- Pope Benedict 'complicit in child sex abuse scandals', say victims' groups
- UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts' by priests
- Lessons not learned on abuse therapy
- Republic accused of sex abuse 'cover-up'
- Sybil in her own words: The untold story of Shirley Mason, her multiple personalities and paintings "The story of Sybil is true, not fictional or fraudulent."
- A New Model of Dissociative Identity Disorder "They also refute the sociocognitive model of DID."
- Delhi High Court commutes death penalty of man who killed father
Pope Benedict 'complicit in child sex abuse scandals', say victims' groups
Pope Benedict XVI 'knew more about clergy sex crimes than anyone else in church yet did little to protect children', say critics
Ian Traynor in Brussels, Karen McVeigh in New York and Henry McDonald in Dublin
guardian.co.uk, Monday 11 February 2013
For the legions of people whose childhoods and adult lives were wrecked by sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the Roman Catholic clergy, Pope Benedict XVI is an unloved pontiff who will not be missed.
Victims of the epidemic of sex- and child-abuse scandals that erupted under Benedict's papacy reacted bitterly to his resignation, either charging the outgoing pontiff with being directly complicit in a criminal conspiracy to cover up the thousands of paedophilia cases that have come to light over the past three years, or with failing to stand up to reactionary elements in the church resolved to keep the scandals under wraps.
From Benedict's native Germany to the USA, abuse victims and campaigners criticised an eight-year papacy that struggled to cope with the flood of disclosures of crimes and abuse rampant for decades within the church....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/11/pope-complicit-child-abuse-say-victims
UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts' by priests
Three priests and former priest report Cardinal Keith O'Brien to Vatican over claims stretching back 33 years
Catherine Deveney
The Observer, Saturday 23 February 2013
Three priests and a former priest in Scotland have reported the most senior Catholic clergyman in Britain, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behaviour stretching back 30 years.
The four, from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, have complained to nuncio Antonio Mennini, the Vatican's ambassador to Britain, and demanded O'Brien's immediate resignation. A spokesman for the cardinal said that the claims were contested.
O'Brien, who is due to retire next month, has been an outspoken opponent of gay rights, condemning homosexuality as immoral, opposing gay adoption, and most recently arguing that same-sex marriages would be "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved"....
One of the complainants, it is understood, alleges that the cardinal developed an inappropriate relationship with him, resulting in a need for long-term psychological counselling....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/23/cardinal-keith-o-brien-accused-inappropriate
Letters
Lessons not learned on abuse therapy
The Guardian, Monday 11 February 2013
In 1995 a 13-year-old boy committed suicide having been told he could not have counselling in the long run-up to his abuser's trial. His mother said: "He was desperate to talk to someone. But social workers said there was no possibility of discussing the abuse before the trial. They did not want to contaminate the evidence." His abuser was later jailed for four years for offences against other boys....
Malign attacks in the 1990s on psychotherapists by those accused of abuse in an effort to discredit their adult children's stories have left a false impression. The purpose of therapy is to provide a container for patients' often unbearable feelings and help them to move on. It leads to a more not less coherent witnessing of the past. Perhaps that is why it arouses such hostility in those who are desperate to bury what happened – accused abusers and their defence teams....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/11/lesssons-not-learned-abuse-therapy
Republic accused of sex abuse 'cover-up'
11/09/2001
The Irish Government and judicial system conducted a ‘‘hideous cover-up’’ after a young girl was subjected to years of sexual abuse, it was claimed today.
Ian Paisley Jr (DUP, North Antrim) told the Stormont Assembly that 24-year-old Sarah Bland and her mother have spent the last two decades battling in vain to secure justice.
They had come to him in a desperate bid to right a terrible wrong, he said.
He declared: ‘‘For as long as this gross injustice, known as the Bland case, remains unresolved, anything the Irish authorities may say about rights, about equality, about honour, about truth, should be treated with contempt.’’
Mr Paisley’s motion expressing concern at the failure of the Irish judiciary to resolve the case of Sarah Bland, the daughter of a British citizen, was passed unanimously. He said the student and her mother, Trish, had given him a huge dossier on the abuse which began in 1980 when she was aged four and living in a stately home in the Irish midlands....
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/republic-accused-of-sex-abuse-cover-up-23261.html
Journal of Trauma & Dissociation
Sybil in her own words: The untold story of Shirley Mason, her multiple personalities and paintings
DOI:10.1080/15299732.2013.724611 Philip M. Coons MD
10 Oct 2012
Abstract
Suraci's Sybil in Her Own Words is almost as fascinating as the original book Sybil(Schreiber, 19732. Schreiber, F.R. 1973. Sybil, Chicago: Henry Regnery Company). The story of Sybil is true, not fictional or fraudulent. One early commentator actually suggested that Sybil and Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, her treating psychiatrist, were a case of folie à deux, or shared psychosis (Victor, 19753. Victor, G. 1975. Sybil: Grand hysteria or folie a deux? [Letter]. American Journal of Psychiatry, 132: 202). Having met Dr. Wilbur, listened to her presentations on multiple personality (now known as dissociative identity disorder or DID), and read the many critiques and reviews of Sybil, I have concluded that Sybil was not iatrogenically created by Dr. Wilbur. Documenting this, however, is beyond the purview of this book review.
Shortly after the death of Sybil in 1998, her identity as Shirley Ardell Mason was revealed. She had been living in Lexington, Kentucky close to the residence of her former therapist and had been running her art business out of her home. Patrick Suraci, Ph.D., had discovered Sybil's identity from a painting that he had inherited from a colleague at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. This colleague, Flora Rheta Schreiber, the author of Sybil, had died in 1988. Waiting until after the death of Dr. Wilbur in 1993, Suraci finally telephoned Shirley Mason and began a five-year telephone relationship with her until she died in 1998. This book grew from those telephone conversations and other research that Dr. Suraci conducted....
