ITT: The Case Against Jenny McCarthy As A Scientist

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And Jenny McCarthy is a fucking twit.

[Mangrove]

Interesting new development:

Just started working with a new client and she works with 'kids with autism'.

(So, I just had to ask because I've witnessed about three examples of 'autistic' kids at work and only one of them I actually believe.)

Mang: Soo....gotta ask. Just what is 'autism'.
Client: Well...[lol]....they don't really know.
Mang: Do you have clients who you truly believe in your heart of hearts has 'it'?
Client: Yes..absolutely. But there's plenty of....uh...
Mang: Misdiagnosis?
Client: Yes. We've got one 17 year old who is allegedly 'autistic' because he doesn't like cleaning his room and won't listen to his mother.
Mang: What are the typical signs?
Client: Deeply withdrawn, periodic outbursts, often there's elements of OCD, unable to read emotional/social cues etc.
Mang: And Aspergers? I keep hearing about 'high functioning'. In fact, they're so high-functioning that they're not actually sick.
Client: There's a call for the terms 'high & low' functioning to be removed from the diagnosis because it doesn't help at all. Low functioning means not being able to take care of your self at all.
Mang: How do I recognize it?
Client: Sheldon on 'Big Bang Theory' or 'House' would probably be Asperger's cases.

We talked some more about this and then she told me the HORRIBLE TROOF.

Sometimes, the diagnosis of 'Autism' or 'Aspergers' is not coming from Doctors but from Social Workers.

Sleep tight!

Just because you're high functioning doesn't mean you can disregard the diagnoses.

A guy I know has cerabal palsy in one leg. That's it. Doesn't mean he doesn't have it, just means a different type/degree of impact.

I hear what you're saying. My complaint is that the degree/impact in some people may be so small as to not...well...really exist (eg: they've been misdiagnosed.)

The concern for me is that people are not aware of medical fads. Once upon a time in America, people were getting lobotomies left right & centre for ridiculous reasons and on the flimsiest of evidence. Then the air escaped out of that particular balloon and disappeared but not without cutting up the brains of many thousands of people. Meanwhile, the doctors of Europe got it right and said "uhh...not convinced" and, as such, considerably less of these surgeries were performed. Before the whole thing collapsed though there were plenty of physicians who thought they had 'the miracle cure!' (cf: other medical disasters: heroin, cocaine, Electro convulsive therapy etc).

I personally think the following things are similar fads: Autism, Aspergers, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, ADD, ADHD, Restless fucking leg syndrome, Fibromyalgia and so forth.

I do not think for a second that these conditions do not exist and do not cause all sorts of suffering & misery for the people concerned.  However, what's happening is that when these terms are used too loosely and are bandied about in public discourse, the clinical rigor they once had becomes diffused. Responsible & conscientious doctors are going to be careful before they start doling out these labels for people. Trouble is, we're awash with this shit. If I had a dollar for every person I've encountered with 'condition XYZ' and yet they display few or none of the classic indicators, naturally, I'm going to be skeptical.

A few decades from now, people will be worried about different conditions and much of what's obsessing us right now will be a distant memory. No one gets diagnosed with 'hysteria' and 'neuresthenia' anymore. But in the 19th century, these diagnoses were thrown out all over the place.

As I said, I'm not saying these don't happen, what I question is the ease, prevalence and frivolousness with which these labels are arrived at. People don't say 'man...I had a hard time concentrating at work today' (normal human experience). Instead they will say 'I must have ADD!'. If you catch your boss in a weird mood he no longer is having a bad or off day. No, he's gotta be bi-polar. You can't have a kid who is just a fucking brat because it's Aspergers.

There is way too much medical terminology floating about in popular discourse but without the necessary training or discrimination to back it up. It's bad enough when Joe Public engages in it (which is what the pharmaceutical companies want you to do when the carpet bomb you with TV ads) but it's worse when irresponsible, physicians indulge people with it.

We might have advancing medical technologies, but if we don't have advancing wisdom to go along with it then we'll have yet more fads where dubious diagnoses and dubious treatments will go on for years until someone pulls the plug, slaps people awake and says 'Knock it off!' Unfortunately, they usually won't do this until something dumb happens (cf: over prescription of anti-biotics and resistant infections).

I hope that someone does indeed find out more about these various disorders and discovers ways to treat them responsibly.

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

WAY TO GO MANG!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

YES THANK YOU MANG!

I am feeling all kinds of this way about the recent food intolerance fad. Fuckers just have to feel SPECIAL. Mind you, I know people who actually have Celiac Disease, and their bodies will eat they fucking selves if they are exposed to wheat. That is not the shit I'm talking about. Interestingly, the people who will ACTUALLY DIE are not the people who make the biggest deal about it. It's fucking embarrassing to watch, too.

Hey, asshole; your kids are brats and doing poorly at school? It might be because you are a SHITTY MOTHER. But feel free to blame food if it makes you feel better.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I am feeling all kinds of this way about the recent food intolerance fad. Fuckers just have to feel SPECIAL.

This is indeed annoying.  I mean, if you have to be "special", just be a fucking prick and get on with things.

TGRR,
Is considered "special" at work and at play.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am feeling all kinds of this way about the recent food intolerance fad. Fuckers just have to feel SPECIAL.

This is indeed annoying.  I mean, if you have to be "special", just be a fucking prick and get on with things.

TGRR,
Is considered "special" at work and at play.

Fucking TGRR fan club, here.

[Don Coyote]

Why wouldn't you want to cram something in your mouth that might cause loud noises and smells later on?

[pH]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

[hooplala]

Let's not forget that as recently as the late 1950s being homosexual was considered a medical condition.  Sometimes shit fucks up.

[pH]

Generally people seem to like the idea of "If it doesnt fit in with my idea of 'normal' then it needs to be fixed because its a problem."

The biggest thing with autism, Aspergers, etc. is that by misdiagnosing brats and dumb people, you remove responsibility from the kid and the parent, so neither one of them tries to change what they have been doing, making their 'condition' get worse. Why should they change when its not their fault, its some medical thing out of their control, better get some special pills...

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

Stay the fuck away from my pills.  I need those for professional reasons.

[pH]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

Stay the fuck away from my pills.  I need those for professional reasons.

The special little blue pills?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

Stay the fuck away from my pills.  I need those for professional reasons.

The special little blue pills?

Nope.  The yellow ones.  They make me the kind-hearted, personable old man that I am.

[pH]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

Stay the fuck away from my pills.  I need those for professional reasons.

The special little blue pills?

Nope.  The yellow ones.  They make me the kind-hearted, personable old man that I am.

Ooooh, those pills. I can see how effective they are. I'm impressed by modern medicine in that sense.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Joys of the modern world: Theres a special name, a pill, and an operation for everything.

Stay the fuck away from my pills.  I need those for professional reasons.

The special little blue pills?

Nope.  The yellow ones.  They make me the kind-hearted, personable old man that I am.

Ooooh, those pills. I can see how effective they are. I'm impressed by modern medicine in that sense.

Oh, yeah.  I was a real dick before.

TGRR,
Knows that most things are relative.