Certain aspects of Autism and Asperger’s syndrome remain controversial in Ireland. These controversies cause enormous distress to families of persons with Autism. In reality these controversies are unnecessary and the distress to families is unnecessary, particularly...
Intellectual Disability
Malaysia: Observations on Psychiatry and Society during a visit.
When people think of Malaysia what first comes to mind are the Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumper. It has a population of about 25 million. The British during their time there left good structures which are benefiting Malaysia today unlike the behaviour of the...
A Visit to Uganda
Uganda is very much in the news at the moment because of the national elections and the unjustifiable controversy over Irish aid to Uganda, which in my opinion is well spent and accounted for. Uganda is a very poor country, which has been ravaged by war in the not...
Suicide In History.
John Donne ‘No man is an island, entire of itself … any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee’. Suicidium is derived from the Latin words ‘sui’ self and ‘caedo’...
Autism and MMR: A Medico-Media Catastrophe: Do We Now Have the Last Word?
I read with interest a recent comment by Dr. Ronald Boland that in a survey of parents more than a quarter (were) ‘reluctant to vaccinate their children because of worries of vaccine safety and did not believe in infant vaccines at all’. This is unfortunate. It...
Is Religion Good For You?
There is some evidence for an association between religious practice and positive mental health in the Irish context. In a study of mothers coping with a child or adolescent or indeed adult with autism Patricia Coulthard and myself found that carers who sought...
Suicide, Parasuicide, Suicidal Thoughts and Persons of Genius.
Dr. Arnold Ludwig studied the New York Times Book Review Biographies from 1960 to 1980 and found that 18% of the poets he studied had completed suicide. According to Jamison Ludwig ‘compared individuals in the creative arts with those in other professions (such as...
Suicidal Behaviour in Adolescents
Worldwide there is about one death every 40 seconds and about one million suicides per year. Suicide is the leading cause of death worldwide, particularly in younger people. According to Dr. John Connolly there has been a twelve-fold increase in suicide...
Effects of Substance Abuse on Children.
The effect of chemical dependency either alcohol or drugs in children is very great. Parental alcoholism or drug abuse of a serious kind has a hugely detrimental effect on the family atmosphere and on the parent’s ability to rear their children. Children in these...