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15299732.2013.724611
A New Model of Dissociative Identity Disorder Paul F. Dell, PhD Psychiatr Clin N Am 29 (2006) 1–26
Summary
Data from 220 persons who had DID were used to compare three models of DID: the DSM-IV’s classic model of DID (ie, multiple personalities, switching, amnesia), the subjective/phenomenological model of DID (Box 1), and the sociocognitive model of DID. The DSM-IV narrowly portrays DID as an alter disorder; the subjective/phenomenological model portrays DID as a far more complex dissociative disorder. The data indicate that the subjective/phenomenological model of DID is a superior predictor of the dissociative phenomena of DID. The three studies [14,70] that corroborate the subjective/phenomenological model of DID are important. They show that the subjective/phenomenological model of DID is more comprehensive and more accurate than the DSM-IV’s classic model of DID. They also refute the sociocognitive model of DID. The subjective/phenomenological model of DID was deduced from a novel, empirically supported model of pathological dissociation [4] ; that model fully explains the empirical literature on DID, whereas the DSM-IV model of DID can account for little of that literature.
http://www.copingwithdissociation.com/Dell_2006_ANewModelofDID1.pdf
describes crimes
Delhi High Court commutes death penalty of man who killed father
Press Trust of India February 24, 2013
New Delhi: The death sentence of a man, who had killed his father as sacrifice to a deity in 2008, has been reduced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court....
According to prosecution, Jitender believed that if he offered a human sacrifice for the deity, his problem with his wife would be resolved.
The convict, however, had argued before the trial court that once in his dream, deity asked Jitender for a human sacrifice to ward off his problems with his wife....
http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/delhi-high-court-commutes-death-penalty-of-man-who-killed-father-334832
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Cardinal Mahony and Pope Election, Long-Term Effects Of Bullying: Pain Lasts Into Adulthood, A Personal Nightmare of Assault in India, Are women safe in India?
The Prelate as Scapegoat By FRANCIS X. CLINES February 21, 2013
Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles wants to participate in the election of the next Pope, and it seems likely that he will get his wish — even though he covered up child abuse when he was archbishop of Los Angeles and was officially relieved of public church duties at the end of January. Judging from the cardinal’s personal blog, if he travels to Rome he will arrive prayerfully accepting his role in the scandal — the role of “scapegoat.”....
For some, the cardinal represents nothing so theologically subtle. He’s just a plain embarrassment. One cardinal said his presence at the coming conclave would be “disturbing.” But Cardinal Mahony has every right and duty to be there, according to other church officials, including the current archbishop of Los Angeles, Jose Gomez, who had to rebuke his predecessor when records came to light detailing how the cardinal protected rogue priests....
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/the-prelate-as-scapegoat/
Long-Term Effects Of Bullying: Pain Lasts Into Adulthood (STUDY)
By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
02/20/2013
Kids don't easily outgrow the pain of bullying, according to a new study that finds that people bullied as kids are less mentally healthy as adults....
"To my surprise at least, there were some very strong long-term effects on their risk for depression, anxiety, suicidality, a whole host of outcomes that we know just wreak havoc on adult lives," said study researcher William Copeland, a clinical psychologist at Duke University Medical Center.
How bullying hurts
Previous studies have found that both bullies and their victims are at higher risk for mental health problems and other struggles in childhood. One study, presented in 2010 at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, found that bullies were at higher risk of substance abuse, depression, anxiety and hostility than non-bullies.
For bully victims, being targeted can result in increased suicide risk, depression, poor school performance and low self-esteem. But most studies on the effects of bullying focus on the childhood period....
They found that any involvement in bullying boded poorly in adulthood. Pure bullies did not show problems with emotional functioning as adults, Copeland said, which is unsurprising given that they had all the power in their childhood relationships. But they did show increased risk of developing antisocial personality disorder. People with this disorder have little empathy and few scruples about manipulating others for their own gain. The disorder is linked with a greater risk of becoming a criminal. Most bullies did not go on to have the disorder, Copeland said, but they were more likely to develop it than other groups.
Pure victims, on the other hand, were at higher risk for depression, anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia than kids uninvolved in bullying, the researchers found. Worst off were the bully/victims, who were at higher risk of every depressive and anxiety disorder in the book. [5 Ways to Foster Self-Compassion in Your Child]
For example, pure victims were four times as likely to develop an anxiety disorder in adulthood compared with kids who were uninvolved in bullying. Bully/victims had a five-times greater risk of depression than uninvolved kids, as well as 10 times the likelihood of suicidal thoughts or actions and 15 times the likelihood of developing a panic disorder.
"By far, being a bully and a victim meant having the worst long-term outcomes," Copeland said....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/long-term-effects-of-bullying_n_2728190.html
A Personal Nightmare of Assault in India By SHALINI KANTAYYA February 19, 2013
....I found myself awake in this nightmare, with a man violently gripping my mouth shut, attempting to rape me. I was biting and kicking, using every ounce of my energy to fight for my life. My mouth was badly bleeding and in the struggle we fell to the floor. He continued to violently grab my face, and said, “Shalini, don’t shout.” He knew my name. I recognized him as the hotel waiter who served my dinner that night.
I continued to scream and fight incessantly, until finally he relented. He picked up his lungi and said, “I’ll leave. Don’t tell the manager.” Then he ran out and shut the door. Did he really think he could try and rape me in my sleep, without protest and that I wouldn’t tell? Yes. He did. He counted on the fact that he lived in a culture that blamed the victim — that the stigma associated with sexual assault would force a woman to keep quiet. And although I had escaped the worst-case scenario, and prevented a rape, the nightmare was far from over.
