Autism in France: Psychoanalysis, Packing, Other Travesties

Post Reply New Topic

She's the mom of a 14-years old boy who was diagnosed AD/HD, then something close to Asperger's by a neuropsychologist ; the diagnosis should soon have been confirmed, but instead of the usual doctor, he was "taken care" by incompetent young people who soon locked him up, which made him cry and sent him to the hospital, where he was given meds usually reserved for schizophrenics.

The new doctor questioned the mother, but she didn't recognize her son in what he said. He isn't schizophrenic, he just has obsessions. She waits for his usual psychiatrist, she fears he is given neuroleptics, in short, she is appalled by the misunderstanding of doctors and the conditions in which her son lives.

Sophie Robert (she who filmed the Wall) will give a sequel to her documentary about autism and psychoanalysis. The new work is called Sexual Theory and is not directly about autism, but psychoanalytical views on sexuality. Here's the teaser :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjzT34ppTY4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

I'm always so happy to find this post updated, thanks everyone, it's really good to know we're not completely forgotten now I'm waiting for Alex's documentary to come out, so excited about it ^^
http://www.vivrefm.com/videos/view/23

also, just putting this petition out there, it's a petition for psychiatrists and associated professions but a number of parents have signed it, if some of you want to sign it as "autistic adult", it would be perfectly acceptable:
http://bonnespratiquesenpsychiatrie.blo ... ce-in.html

I am watching a program on France 2 mainstream TV channel about autism and asperger. The first part was a film called 'Le cerveau d'hugo' that presents autismeand asperger through the life of a true character and interviews aspies about the subject. Loved it.
The debate about the film and the status of autism and asperger in france has just started.

The show is called, 'autism, le scandale francais' (autism, the french scandal) That is definitely a big step forward.

French speakers can see the film here:

http://pluzz.francetv.fr/videos/le_cerv ... 50502.html

and the debate that followed:

http://pluzz.francetv.fr/videos/la_soir ... 50955.html

It was really nice, although they're still very confused between HFA and asperger's, but still i really liked the tone of the movie, very anti psychoanalysis. Loved this !

good documentary. I agree with you ediself, Asperger can be more subtle than that.

Oh... I just realized I did exactly like in the film in a recent job interview. They were asking why I chose their company, I answered that they contacted me first according to my CV (which is true, I did not apply to them at all) and that anyway I did not know how to say that "I want your company" and that anyway I had no idea what I would do in their company because I could not have enough information (which is true in IT).

That was true, but the interviewer made a sad face, like she was crying. Finally, she agreed that I went to the technical interview in the afternoon, but maybe it was only because I came from very far (500 km).

I'm not sure if that's the reason, but I just received an e-mail that "even if I was interesting, they had no opportunity for me now, but surely they will contact me later". I'm not convinced at all. What do you think ?

I've recently trained as a psychotherapist and Marie de Hennezel writes some of the most beautiful books I've read. Still, there have been occasions when I've been shocked by the implications of her adherence to Freudian doctrine.

Modern psychodynamic writers seem to bend over backwards to apologise for Kanner et al. Their apologies do tend, however, to be of the "he was misrepresented or never really meant to say that" variety. I don't think he was misrepresented.

Psychoanalysis inflicted a great deal of misery on supposed "refrigerator" mothers. It's one of psychotherapy's darkest episodes.

Paul

Hello

I think Bettelheim took the same line but that Kanner invented the theory. I recall reading Bettelheim's claim that being autistic was akin to being a victim of the death camps - only that death camp inmates were better off because they'd had the chance to develop a personality... Shocking stuff.

I'll have to look it up now. I could be wrong. Well spotted if so...

Paul

ed. This is from Wikipedia (not always the best source, I know.)

"Although Kanner was instrumental in framing the refrigerator mother theory, it was Bettelheim who facilitated its widespread acceptance by the public and the medical establishment cognoscenti in the 1950s and 1960s."

So, we could both claim to be right.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX1XjYNtHkY&feature=share&ytsession=9yBNzG_Q7QaVBhYnyJkWIwzVYYNCEu9RqsmQDu5HuLmHHiFh3E780fJ5uv_bO1dBJW8ZmTEFn4puGYzbBYfDV9RmNDPx-Wu7De-oN13WNNiMtCtn7IM_fVCydYv7OxgkBVeQ8M2dgouX0uojQwdrTR7JDA0ZL7480QAAGU7AQgdvt5HT2AaTp9zvHXjQGV21iN_3sKzqkyXYCU7_vO6UVGg8OKrmsyuft0Bqu9f1oZEg17HwTSygvfTjE2UC5onX7qtitsKNjw1jMBHU9tPjYn6DzcoVvLTEer_0WfeJWlE[/youtube]

my good friend rosie explaining the situation how she sees it. Very well put in my opinion and a good awareness video!

oh and btw: naked parents for autism for the win!! ! (most of those guys are secret aspies, some are diagnosed though because they're fearless). I wussed out of the calendar but i can still help promote it

Trying to show the world how , after raising a child with autism in france, nothing is scary anymore, not even posing naked.

http://blogs.lexpress.fr/the-autist/201 ... alendrier/

I do not see so much of a problem that the word autism is linked with "refrigator mothers"; it has a valid historical foundation. But the problem is when the specifical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders are linked with "refrigator mothers", since this has none historical foundation. The etymology of the word autism can't be changed and must still be seen as Eugene Bleuler's transformation of Sigmund Freud's term autoerotism. In this case it is fully valid to use both in understanding of what today is called attachment disorders and as a description of a schizophrenic symptom as well as the most common use in autism spectrum disorders.

Bruno Bettelheim's work is so not to be dismissed, but to be understood as what it was; a description of kids who indicated autism in Bleuler's definition as a core symptom and not kids with a specifical autism spectrum disorder. Compared with today's understanding of attachment disorders the work of Bettelheim does not look alien, and it even looks useful. And both with the similarities between autism spectrum disorders and attachment disorders which today pose a problem in the differential diagnosis of those disorders, and the fact that one of the defence mechanisms often involved in attachment disorders is termed 'autistic thinking', it is understandable that the concepts of autism may have been mixed up and the result have been a 'war' between the use of a term rather than seeking the value of the diverse knowledge.

'Refrigator mothers' exist as well as much as congenital autism spectrum disoders exist. The results of a 'Refrigator mother' (as well as a 'Refrigator father') on a kid and the result of the congenital disorder of autism may both come to expression with very similar traits; both fitting the Bleuler's term autism. Of that reason it is important to be aware that different causes may result in similar symptoms. Without this awareness situations like the french psychoanalysts who threat all autistics in light of refrigator mothers instead of doing a very important differential diagnosis first may be the result. Or it may happen the other way, all kind of autismlike symptoms are being treated as congenital autism which both may contribute to a statistical rise and a weaker diagnosis. Before the diagnosis of serial murders often seemed to be some kind of attachment disorder, today it seem to more often be autism spectrum disorder. This change in diagnostic practice pose the question if it may also have something with the understanding of the term autism to do.

The etymology of autism is further complicated in cases where there both exist a congenital autism spectrum disorder and an attachment disorder; each may mask its other and end up with a treatment of only one of them when the other or both may be in need of treatment.

Well, that is my view on the case.