Autistic Teen in Critical Condition after Being Stabbed by Mother

Will this be another “life lost to autism”? Anitra Nankins, 36, is in custody after having tortured her son Miles, 13, who is autistic. Miles is still alive, but in a critical condition. The focus in the short media piece is on the neighbors’ surprise at this crime. Anitra Hankins once served on the state [...]

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Disability Blog Carnival: Identity

Welcome to the September Disability Blog Carnival, which has identity as its theme. We have a varied collection of posts many different topics. Enjoy! Firstly, over at Hand to Mouth there is Words for Me: Assistive Technology, Identity, and Disability: At the moment I am spelling on my new input device with fingers that are [...]

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Canadian Government Fights Court Battle Not to Make Websites Accessible

I am not a Canadian, but this astonishes me. The Canadian governmnet is fighting a court case in order to not have to make its websites accessible for screen reader users. Anna over at FWD?Forward has extensive coverage. I am as surprised as she is that the government is willing to pour taxpayer money into [...]

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Mental Illness, Medication, and Fatigue

I have not had the energy to write much lately. The reason is not, as one might think, my mental illness. Yes, I am stressed, but I have been for months. Now, the reason that I have lower energy levels is, in fact, the medication I take for my mental health condition. A combination of [...]

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Autistic Children Not Affected by Contagious Yawning

A few months ago, I was talking to a fellow patient about Asperger’s Syndrome. He asked whether Aspies are subject to contagious yawning. At the same time, my boyfriend and I always joke that we have empathy and are fake autistiics when we copy each other’s yawning – he copies mine far more often than [...]

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Reminder: Disability Blog Carnival

Remember you have only one more week to submit posts for the upcoming Disability Blog Carnival. The theme will be identity, and the deadline for submissions will be September 21. I will publish the carnival here on September 24.

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Autism and Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Last Saturday, I watched the documentary America’s Medicated Kids on Dutch television. In it, one child, Hugh, appears, who has been diagnosed with a host of disorders, among which Asperger’s Syndrome and bipolar disorder. At the end of the film, filmmaker Louis Theroux questions Hugh’s mother as to Hugh’s diagnoses. He clearly sees soe Asperger’s, [...]

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“Exercise for Mental Health!”

Today, I swallowed my first antidepressant tablet ever, and I feel guilty. I currently read a Dutch book on antidepressants, in which psychiatrist Bram Bakker, among others, states his point of view. His opinion is that a stepped-care approach to depression means that people should first be steered towards exercise rather than antidepressants. Now I [...]

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How (Not) to Prevent Suicide

Today, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day. I struggle with this day. Since, you know, well, I was suicidal. Back in 2007 and early 2008, I had suicidal thoughts. I was not depressed – I was screened for that too many times to count. My diagnosis was adjustment disorder, which has very stigmatizing criteria. [...]

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Formal Complaint Filed in Alex Oudman Isolation Case

Alex Oudman is a 50-year-old man with autism. Two years ago, he spent months in an isolation room at two Dutch mental health institutions. Before then, he’d lived for twelve years at a workhome – a sheltered living and working placement for severely autistic people – in Zuidlaren near Groningen. According to the psychiatrist responsible [...]

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