Derek has replied this way.
“Hi all, I am working on my response to Anonymous, and I do appreciate everyone's defense of me. If anonymous is seeking an objective response I can certainly provide that.
“Ron I think I will break my response into three portions, one addressing the ‘double dose;’ another addressing the ‘lobotomy;’ and a third to address the question of Amie in regards to custody.
“To begin with I would say to Anonymous I can appreciate you questioning the details of this case and in fact I do very much welcome it. Your questions are certainly valid. However it would be far more objective if you waited for a response before casting judgement upon Ron's objectivity.
“Now as per your question, ‘Derek says the dosage is twice the amount recommended. However, is Derek a pediatrician or a child psychiatrist?’ This is actually untrue. I have never said that. What I have done is to quote the prescribing doctor who first saw Ayn after removal. She was placed into acute psychiatric care and I have extensively quoted her discharge papers which were provided to me. MCFD would not attach this hospital report to their affidavit so in order to get it before the courts I had to attach it to mine. Here is the quote directly from the report itself, which was written by the Doctor: ‘chlorpromazine 75mg PO q4h PRN, 10 dose prescription given (note: this dose can only be given twice per 24h, as technically the maximum dose for her size is not much more than 75mg daily!’ The exclamation point is the Doctor’s not mine.
“As a side note I would urge those curious to review several other quotes taken from the hospital report: such as: ‘We saw no bruises or evidence of physical abuse, and her body status (weight, height, vital signs) showed no evidence of neglect’…. ‘She is autistic’… ‘Pediatrics consult by Dr. ***** revealed a normal, healthy young girl with no physical concerns.’ (I am withholding the doctors’ names for their privacy) ‘Ayn was occasionally aggressive as she was expecting to go home.’
“Now as per Chlorpromazine and its description as a chemical lobotomizer, this is due to two factors. Firstly, it replaced the physical lobotomies which were being performed at the time and secondly, due to its similar effects on the frontal lobe's activity. ‘The blunting of conscious motivation, and the inability to solve problems under the influence of chlorpromazine (Thorazine) resembles nothing so much as the effects of frontal lobotomy. . . Research has suggested that lobotomies and chemicals like chlorpromazine may cause their effects in the same way, by disrupting the activity of the neurochemical, dopamine. At any rate, a psychiatrist would be hard put to distinguish a lobotomized patient from one treated with chlorpromazine.’ - Peter Sterling, neuroanatomist, article Psychiatry's Drug Addiction, New Republic magazine (March 3, 1979)" One need only do minimal searching to locate the information on this drug which was marketed as a "chemical lobotomy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0aNILW6ILk
Lobotomy - PBS documentary on Walter Freeman
The Lobotomist, Walter J. Freeman http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lobotomist/program/ Click the links to learn more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Freeman...
“Now in answer to your third question it can be answered quite simply, Amie was not considered for custody as no relative was, and just as no foster home in the province was, Ayn was deemed unsuitable for foster care. Ayn was removed under the pretext that she was suffering from some undiagnosed second condition, one which was never named, but she was portrayed and treated by MCFD as an acute mental patient in urgent need of help. This is so troubling because though I rationally disputed this and the acute psychiatric hospital refused to keep her, finding no other condition than autism, the MCFD continued to pursue a path of psychiatric treatment. I was told bluntly that they were still going to pursue it but would simply seek a placement within a residential psychiatric facility. It was not until their own autism specialist, a doctor, said that they could not do that as Ayn was simply autistic, that they relented. This was not until day 45. This also begs the question why was she not returned with apologies at that time. Amie as well as many others close to us would have gladly taken Ayn in the interim to avoid the nightmare she was put through, unfortunately the decision was not ours but rather it was the decision of the MCFD and they refused to consider placement with any of our family members.
“Thank you Velvet Martin and Ron Unruh for bringing these questions to my attention. Anonymous I do not at all mind answering tough questions, but please do not attack Ron's integrity as he has been very thorough and thoughtful in seeking answers from me to questions of his own. If you have any further questions I will be more than happy to address them.
“If one could only imagine the pain it brings to know that your child and their beautiful mind has been assailed by a chemical at twice the dose which was designed to mimic a lobotomy.”
Then Derek attached with comment this audio/visual opp. "A little video I made with the lyrics of this great song. Hope you enjoy it. :)"
Daddy's coming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jow7c0EVXeM
"Grey Street" - Dave Matthews Band
“Heartbreaking,” Derek punctuated in conclusion.
Indeed it is Derek.
You write a good blog, Ron. Just encouraging a bit more objectivity to lend credence to it. Job done in this case.
ReplyDeleteI'd just like to say - repeat actually - never did I suggest this dear little girl should or shouldn't be prescribed a medication. Never did I comment on the amount. My comment was strictly regarding Ron's characterization of a drug, and how that may influence someone unduly who reads that characterization without doing their own research and without considering their own unique needs. As treatment for one person with autism will not necessarily be the same as treatment for another - same goes for any other number of diagnosis be they behavioural, medical, viral, psychiatric etc etc etc.
The question about Ayn being with her mom is a genuine one. Not an indictment. Not an "insinuation". The assumption that it was an insinuation falls strictly on the perceptions of the readers who took it that way. Though the defensive nature of the response to the question is understandable. Aimee responded saying she is more than willing, able, and happy to adapt to Ayn's needs. Children should be with their parents whenever possible. Seems Aimee is willing. If anyone doubts the intent, go back and read the comments again. Nothing was said about either parents ability, whether a child should or shouldn't be in care, nor whether a drug is good or bad. Assumptions solely on the part of readers here (thanks to Ron for not assuming!)