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Following on from my previous article on Rapid
Cycling Bipolar in Infancy as an underlying cause
of Exposure Anxiety (which I call the invisible
cage of involuntary self protection mechanisms)
and disturbed language/sensory processing development
in 'autism', I came across this on an Independant
Autism website in the UK.
Manic Depression
"Autistic Children who have no apparent neurological
basis for their disorders may actually be suffering
from an inherited, early-onset form of manic-depression,
according to results of two studies conducted
at Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC.
The findings were reported in the May and August
1994 issues of "Developmental Medicine and
Child Neurology.""
As I see Rapid Cycling Bipolar (which can occur
even up to every 40 mins in some people) as one
of many but one of the most essential underlying
causes of the progressive development of the involuntary
self protection response Exposure Anxiety which
caused a lifetime of involuntary avoidance, diversion,
retaliation responses within my formally diagnosed
'autism' (before medication), and as Rapid Cycling
Bipolar is so treatable in most cases through
small amounts of THE CORRECT and properly monitored
medication (and in some cases, such as my own,
combined with dietary intervention and nutritional
support- not to mention that some folks manage
bipolar with omega 3s rather than, or in addition
to small amounts of medication), and as untreated
Rapid Cycling Bipolar has implications for adrenal
function and the impact on gut/immune health (with
consequences for impaired ability to keep up with/process
the rate of incoming information which often amounts
to being monotracked as an adaptation to information
overload), these links are certainly worth exploring.
This is not to say this is relevant for all people
diagnosed with autism, nor that everyone caught
up in this invisible cage of involuntary self
protection mechanisms has this as the underlying
cause or isn't happy in their prison/sanctuary,
but some who suffer from acute chronic Exposure
Anxiety are extremely frustrated and impaired
because of it and deserve access to the knowledge
out there to make informed choices and those who
have never experienced these levels of contortion,
imprisonment and frustration cannot deny the rights
of others to look for those avenues which might
make their lives easier. Once something like Rapid
Cycling Bipolar in infancy has already made it's
impact on neurological organisation and development,
it's possible that treatment for an original mood
disorder will not take away all of its developmental
consequences, but every person is different and
for some it may free up the potential of development.
http://www.namiwisconsin.org/library/children/mood_bipolar.cfm
http://www.e-provider.org/articles/2003Feb_bipolar.htm
Further to my article about autism and bipolar
in my own case, here's more info on the connection
for those for whom it's relevant. For me the tragedy
of this connection is that bipolar in infancy
is generally treatable with medication (and from
what I've read on the web adults with bipolar
are also known to supplement minimal doses of
medication with omega 3s or deal with it using
high doses of omega 3s). As I wrote, I blamed
the constant emotional fits in infancy (which
happened about 6 times a day) with the progressive
encapsulation within the involuntary self protection
response of Exposure Anxiety (causing involuntary
avoidance, diversion, retaliation responses and
having a significant impact on the development
of information processing and 'functional' communication).
Whilst this underlying cause is not that of all
people with 'autism', if sending this out helps
others for whom it is relevant, then that's great.
MANIC DEPRESSION AND AUTISM
According to a recent study at the Duke University
Medical Center, some cases of autism may be associated
with a family history of depressive illness. Autism,
a disorder marked by social withdrawal and an
inability to interact with the environment, seems
to appear more frequently in families with a strong
history of bipolar illness, the study found.
In connection with his study of 40 autistic children,
Duke researcher Dr.Robert DeLong reported in the
journal Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
that in 14 of the cases reviewed there was a strong
family history of depression or manic depressive
illness.
The study hypothesized that when manic depression
strikes in early infancy, it may blunt the child's
cognitive, social, and emotional development irreversibly,
so that the child's brain never develops the framework
in which to build communications skills. In extreme
cases, this may lead to clinical autism.
(Reprinted from the National DMDA Newsletter,
vol. 7, no. 1)
Sincerely... Donna Williams *)
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