00] NEWS: avi DISEASE labels are now being happily slapped on an ever- increasing range of behavionr. / Members of the psvchiatric, medical, and legal professions, and of course their patients and clients, have all taken to the idiom of disease like ducks to water. When last did you hear a person being described as a plain son-ot-a-bitch? Instead it’s Keptomaniac for thief pyromaniac instead of arsonist; and sex, drug, and gambling addict in place of slut, junkie, and fraud. Rather than pein: to activi- ties involving morals, choices, and agency, these cuphemisms denote a discase condition outside the individual’s con- trol. But reducing complex atterns of behaviour tu the ” basic components of genetics .and biochernistry is poor sci- entitic practice, as is it morally and intellectually impover- ished. . Dr. John Rarey is a Harvard associate professor and a well-respected, promi- nent psychiatrist. _ In his 1997 book Shadow Syndromes, Ratey claims that “ quirky behaviours are actually > mild mental illnesses resulting from brain dysfunction. The fout who is appropriately obse- -quious with the boss because “he knows where his bread is buttered but who is less dainty with the wife, even thumping her occasionally, would be a candidate for compassion. He . is after ail doing battle with what Dr, Ratey terms “Intermittent Rage Disorder.” =. And the'dad who dotes on his children while they are around him, but fails to mail them child support moncy when they are out of sight? He isn’t shirking his responsi- bilities, but is simply 2ffticted with “Environmental Dependency Disorder” — he “.remembe:s his kids only when they are aromad. - “Is there proof for these so- ‘ called disease.categories? None . whatsoever, but this has not ~ prevented Ratey and many like im from coating their pro- “pouncements with th: neces: sary professional patina to “ensure respectability —.and.. “ther cashing in. - + Jf Ratey is up the creek without a paddle, then he is _up there with the best of com- ur i fair comment pany. The Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), the Rosetta Stone of the profes- sion, has grown since its incep- tion in the 1950s trom 60 cat- evories of abnormal behaviour to about 410 diagnostic labels today and counting. Are we sicker today than in the 1950s? Hardly. Many of the disorders described in the DSM-IV are 2 matter of trend and niche. In many ways the ritual between psychiatrist and patient is no more refined or clevated than the one besweei exorcist and man of cloth a couple of cen- turies ago. One of the diagnoses Dr, Ratey is particularly fond of is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). So fond is he of this chimera that he diagnosed himself with it. The reason this seemingly competent person decided he had a learning disorder is because he was unable to free- associate during psychoanaly- sis! During free association, the psychoanalyst will ask you to say the first thing that comes to mind in response ta her utterance. Ratey felt his lack of cre- ativity in this area proved how linear and goal-directed he was, and thus deserving of the diagnosis of ADHD (and ! thought ADHD meant you couldn’t concentrate!). But fet’s concentrate on ADHD for a moment because it’s a growing industry. The Canadian ADD Foundation says this learning disorder is likely gencticall transmitted, and that it aflects 6% to 7% of the population. . There are pervasive efforts to pronounce ADHD a disor- der of the brain, alchough the evidence for this is scant. Driveis by advocates and special interests, among them U.S. Vice-President Al Gore’s wife Tipper and a slew of med- "ical professionals and pediars of pharmaceuticals, U.S. legis- /MORTH VAN GIRLS SOFTBALL | REP TRYOUTS | f. September ith and 12th ‘Squirts (1988 & 1989) | 8:30am PeeWee (1986 & 1987) Bantam (1984 & 1985) 10:30am ¢ 12:30pm § Midget (1961, 1982, 1983) 2:30pm f All tryouts to be held at LOUTZT PARK & >. -(27th St. E. and Rufus Ave.) - “For Information calls. Pau! McKey 983-2276. abnormal a disease fation has decreed that ADHD is a brain-based disorder. This is most curious because the flagship American National Institute of Health (NTH), led by a panel of inde- pendent scientists, reached the conclusion that there is as yet “no independent valid test” for ADHD, and that “further research is necessary to estab- lish ADHD as a brain disor- der.” The treatment protocol for ADHD is another aspect of this controversial diagnosis that gives the NIH pause. Children with ADHD are often given powerful psyches- timulants. Yet there are no iong-term studies of cither stimulants or psychosocial treatments and certainly “no information on the long-term outcomes of medication-treat- ed ADHD individuals in terms of educational and occupation- al achievements, involvement with: the police, or other areas of social functioning.” But what must surely put the advocates’ sorident thrust and parry to shame is the NIH’s consistent findings that treatment for ADHD yields little improvement in academic achievement and social skills, Treatment, it seems, doesn’t do what it is supposed to do. If nothing else, scrutinize the diagnostic criteria. Who doesn’t know a child — tor that matter an adult — who “has difficulty sustaining arten- tion, doesn’t scem to listen when spoken to directly, loses things