In the days that followed, bruised and battered, with excruciating body pain, I managed to shuttle to and from government hospitals to be examined and police stations to file reports. I was well acquainted with India’s bureaucratic process, and in spite of my injuries, I wanted to make sure I had filled out all the paperwork correctly to obtain “justice.”
For several weeks, I tried to get a response from several American and Indian bureaucracies, but they all responded the same way: by doing nothing. Despite my formal complaints, in which I detailed the attack in full, these institutions offered no assistance – not even a single follow up call. I was devastated. I traveled to India on part of an American organization, and received no mental, physical or emotional support. As someone who has committed my life to artistic expression and social justice, I have never felt so voiceless....
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/a-personal-nightmare-of-assault-in-india/
Are women safe in India? We ask if the country's existing laws and the attitude of law enforcers are serving to compound or prevent sexual abuse. 24 Dec 2012
....There are reports that suggest that in India, a woman is raped every 20 minutes.
More than 24,000 rape cases in the country were reported last year alone, of which 570 were reported in the Indian capital, where already this year 635 rape cases have been registered.
The legal news service Trust Law says India is the worst country in the G20 to be a woman. It says women and girls continue to be sold, married off at a young age, exploited and abused as domestic slaves.
The number of crimes recorded against women, including kidnapping, abduction, and human trafficking exceeds 2.5 million.
Many activists say Indians are protesting against what they say is a culture of impunity.
There are 40,000 pending rape cases in the country and survivors have to wait years for their cases to be heard – even then the conviction rate is just 34.6 percent – according to the National Crimes Record Bureau.
The Indian Penal Code lists punishments of up to life behind bars, but those convicted are often let off after serving a short sentence....
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2012/12/2012122472117251850.html
Thursday, February 21, 2013
UN Faults US For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics, Cardinal Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases, TV content affects children's behavior
- U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV content affects children's behavior over time
U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
Religion News Service By Caleb Bell 02/20/2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. is failing to pursue and prosecute clergy guilty of child sexual abuse, according to a recent United Nations committee report. The U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child, in a little-noticed Jan. 25 report, urged the U.S. to "take all necessary measures to investigate all cases of sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics."
David Clohessy, the director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, described national efforts to deal with child-molesting clergy as "woefully inadequate." "There has been and continues to be too cozy a relationship between religious and governmental figures," Clohessy said. "Other than a handful of local prosecutors, there's been almost no action at the state or federal level."
The U.S. Department of Justice did not return requests for comment, and the National Association of Attorneys General declined to comment. Abuse cases are typically handled by local and state prosecutors, not the federal government....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/un-faults-us-for-failure-to-prosecute-abusive-clerics_n_2729239.html
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin By RACHEL ZOLL 02/20/13
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against Roman Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009. Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and Jeff Anderson, a plaintiffs' attorney, confirmed the cardinal was deposed.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese faces allegations from nearly 500 people. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the current Milwaukee church leader, sought bankruptcy protection in 2011, saying the process was needed to compensate victims fairly while ensuring the archdiocese could still function. Milwaukee is the eighth diocese in the U.S. to seek bankruptcy protection since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002 in Boston.
Dolan is one of two U.S. cardinals to be deposed this week. Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be questioned Saturday in a lawsuit over a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He has been ousted from the priesthood but remains a fugitive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/nyc-cardinal-dolan-deposed_n_2733340.html
Child and Adolescent Medicine
TV content affects children's behavior over time
SHERRY BOSCHERT, Family Practice News Digital Network
Both the quantity and the content of television viewing by children may affect social behaviors long term, with effects that may last into adulthood, the results of two studies have shown.
In one randomized, controlled trial involving 565 preschool-aged children in the United States, coaching parents to reduce viewing of violence on the screen and to increase exposure to prosocial programming resulted in significantly less aggression and more prosocial behavior in the children after 6 months compared with the control group, effects that mostly were maintained at 12 months, Dr. Dmitri A. Christakis and his associates reported.
A separate longitudinal study from New Zealand followed 1,037 people from birth to age 26 years and found a significantly increased risk for antisocial outcomes in adults who had watched the most TV as children. Every extra hour of weeknight TV watching as children was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of having a criminal conviction by age 26, reported Lindsay A. Robertson and her associates.
Previous studies have shown that children imitate what they see on the screen and that reducing TV watching reduced aggression in 9-year-olds. Few studies have looked at preschoolers or at interventions aimed at content, Dr. Christakis said.
His study found that children fed a "media diet" deemphasizing violent programs and promoting viewing of programs that focus on sharing, caring, and education had Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) scores at 6 months that were 2 points better than in the control group, a significant difference that continued at 12 months (Pediatrics 2013;131:431-8)....
http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/child-adolescent-medicine/singleview-enewsletter/tv-content-affects-children-s-behavior-over-time/677a82222dd3520265f0bb767308e975.html
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV content affects children's behavior over time
U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
Religion News Service By Caleb Bell 02/20/2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. is failing to pursue and prosecute clergy guilty of child sexual abuse, according to a recent United Nations committee report. The U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child, in a little-noticed Jan. 25 report, urged the U.S. to "take all necessary measures to investigate all cases of sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics."
David Clohessy, the director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, described national efforts to deal with child-molesting clergy as "woefully inadequate." "There has been and continues to be too cozy a relationship between religious and governmental figures," Clohessy said. "Other than a handful of local prosecutors, there's been almost no action at the state or federal level."
