution of psychiatric science – …like new information, new perspectives, new treatment strategies. Don’t be worried, you won’t have to change anything you are doing… it’s the same old 19th Century stuff, trimmed up to tweak the descriptive language, with no improvements there for patient care, and no new science. Boring. But Freud is happy.

The DSM5 is not categorically ineffective
On a brief positive note you will appreciate this NPR review of the diagnostic evolution with childhood bipolar diagnosis – a significant problem addressed repeatedly here at CorePsych Blog as kids are regularly, automatically slammed with atypical antipsychotics rather than considering the biologic underpinnings of emotional explosions. Been there, done that.

Labels, not science, still prevail
See this brief description in the LA Times and you will catch the drift and controversy on these new, already outdated diagnostic maps. Our books are outdated simply because we aren’t learning how to read the brain images and the lab reports. All the names will change when we recognize gluten sensitivity, bowel dysfunction, and the abundance of metabolic imbalances that effect brain function.

The Earth is Flat! DSM 5 Points at the Tips of Icebergs – Only What You See.
The tip-toe progress with these new superficial labels for office appearances misses altogether the complexity of new brain and body science. Neuroscience evidence is easily available, often paid for by insurance, and remains almost completely ignored by psychiatry. Real facts, not labels, will foretell the changes necessary for psychiatric practice, for treatment strategies to evolve with the rapidly evolving new science.

Neuroscience evidence changes thinking.
Yes, these refined descriptions may help some talk about psychiatric matters with a bit less confusion, but the new DSM5 conclusions are based almost completely upon 19th century vertical thinking, insufficient feedback with patients in the office, and questions that ignore modern neurophysiology and metabolism.

Psychiatrists will remain speculative with dreams and fantasies, while hard evidence from molecular and cellular physiology remains in the closet – frequently derided as quackery. Interestingly, psychiatry is held to a different standard on evidence than the rest of medicine, as SPECT brain imaging and the measurement of neurotransmitter biomarkers is still derided as non-specific, while patently non-specific biomarkers, such as cholesterol screening, are accepted uniformly in general medicine. It’s time for diagnostic change – but DSM5 is already old news.

Your Comments Count
Let’s see what you think… please comment here and weigh in on your views of psychiatric diagnosis – look forward to hearing from you!
cp

—>Tweet this post below! For ADHD Medications: Download complimentary white paper Precise Solutions now, – and get ready for the complete version of ‘The Patient’s Guide’ details to follow. Get Neurotransmitter Details Here

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Lady in Red

Image by Kopfjäger via Flickr

Make your reservation now!

School has started, the Fall is upon us, we are back at work with questions about just what to do with Impulsivity.

Impulsivity is, without doubt, the most frequent challenge in our daily lives – for mental health professionals, teachers, HR professionals, physicians, and anyone working with administrative challenges. Impulsivity works against administration, works against group order, works against progress – and can be downright embarrassing.

Want a recent example of Impulsivity? Lay your politics aside for a moment, and simply ask yourself this question – was it a productive contribution when Rep Joe Wilson shouted out “You lie!” at Obama’s Joint Session of Congress? No matter what you think of national health care take a look at this guy, and see which side you are on regarding good order.

Affect mismanagement, emotional dysregulation – loosing it - creates havoc in families, work sites and the world, locally and internationally. Someone’s impulsivity has impacted your life. Impulsivity, from anger to suicide, destroys both the self and relationships. Impulsivity is the hallmark of poor management and atypical of balanced leadership – just ask Jack Welch,  or read his book on Leadership.

Was Wilson’s outburst ‘just a quirk?’ Who knows… Was it a problem, you bet! – And no, I will not conjecture about his prefrontal cortex.

Wilson’s interruption, his inappropriate shout during a presidential speech,  is but a small example of a seriously overlooked problem we see everyday in any group setting. So often we write impulsivity off as ‘character,’ or ‘passion,’ or ‘immaturity,’ even with adults!

- Reminds me of a person in advertising who still lives by the adage “You’re only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime.” He manages to live up to that creed, and has torn up his family in the process. There is a price for immaturity. There is, my friends, a biology for both impulsivity and immaturity.