necessary for tasks, fid- gets, or is on the go constant- _ ly” . For that matter who hasn’t been that child at some point? Couple such subjective diagnostic criteria with the fact boys outnumber girls with the condition by nine to one, and ask yourself whether the ADHD-diagnosis is not inad- vertently targeting typical male exuberance. The ADHD-experts claim that children who take these drugs are better liked by other children and experience less punishment for their actions, which in turn improves their self-image. Considering the adverse effects from the prolonged use of medications for ADHD can range from cardiac arrhythmia through to seizures and liver damage, this is some price to pay for popularity. —gnomeG@attcanada.net Friday, September 3, 1999 — North Shore News — 7 mailbox ss .C. rights code explained Dear Editor: [am writing in response to Nana = Mercer’s = column “Human rights comnission has new targets” — that appeared in your Aug. 20 issuc. The article contained a number of inaccuracies. 1 would also like to com- ment on the commission’s recommendation thar “social condition” be added as a ground of discrimination in the B.C. Human Rignts Code. The purpose of the B.C. Human Rights Code is to ensure that individuals are free to participate in all aspects of society and are treated equally and fairly. It provides processes to prevent and remedy discrimi- nation. The code, not the commis- sion as stated in rhe article, identifies the prohibited grounds of discrimination in British Coiumbia. The code is enforced by the B.C. Human Rights Let sun s Dear Editor: In your Aug. 11 newspa- ver there were two letters regarding North Vancouver City council’s decision to proceed with a new sports field at Sunrise Fark. Those letters suggested improper conduct on the part of certain councillors. I was present st the mect- ing of city council and the oniy improper behaviour that 1 observed was that of some of the members of the Cloverley Resident Association (CRA) with their loud and threatening com- ments after council again voted in favour of the devel- opment of the field. City council unanimously approved the development of the sports field in February 1999, The motion before coun- cil on July 12 was not to defer development of the sports ficid (as stated in one of the Ictters to the editor) but rather a motion to rescind the earlicr unanimous approval. Sunrise Park is an ideal focation for an all-weather sports field. . It is located across the strect from the Revy store, is flat, and has no homes adja- “NATIVE JEWELLERY/ WEDDING RINGS” 444 West 3rd Street, North Vancouver 988-9215 Commission and the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. These are two separate, independent agencies. Each agency has its own mandate and determines its own procedures. The code also mandates the establishment of a volun- tary human rights advisory council. The role of the advi- sory council is to inform the public about the work of the commission, to listen to the issues and concerns raised by the public, and to use the information gathered to make recommendations to the com- mission and the Minister Responsible for Human Rights. The advisory council is independent of both the human rights commission and the human rights tribunal. The recommendation that the code be amended to include protection from dis- crimination based on social condition was the result of a province-wide public consul- tation undertaken by the commission in the fall of 1997. Current protection from discrimination based on source of income provided by the code applies in tenancy sit- uations only and does not address the scope of discrimi- nation experienced by poor people in this society. The addition of the pro- hibited ground of social con- dition to the code would pro- tect poor people in B.C. from discrimination in all areas cov- ered by the code inciuding accommodation, services, and employment. - In order to achieve equali- ty in society people must have access to the protection avail- able through the code when discrimination occurs, and the code must have the ability to protcet iiGse in our society most vulnerable to discrimina- tiun, Parinder Mahii Deputy Commissioner B.C. Human Commission Chief Rights et on Sunrise issue cent to it. Although the area has been dedicated as a park for many years, it has never been developed but instead has been used as a dumping ground by the city. The field that is to be developed will provide some relief to the major shortage of soccer fields in North Vancouver, . The opposition to devel- opment Of the field is noth- ing more than NIMBYism. Members of: the CRA oppose the sports field on the basis’ that it will cause 1 O14, Lube & Filtez rove 21 pt. Safety check,.15 minutes - FAST! © 2 Includes up to 5 lites of 10w30 Quakerstats i : parking problems and will result in traffic on their resi- dential streets; but access to the field will be off Main Street and it is hard to imag- ine any field user parsing cr driving on the residential streets that have access off Keith Road. : More sports fields are required in North Vancouver, and Sunrise Park is an ideal location. Lets get on with develop- ment of this much needed recreation facility. Cal Johnson - North Vancouver aa | ofl i Y 1362 Marine Drive 9380-9115 Expires Sept. Pn ek ee ee ee)