The U.S. Department of Justice did not return requests for comment, and the National Association of Attorneys General declined to comment. Abuse cases are typically handled by local and state prosecutors, not the federal government....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/un-faults-us-for-failure-to-prosecute-abusive-clerics_n_2729239.html
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin By RACHEL ZOLL 02/20/13
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against Roman Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009. Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and Jeff Anderson, a plaintiffs' attorney, confirmed the cardinal was deposed.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese faces allegations from nearly 500 people. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the current Milwaukee church leader, sought bankruptcy protection in 2011, saying the process was needed to compensate victims fairly while ensuring the archdiocese could still function. Milwaukee is the eighth diocese in the U.S. to seek bankruptcy protection since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002 in Boston.
Dolan is one of two U.S. cardinals to be deposed this week. Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be questioned Saturday in a lawsuit over a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He has been ousted from the priesthood but remains a fugitive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/nyc-cardinal-dolan-deposed_n_2733340.html
Child and Adolescent Medicine
TV content affects children's behavior over time
SHERRY BOSCHERT, Family Practice News Digital Network
Both the quantity and the content of television viewing by children may affect social behaviors long term, with effects that may last into adulthood, the results of two studies have shown.
In one randomized, controlled trial involving 565 preschool-aged children in the United States, coaching parents to reduce viewing of violence on the screen and to increase exposure to prosocial programming resulted in significantly less aggression and more prosocial behavior in the children after 6 months compared with the control group, effects that mostly were maintained at 12 months, Dr. Dmitri A. Christakis and his associates reported.
A separate longitudinal study from New Zealand followed 1,037 people from birth to age 26 years and found a significantly increased risk for antisocial outcomes in adults who had watched the most TV as children. Every extra hour of weeknight TV watching as children was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of having a criminal conviction by age 26, reported Lindsay A. Robertson and her associates.
Previous studies have shown that children imitate what they see on the screen and that reducing TV watching reduced aggression in 9-year-olds. Few studies have looked at preschoolers or at interventions aimed at content, Dr. Christakis said.
His study found that children fed a "media diet" deemphasizing violent programs and promoting viewing of programs that focus on sharing, caring, and education had Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) scores at 6 months that were 2 points better than in the control group, a significant difference that continued at 12 months (Pediatrics 2013;131:431-8)....
http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/child-adolescent-medicine/singleview-enewsletter/tv-content-affects-children-s-behavior-over-time/677a82222dd3520265f0bb767308e975.html
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Sect leader's wife recounts life in sex-driven cult
Sect leader's wife recounts life in sex-driven cult
Blanca Castro, who says she is a victim of the sect 'Defenders of Christ', speaks during a conference press in Mexico City, on February 19, 2013.
AFP - A sect named Defenders of Christ that was broken up in Mexico last month forced women to participate in orgies, discouraged baths and made people eat raw animal organs, the wife of a cult leader said Tuesday.
Mexican immigration authorities raided the sex-driven sect's house in the northern state of Nuevo Laredo on January 25, rounding up 14 foreigners, including its Spanish leader Ignacio Gonzalez de Arriba, and 10 Mexicans.
Gonzalez de Arriba saw himself as the reincarnation of Christ and used the Internet to recruit adherents, offering classes on "bio-programming," alternative health care, psychic powers and sexuality, according to the Victim Support Network, which helps people who flee sects.
"They broke you down, making you even doubt your own name," Blanca Castro, who was married to a Venezuelan leader of the Defenders of Christ, told a news conference....
http://www.france24.com/en/20130220-sect-leaders-wife-recounts-life-sex-driven-cult
Blanca Castro, who says she is a victim of the sect 'Defenders of Christ', speaks during a conference press in Mexico City, on February 19, 2013.
AFP - A sect named Defenders of Christ that was broken up in Mexico last month forced women to participate in orgies, discouraged baths and made people eat raw animal organs, the wife of a cult leader said Tuesday.
Mexican immigration authorities raided the sex-driven sect's house in the northern state of Nuevo Laredo on January 25, rounding up 14 foreigners, including its Spanish leader Ignacio Gonzalez de Arriba, and 10 Mexicans.
Gonzalez de Arriba saw himself as the reincarnation of Christ and used the Internet to recruit adherents, offering classes on "bio-programming," alternative health care, psychic powers and sexuality, according to the Victim Support Network, which helps people who flee sects.
"They broke you down, making you even doubt your own name," Blanca Castro, who was married to a Venezuelan leader of the Defenders of Christ, told a news conference....
http://www.france24.com/en/20130220-sect-leaders-wife-recounts-life-sex-driven-cult
The Benefits of Positive Parenting, Children's Memory May Be More Reliable Than Adults' In Court Cases
The Benefits of Positive Parenting
By DAVID BORNSTEIN February 20, 2013
Is there a science to parenting?
For all the current discussion in the United States about gun violence and mental illness, there has been little attention paid to root causes. Any effort aiming to reduce gun violence — or child abuse, intimate partner violence, suicide or sexual abuse — must include a serious discussion about how society can improve the quality of parenting.
In 2010, children’s protective service agencies investigated 1.8 million referrals of child abuse and neglect pertaining to 3 million children. Although only 20 percent of these were substantiated, researchers report that physical abuse, including harsh physical discipline that is equivalent to abuse, is vastly underreported and may be 20 times more prevalent than is reflected in official statistics. (In other countries, including Spain, India and Egypt, harsh punishment is even more prevalent.) In Philadelphia, this behavior has recently been linked to the recession and the rate of mortgage foreclosures. When lenders put people out of their homes, one unforeseen consequence is that more kids end up with traumatic brain injuries.
It is now well accepted that physical discipline is not only less effective than other non-coercive methods, it is more harmful than has often been understood — and not just to children. A review of two decades worth of studies has shown that corporal punishment is associated with antisocial behavior and aggression in children, and later in life is linked to depression, unhappiness, anxiety, drug and alcohol use and psychological maladjustment. Beyond beating, parents can also hurt children by humiliating them, labeling them in harmful ways (“Why are you so stupid?”), or continually criticizing their behavior....