The Impulsive Brain – Details on exactly what it is, why it is, and how to fix it.

If you live anywhere in the Norfolk, Va Beach, DC or Richmond area, [anywhere on the East Coast] and work in the context of human services you will appreciate this opportunity at Norfolk’s Old Dominion University to look more carefully at new brain and behavioral insights into the problem of Impulsivity.

  • I will be presenting 1 full day of details there on Fri Oct 16th, just around the corner in time.
  • ODU Registration has a discounted rate for groups, and a low fee for these challenging times
  • 6 hr CEU & 6 hr CME,
  • The fix will detail the latest in diagnostic evidence regarding Impulsivity, and
  • Details about the right meds and
  • The new process of actually measuring neurotransmitters to target specific interventions
  • New advances in ADHD treatment
  • New insights into Brain Injury
  • Specific interventions for Bipolar Disorder
  • The Biologic Contributions to Addiction Recovery.
  • Without getting away from bottom line street applications.

If you can’t use it, I won’t be dwelling on it. Translation, street language and concepts are the key to informed intervention strategies.

Please forward this to your colleagues and friends and let’s make a day of it.

cp

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—>Tweet this post below! For ADHD Medications: Download complimentary white paper Precise Solutions now, – and get ready for the complete version of ‘The Patient’s Guide’ details to follow. Get Neurotransmitter Details Here

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Why SPECT Brain Imaging: Details Live on CorePsych Radio

July 28, 2009 Beyond ADHD

SPECT Brain Imaging Is An Indispensable Brain Diagnostic Tool – On Thursday [7-30-09] at CorePsych Radio I’ll give you as many basic details about ‘how and why’ as I can cover in a well-organized hour – see the handout here

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Brain and Immunity: Dr Jaffe CorePsych Radio Update

March 24, 2009 Autism Spectrum

Image via Wikipedia

Can your brain suffer from allergies? Does poison ivy really itch?

Tune in to a very interesting recorded interview I did with Dr Russell Jaffe [Dr Jaffe Bio pdf], saved from a Utah broadcasting system crash 2 weeks ago, this Thursday at 4PM EDT – link here at CorePsych Radio.

Sorry team, planned to have [...]

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CorePsych Radio: ADHD Multiple Diagnoses

March 16, 2009 Blog

ADHD cannot be successfully treated unless we – Start with the complexity of presentations, and recognize every one – and then we must order the process of giving medications to respect brain function.

7 comments Read the full article here →

YouTube Arrives: A Code Thing

March 16, 2009 Blog

I do have a big problem with those who take either side so vigorously: The Functional Medicine Guys announce with great certainty that all of us Traditional Psych guys don’t have a clue.

4 comments Read the full article here →

Brain and Immunity: Brain Function and Our Diet

March 11, 2009 Autism Spectrum

Guest: Russell Jaffe MD PhD What we eat often does significantly change our mental state: Thinking, Feeling and Emotions- Tune in to CorePsych Radio this Thursday to hear live comments for 1hr from 4-5 EDT from one of my most respected mentors – the testing and evidence for brain function assessments is remarkably effective.

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CorePsychBlog Update

February 5, 2009 Blog

Image via Wikipedia

As you may have noticed, CorePsychBlog is stuck in cyberspace.
We are currently in a transition process, but we are working around the clock to get the site back to its prime functionality as soon as possible.
Stay tuned for updates on the following projects:

The AD/HD Medications Book – it’s almost done!
A White [...]

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Brain Function, Neurotoxins, Holiday Season and Kids Toys

November 2, 2008 Beyond ADHD

For A Green Holiday: Yes, lead and other neurotoxins can still arrive in a child’s toy. Over at Squidoo.com a concerned mother and scientist Bernadette, has done her homework on kid’s toys.

3 comments Read the full article here →

AD/HD: Diagnosis and Treatment Often Miss the Mark

October 11, 2008 Beyond ADHD

Our diagnostic grid for ADD Spectrum Disorders [with multiple expressions of attention related issues] is almost purely descriptive – with the inevitable consequence that we most often treat labels, not people. The public is mad because, more frequently than not, our measurements simply don’t consider their pain.

4 comments Read the full article here →