French diagnostic criteria: "Infantile psychosis"

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c700
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20 May 2015, 11:24 am

What on Earth do classic French psychiatrists who use French diagnostic criteria mean by "infantile psychosis"? I have been diagnosed with autism at a clinic which uses the DSM and ICD. However, after visiting a psychiatrist who uses a French criteria (in France, of course), he said that I have "infantile psychosis", and that it's autism only under the "American-influenced" criteria. For some reason, he's against the American and international criteria. He says that they have been developed with the aid of pharmaceutical companies to sell medicine, and that the classic French criteria is somehow good, and that the new "international and American" influences are somehow bad, and that he doesn't want to hear about the DSM nor ICD. Could anybody please help make sense of all of this?

Is France really this backward when it comes to the diagnosis of autism? Also, how to change this psychiatrist, if my parents insist that I see him? They said that I have no choice, and that they won't pay for or get an appointment with any other psychiatrist when I'm outside of the clinic. Gladly, I'm being referred to an autism research center by the psychiatrist in the clinic, so I will get all the appropriate therapies no matter what that strange outside psychiatrist thinks.



c700
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20 May 2015, 11:30 am

PS: I looked up the definition of infantile psychosis, and it seems to be identical to classic autism.

"Infantile psychosis is another term for autistic disorder, which is a form of autism. It is also known as autism, childhood autism, early infantile autism, infantile autism, or Kanner's syndrome."

http://www.researchautism.net/glossary/ ... -psychosis



Hyperborean
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20 May 2015, 11:43 am

Unfortunately I think you are right about the diagnostic process in France, where 'classic' psychiatry is very influential and tends to regard ASD in very negative terms. Even now, few children with autism in France are educated in mainstream schools, most are put in institutions that are bleak to say the least. Did you ever see the 2010 film 'Le mur' ('The Wall') directed by the French journalist Sophie Robert? It exposed some appalling truths about how autism is treated in France; as a result she was sued by a group of psychiatrists and the film was banned.

In contrast, some of the greatest advances in the therapeutic care of children on the spectrum have been made in the UK and the USA.



traven
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20 May 2015, 11:47 am

The pot and the kettle .... public healthcare has it's own scandals in france. Mediator and political lobbying to name one.



iliketrees
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20 May 2015, 11:49 am

Yeah, it seems many people with autistic kids send them to Belgium because France really is behind on autism.



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20 May 2015, 1:24 pm

France's autism treatment - BBC

IMHO the english speaking world is way ahead of the French in understanding that Autism is largely neurological and not a psychosis. Both behavior modification in America and psychoanalysis in France are treatments based on the idea that Autistic behaviors are inherently "wrong" thus I have a problem with both. As much as I disagree with the French psychologists quoted in the article, they they have a point when they say "the behaviourists are dogmatically tied to their system and theirs alone". The OP's psychologist is not wrong about the influence of money on the DSM criteria.

Source - New York Times

Quote:
“We have to make sure not everybody who is a little odd gets a diagnosis of autism or Asperger disorder,” said Dr. David J. Kupfer, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the task force making the revisions, which are still subject to change. “It involves a use of treatment resources. It becomes a cost issue.”


bolding is mine


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alex
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20 May 2015, 1:31 pm

we did a documentary about how bad it is for people with autism in France. You can find the trailer here: http://shamefuldocumentary.com

Hopefully it will be available soon.


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traven
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20 May 2015, 2:32 pm


Having seen this and read the critics, hearing it again it's even more troubling.
the documentary (french) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u5pr4Ud2EQ