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/helping-the-parents-to-spare-the-children/
Children's Memory May Be More Reliable Than Adults' In Court Cases
Mar. 17, 2008 — The U.S. legal system has long assumed that all testimony is not equally credible, that some witnesses are more reliable than others. In tough cases with child witnesses, it assumes adult witnesses to be more reliable. But what if the legal system had it wrong?....
They say children depend more heavily on a part of the mind that records, "what actually happened," while adults depend more on another part of the mind that records, "the meaning of what happened." As a result, they say, adults are more susceptible to false memories, which can be extremely problematic in court cases.....
This research shows that meaning-based memories are largely responsible for false memories, especially in adult witnesses. Because the ability to extract meaning from experience develops slowly, children are less likely to produce these false memories than adults, and are more likely to give accurate testimony when properly questioned.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124445.htm
By DAVID BORNSTEIN February 20, 2013
Is there a science to parenting?
For all the current discussion in the United States about gun violence and mental illness, there has been little attention paid to root causes. Any effort aiming to reduce gun violence — or child abuse, intimate partner violence, suicide or sexual abuse — must include a serious discussion about how society can improve the quality of parenting.
In 2010, children’s protective service agencies investigated 1.8 million referrals of child abuse and neglect pertaining to 3 million children. Although only 20 percent of these were substantiated, researchers report that physical abuse, including harsh physical discipline that is equivalent to abuse, is vastly underreported and may be 20 times more prevalent than is reflected in official statistics. (In other countries, including Spain, India and Egypt, harsh punishment is even more prevalent.) In Philadelphia, this behavior has recently been linked to the recession and the rate of mortgage foreclosures. When lenders put people out of their homes, one unforeseen consequence is that more kids end up with traumatic brain injuries.
It is now well accepted that physical discipline is not only less effective than other non-coercive methods, it is more harmful than has often been understood — and not just to children. A review of two decades worth of studies has shown that corporal punishment is associated with antisocial behavior and aggression in children, and later in life is linked to depression, unhappiness, anxiety, drug and alcohol use and psychological maladjustment. Beyond beating, parents can also hurt children by humiliating them, labeling them in harmful ways (“Why are you so stupid?”), or continually criticizing their behavior....
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/helping-the-parents-to-spare-the-children/
Children's Memory May Be More Reliable Than Adults' In Court Cases
Mar. 17, 2008 — The U.S. legal system has long assumed that all testimony is not equally credible, that some witnesses are more reliable than others. In tough cases with child witnesses, it assumes adult witnesses to be more reliable. But what if the legal system had it wrong?....
They say children depend more heavily on a part of the mind that records, "what actually happened," while adults depend more on another part of the mind that records, "the meaning of what happened." As a result, they say, adults are more susceptible to false memories, which can be extremely problematic in court cases.....
This research shows that meaning-based memories are largely responsible for false memories, especially in adult witnesses. Because the ability to extract meaning from experience develops slowly, children are less likely to produce these false memories than adults, and are more likely to give accurate testimony when properly questioned.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124445.htm
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Discovery of father's Scout abuse file triggers memories, Rape Is Rape, Wrong Is Wrong
Discovery of father's Scout abuse file triggers memories, what ifs for brother and sister
February 17, 2013 Associated Press
On opposite sides of the world, the brother and sister sat transfixed before their computers, reading a stranger's account of long-ago secrets and deeply buried sins.
The memo was just four pages long, about an incident in 1963 at a Boy Scout camp in New Jersey. A Scout executive had gotten drunk during an overnight outing, then was discovered gambling with a group of boys. But there was more.
The brother and sister read on — about how this man "was observed molesting an Explorer Scout sitting at his side." About how he was admitted, voluntarily, to a mental hospital. They read about an investigation that determined he had tried to molest another Scout. It found that this man's "problem," as the document called it, had apparently existed for decades.
They read, too, about a call from this local Boy Scouts council for "suppression of spread of incident beyond group with knowledge of it." ''We know enough to advise that Brandon P. Gray should never again be registered in any capacity with the Boy Scouts of America," the memo stated....
According to his file, Gray started drinking on Feb. 2, 1963, at the Scouts' Mt. Allamuchy camp in Stanhope, N.J., during the annual Klondike Derby, an event in which Scouts pull sleds. That evening, he was discovered playing cards for cash in a cabin with several Explorer Scouts, in violation of camp policy.
Gray, the file said, "was observed molesting" one of those Scouts, whose age wasn't mentioned. An adult in the room moved the boy away from Gray, but took no further action "in an effort to avoid a 'scene,'" the record stated. Gray continued to drink, grew agitated and attempted to hit someone. Adult Scouts then subdued him and eventually he fell asleep.
By the next morning, Gray's wife, Ruth, had been contacted and Gray admitted himself to a mental hospital. The Scouts then met with the Explorer, who confirmed "the violation." Upon his release from the hospital, Gray was terminated. No records identified by The Associated Press show any charges or convictions for Gray in connection with the incident or any other charges for sex abuse....
After his dismissal on Feb. 7, 1963, Gray went home to his family. Carol was 12 years old. Jim was only 7.
Old memories can flicker and fade. But for Carol and Jim, some memories simply aren't there, an abyss they say protects them from remembering some of the worst of their abuse.
Carol believes hers began when she was 5 years old. Years of psychiatric help and attempts to recover memories haven't yielded much more. But a fact from her past lingers: "I believe that mine stopped when Dad started abusing my brother."
Brandon Gray's removal from Scouting was, his son said, the beginning of a decade of sexual abuse. It began soon after that February day in 1963 and continued until Jim graduated high school and joined the U.S. Marines Corps.
Unlike Carol, Jim has little trouble remembering. His father would stalk up the stairs and push his way into Jim's room. Once, when Jim was about 11 years old, his mother walked in to find him and his father engaged in a sexual act. She turned and walked out. A day later, she moved Jim's entire bedroom upstairs, the posters in the same place they had been in his old room, the bed in the same spot.
It was, he said, his mother's attempt at physically shunting off the problem she could no longer deny....
"The worst thing about the sexual abuse, mental health problems, alcoholism and all that ... are the losses," said Jim, 58. "The loss of being able to maintain healthy relationships, intimacy, having children. These things that most people take for granted, I won't have those.
"By the time I recovered, it was too late to do those things."....
Jim contacted The Associated Press after the files were released in mid-October. He did so because he said he wants to show that victims of sex abuse can, with a lot of work, live full lives. He believes that he and his sister are proof of that.
He also wants to show the real consequences of the Scouts' inaction....
He still struggles with the memories of his abuse.
"Am I healed? I wish that were possible," he said. "Like a person who has lost an arm or a leg, I have learned to adapt. I do not think I will ever be healed. I can say that I am happy more than I am sad."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/17/discovery-father-scout-abuse-file-triggers-memories-what-ifs-for-brother-and/
Rape Is Rape, Wrong Is Wrong, Where Is Decency?
02/19/2013 Stuart Muszynski
From the public outrage over the oxymoronic statements of this past election cycle about "legitimate rape" and "violent rape," we learned, thankfully, that most Americans agree that rape of any kind is wrong. However, if you're following the sordid story of the Steubenville High School "Big Red" football players who were charged with raping a 16-year-old girl from West Virginia, you see how the cruelty, immorality and true violent nature of rape is defended, diminished and deflected.
The allegations are that last August, two high school football players raped the girl, then dragged her unconscious from party to party while many people looked on and did nothing. Multiple cell phones recorded the events, and later onlookers posted the videos on the Internet. The video footage showed a naked girl, out cold, along with other football players laughingly boasting that "She's dead" and "I'm going to join the rape crew."
Clearly they knew what was happening, but they were caught up in the moment with their buddies. Some team members and their friends stood by and did nothing while others encouraged the rape or actively took part in it.
That's bad enough, but what occurred next, after the girl's parents reported the rape to the police, is just as shocking.
Big Red Football Coach Reno Saccoccia suspended the two players who allegedly raped the victim, but didn't suspend any of the players who live-tweeted the attack while it was happening or joked about it afterward. The coach's reason was that the boys said that that they didn't think they had done anything wrong....
Consider the following statistics:....One third of high school girls will be involved in dating violence. Twenty percent of teens will be sexually assaulted.
While schools are trying to address bullying, they are not addressing decency, goodness, kindness or respect. Ultimately, not doing so has a cultural impact on both community and country.
Almost fifty years ago, in March, 1964, 38 people watched from their New York City apartments as Kitty Genovese was raped and then killed. Thirty years later, dozens of motorists on a Detroit bridge watched as a woman who, beaten during a road rage incident, jumped off the bridge to her death to avoid her assailant. Bystanders just sat in their cars.
When addressing rape, gun violence, bullying and other types of violent behavior, our country must depend on good people who recognize evil and do the right thing by standing up to help. To ensure decency, we have no choice but to rely on our schools because some parents just are not doing their jobs.
Anna Sewell, a British novelist who wrote Black Beauty, said, "If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop and do nothing, we make ourselves share in the guilt."....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stuart-muszynski/steubenville-rape-case_b_2718805.html
February 17, 2013 Associated Press
On opposite sides of the world, the brother and sister sat transfixed before their computers, reading a stranger's account of long-ago secrets and deeply buried sins.
The memo was just four pages long, about an incident in 1963 at a Boy Scout camp in New Jersey. A Scout executive had gotten drunk during an overnight outing, then was discovered gambling with a group of boys. But there was more.
The brother and sister read on — about how this man "was observed molesting an Explorer Scout sitting at his side." About how he was admitted, voluntarily, to a mental hospital. They read about an investigation that determined he had tried to molest another Scout. It found that this man's "problem," as the document called it, had apparently existed for decades.
They read, too, about a call from this local Boy Scouts council for "suppression of spread of incident beyond group with knowledge of it." ''We know enough to advise that Brandon P. Gray should never again be registered in any capacity with the Boy Scouts of America," the memo stated....
According to his file, Gray started drinking on Feb. 2, 1963, at the Scouts' Mt. Allamuchy camp in Stanhope, N.J., during the annual Klondike Derby, an event in which Scouts pull sleds. That evening, he was discovered playing cards for cash in a cabin with several Explorer Scouts, in violation of camp policy.
Gray, the file said, "was observed molesting" one of those Scouts, whose age wasn't mentioned. An adult in the room moved the boy away from Gray, but took no further action "in an effort to avoid a 'scene,'" the record stated. Gray continued to drink, grew agitated and attempted to hit someone. Adult Scouts then subdued him and eventually he fell asleep.
By the next morning, Gray's wife, Ruth, had been contacted and Gray admitted himself to a mental hospital. The Scouts then met with the Explorer, who confirmed "the violation." Upon his release from the hospital, Gray was terminated. No records identified by The Associated Press show any charges or convictions for Gray in connection with the incident or any other charges for sex abuse....
After his dismissal on Feb. 7, 1963, Gray went home to his family. Carol was 12 years old. Jim was only 7.
Old memories can flicker and fade. But for Carol and Jim, some memories simply aren't there, an abyss they say protects them from remembering some of the worst of their abuse.
Carol believes hers began when she was 5 years old. Years of psychiatric help and attempts to recover memories haven't yielded much more. But a fact from her past lingers: "I believe that mine stopped when Dad started abusing my brother."
Brandon Gray's removal from Scouting was, his son said, the beginning of a decade of sexual abuse. It began soon after that February day in 1963 and continued until Jim graduated high school and joined the U.S. Marines Corps.
Unlike Carol, Jim has little trouble remembering. His father would stalk up the stairs and push his way into Jim's room. Once, when Jim was about 11 years old, his mother walked in to find him and his father engaged in a sexual act. She turned and walked out. A day later, she moved Jim's entire bedroom upstairs, the posters in the same place they had been in his old room, the bed in the same spot.
It was, he said, his mother's attempt at physically shunting off the problem she could no longer deny....
"The worst thing about the sexual abuse, mental health problems, alcoholism and all that ... are the losses," said Jim, 58. "The loss of being able to maintain healthy relationships, intimacy, having children. These things that most people take for granted, I won't have those.
"By the time I recovered, it was too late to do those things."....
Jim contacted The Associated Press after the files were released in mid-October. He did so because he said he wants to show that victims of sex abuse can, with a lot of work, live full lives. He believes that he and his sister are proof of that.
He also wants to show the real consequences of the Scouts' inaction....
He still struggles with the memories of his abuse.
"Am I healed? I wish that were possible," he said. "Like a person who has lost an arm or a leg, I have learned to adapt. I do not think I will ever be healed. I can say that I am happy more than I am sad."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/17/discovery-father-scout-abuse-file-triggers-memories-what-ifs-for-brother-and/
Rape Is Rape, Wrong Is Wrong, Where Is Decency?
02/19/2013 Stuart Muszynski
From the public outrage over the oxymoronic statements of this past election cycle about "legitimate rape" and "violent rape," we learned, thankfully, that most Americans agree that rape of any kind is wrong. However, if you're following the sordid story of the Steubenville High School "Big Red" football players who were charged with raping a 16-year-old girl from West Virginia, you see how the cruelty, immorality and true violent nature of rape is defended, diminished and deflected.
The allegations are that last August, two high school football players raped the girl, then dragged her unconscious from party to party while many people looked on and did nothing. Multiple cell phones recorded the events, and later onlookers posted the videos on the Internet. The video footage showed a naked girl, out cold, along with other football players laughingly boasting that "She's dead" and "I'm going to join the rape crew."
Clearly they knew what was happening, but they were caught up in the moment with their buddies. Some team members and their friends stood by and did nothing while others encouraged the rape or actively took part in it.
That's bad enough, but what occurred next, after the girl's parents reported the rape to the police, is just as shocking.
Big Red Football Coach Reno Saccoccia suspended the two players who allegedly raped the victim, but didn't suspend any of the players who live-tweeted the attack while it was happening or joked about it afterward. The coach's reason was that the boys said that that they didn't think they had done anything wrong....
Consider the following statistics:....One third of high school girls will be involved in dating violence. Twenty percent of teens will be sexually assaulted.
While schools are trying to address bullying, they are not addressing decency, goodness, kindness or respect. Ultimately, not doing so has a cultural impact on both community and country.
Almost fifty years ago, in March, 1964, 38 people watched from their New York City apartments as Kitty Genovese was raped and then killed. Thirty years later, dozens of motorists on a Detroit bridge watched as a woman who, beaten during a road rage incident, jumped off the bridge to her death to avoid her assailant. Bystanders just sat in their cars.
When addressing rape, gun violence, bullying and other types of violent behavior, our country must depend on good people who recognize evil and do the right thing by standing up to help. To ensure decency, we have no choice but to rely on our schools because some parents just are not doing their jobs.
Anna Sewell, a British novelist who wrote Black Beauty, said, "If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop and do nothing, we make ourselves share in the guilt."....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stuart-muszynski/steubenville-rape-case_b_2718805.html
Monday, February 18, 2013
Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people, multiple personality disorder (MPD) valid and caused by extreme child abuse
- Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people
- Professional skepticism of multiple personality disorder.
- Mental health professionals' skepticism about multiple personality disorder.
- Psychiatrists’ Attitudes Toward Dissociative Disorders Diagnoses
"Data from 425 respondents indicated that the majority of psychologists believed multiple personality disorder (MPD) to be a valid but rare clinical diagnosis. Respondents cited extreme child abuse as the foremost cause of MPD."
Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people
Dame Janet Smith's investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC over five decades highlights scale of allegations it covers Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 February 2013
The judge-led investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC in the Jimmy Savile era has been contacted by more than 425 people and carried out 60 in-person interviews with witnesses.
The Dame Janet Smith review on Monday said it had conducted approximately 250 conversations with witnesses since its inquiry began in December.
About 60 interviews face-to-face interviews have taken place with witnesses in London and further meetings are planned over the coming weeks, the inquiry said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/18/jimmy-savile-scandal-judge-review
Professional skepticism of multiple personality disorder.
By Cormier, Jane F.; Thelen, Mark H.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 29(2), Apr 1998, 163-167.
Abstract
If you saw a patient who appeared to have more than one personality, what diagnosis would you make? And how would you vary your clinical approach? Data from 425 respondents indicated that the majority of psychologists believed multiple personality disorder (MPD) to be a valid but rare clinical diagnosis. Respondents cited extreme child abuse as the foremost cause of MPD. Approximately one-half of all respondents believed that they had encountered a client with MPD, whereas less than one-third believed that they had encountered a client who feigned MPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&uid=1998-00832-013
Mental health professionals' skepticism about multiple personality disorder.
By Hayes, Jeffrey A.; Mitchell, Jeffrey C.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 25(4), Nov 1994, 410-415.
Abstract
Three studies were conducted to investigate the nature of mental health professionals' skepticism regarding multiple personality disorder (MPD). An initial pilot study was conducted to develop a psychometrically sound survey instrument. In Study 2, the results of a national survey of 207 mental health professionals supported the hypothesis that skepticism and knowledge about MPD are inversely related, r=–.33, p < .01, although the strength of this relationship varied among professions. Moderate to extreme skepticism was expressed by 24% of the sample. Results from Study 3 supported the hypotheses that MPD is diagnosed with less accuracy than is schizophrenia and that misdiagnosis of MPD is predicted by skepticism about MPD. Findings are related to literature pertaining to mental health professionals' skepticism about MPD and consequential effects on treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&uid=1995-11275-001
Letter to the Editor | July 01, 2000
Psychiatrists’ Attitudes Toward Dissociative Disorders Diagnoses
A. STEVEN FRANKEL , PH.D., J.D.; SHERRY A. SPAN , M.A.
Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:1179-1179. 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.7.1179
In our opinion, the article by Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., et al. (1) failed to comport with the level of scholarship usually required for publication in scientific journals. The authors failed to mention two methodologically sound studies (2, 3) showing that favorable attitudes toward dissociative identity disorder are positively correlated with knowledge about the disorder (from reading texts, attending conferences about dissociative identity disorder, etc.). Furthermore, that they did not assess attitudes toward other DSM-IV disorders may have itself introduced bias. This omission also failed to provide a baseline of skepticism from which attitudes toward all disorders might be assessed.
In addition, the authors’ methodological and statistical procedures were flawed. Random sampling cannot be achieved by a "prescribed formula." The variables assessed did not appear driven by theory. Thus, while their logistic regression appeared sophisticated, the variables it analyzed were not. The most striking problem concerned their interpretation of the data. They reported that "[the disorders] should be included [in DSM-IV] only with reservations" as the modal response. Nevertheless, a sign test shows no significant differences between this group and the group that opted for inclusion without reservations. Thus, the more reasonable interpretation is that the overwhelming majority of responders indicated acceptance—with or without reservations.
http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=174234
- Professional skepticism of multiple personality disorder.
- Mental health professionals' skepticism about multiple personality disorder.
- Psychiatrists’ Attitudes Toward Dissociative Disorders Diagnoses
"Data from 425 respondents indicated that the majority of psychologists believed multiple personality disorder (MPD) to be a valid but rare clinical diagnosis. Respondents cited extreme child abuse as the foremost cause of MPD."
Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people
Dame Janet Smith's investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC over five decades highlights scale of allegations it covers Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 February 2013
The judge-led investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC in the Jimmy Savile era has been contacted by more than 425 people and carried out 60 in-person interviews with witnesses.
The Dame Janet Smith review on Monday said it had conducted approximately 250 conversations with witnesses since its inquiry began in December.
About 60 interviews face-to-face interviews have taken place with witnesses in London and further meetings are planned over the coming weeks, the inquiry said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/18/jimmy-savile-scandal-judge-review
Professional skepticism of multiple personality disorder.
By Cormier, Jane F.; Thelen, Mark H.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 29(2), Apr 1998, 163-167.
Abstract
If you saw a patient who appeared to have more than one personality, what diagnosis would you make? And how would you vary your clinical approach? Data from 425 respondents indicated that the majority of psychologists believed multiple personality disorder (MPD) to be a valid but rare clinical diagnosis. Respondents cited extreme child abuse as the foremost cause of MPD. Approximately one-half of all respondents believed that they had encountered a client with MPD, whereas less than one-third believed that they had encountered a client who feigned MPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&uid=1998-00832-013
Mental health professionals' skepticism about multiple personality disorder.
By Hayes, Jeffrey A.; Mitchell, Jeffrey C.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 25(4), Nov 1994, 410-415.
Abstract
Three studies were conducted to investigate the nature of mental health professionals' skepticism regarding multiple personality disorder (MPD). An initial pilot study was conducted to develop a psychometrically sound survey instrument. In Study 2, the results of a national survey of 207 mental health professionals supported the hypothesis that skepticism and knowledge about MPD are inversely related, r=–.33, p < .01, although the strength of this relationship varied among professions. Moderate to extreme skepticism was expressed by 24% of the sample. Results from Study 3 supported the hypotheses that MPD is diagnosed with less accuracy than is schizophrenia and that misdiagnosis of MPD is predicted by skepticism about MPD. Findings are related to literature pertaining to mental health professionals' skepticism about MPD and consequential effects on treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&uid=1995-11275-001
Letter to the Editor | July 01, 2000
Psychiatrists’ Attitudes Toward Dissociative Disorders Diagnoses
A. STEVEN FRANKEL , PH.D., J.D.; SHERRY A. SPAN , M.A.
Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:1179-1179. 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.7.1179
In our opinion, the article by Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., et al. (1) failed to comport with the level of scholarship usually required for publication in scientific journals. The authors failed to mention two methodologically sound studies (2, 3) showing that favorable attitudes toward dissociative identity disorder are positively correlated with knowledge about the disorder (from reading texts, attending conferences about dissociative identity disorder, etc.). Furthermore, that they did not assess attitudes toward other DSM-IV disorders may have itself introduced bias. This omission also failed to provide a baseline of skepticism from which attitudes toward all disorders might be assessed.
In addition, the authors’ methodological and statistical procedures were flawed. Random sampling cannot be achieved by a "prescribed formula." The variables assessed did not appear driven by theory. Thus, while their logistic regression appeared sophisticated, the variables it analyzed were not. The most striking problem concerned their interpretation of the data. They reported that "[the disorders] should be included [in DSM-IV] only with reservations" as the modal response. Nevertheless, a sign test shows no significant differences between this group and the group that opted for inclusion without reservations. Thus, the more reasonable interpretation is that the overwhelming majority of responders indicated acceptance—with or without reservations.
http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=174234
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