Tag Archives: Vol 3 No 2

Children of Hoarders

From The Psychology Times, Vol. 3, No. 2

Dr. Chabaud on 20/20

Dr. Suzanne Chabaud, New Orleans clinical psychologist, appeared on the August 5 episode of ABC’s prime time news magazine, 20/20, as part of a special report about children of hoarders and the psychological impact that they must manage as adults.

Dr. Chabaud, an expert on obsessive-compulsive disorders and hoarding-related topics, regularly appears on the A & E television show Hoarders.

Through this work she increased her awareness of the psychological impact on the children coming from these homes, she told the Times.

“These children of hoarders, they walk around with this feeling like ‘I didn’t get the basics on how a person is supposed to live their life,’ “ Dr. Chabaud explained to 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas.

“The effects of a childhood that was hoarded are pervasive and long-lasting,” Chabaud said. “… These children have a burden that lasts a lifetime.”

The 20/20 episode focused on the lives of several adult children of hoarders and a support group, called Children of Hoarders, Inc. Dr. Chabaud serves this group as an expert resource, answering questions, giving help, and reviewing the groups outreach projects, she explained to the Times.

Dr. Chabaud and colleagues at her OCD Institute engage in research about the problems encountered by children of hoarders. In July 2011 she and her colleagues hosted a weekend long seminar for children of hoarders. Twenty-one individuals from around the country spent four days in her research center and worked to develop goals and resources for this population.

“This was an amazing experience,” Dr. Chabaud noted, “and it was the first time most of the attendees ever had a slumber party. We organized focus-groups for outreach, education, research, support, public policy, and media.”

Dr. Chabaud has begun a second phase of research efforts for children of hoarders, including “…an online survey of many aspects of growing up in hoarded homes and establishing an adult life,” she noted. Her group is also working to increase public awareness, and develop local task forces to “ coordinate public officials, community resources and mental health specialists to address the needs of people who are living in hoarded homes.”

In a recent interview with WWL-TV in New Orleans, Dr. Chabaud commented, “Children of hoarders’ lives are deprived in so many ways. It’s not just the unhealthy environment; it’s the emotional contact with a significant adult. It’s the loss of skills for just maintaining their lives, down to bathing, making beds, organizing their belongings.”

“You just can’t put these children in foster homes. There has to be a program to help them through this.”

For more information about Dr. Suzanne Chabaud’s innovative work with children of hoarders, go to her website www.ocdigno.com.

The 20/20 episode can be watched online at:

http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55138532/2020-85-children-of-hoarders

Benefits of a Gluten-Free Brain

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From The Psychology Times, Vol. 3, No. 2

Nutrition and Health

Most of us have seen the gluten-free alternatives now offered at grocery stores and restaurants. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease. When a person is exposed to wheat gluten the body starts to destroy the gut lining which leads to mal-absorption, diarrhea, malnutrition, stunted growth, and even other auto-immune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Celiac has also been linked to psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia,[1] depression, and behavioral disorders.[2]

You might be thinking that since you don’t have celiac disease, that gluten-free products aren’t for you. But some people have gluten sensitivity. This means that, for example, a woman’s medical tests show she does not have celiac disease, but she has brain fog and fatigue when she eats gluten-containing foods and her symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet.

A gluten-free diet may be beneficial for patients struggling with mood disorders, schizophrenia, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, autism, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and eczema.

More about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can be found at www.metametrix.com

[1] A. De Santis, G. Addolorato, A. Romito, S. Caputo, A. Giordano, G. Gambassi, C. Taranto, R. Manna, and G. Gasbarrini, J Intern Med 242 (1997) 421. [2] P. A. Pynnonen, E. T. Isometsa, M. A. Verkasalo, S. A. Kahkonen, I. Sipila, E. Savilahti, and V. A. Aalberg, BMC Psychiatry 5 (2005) 14.

Eating One’s Young

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From The Psychology Times, Vol. 3, No. 2

Editorials

Dr. Bolter presented excerpts from the law showing that medical psychologists can practice psychology and he asked the board to see that the intent of Act 251 was to transfer ALL aspects of the practice of psychology. He also said that since the psychology board validates supervisors from other states who were not licensed under the LSBEP, then they should validate medical psychologists, who are not licensed under LSBEP.

Aside from the non sequitur, the issue has more to do with our profession than with the practice of psychology.

Of course the psychology board accepts supervision hours by psychologists licensed under other state psychology boards. We have a whole infrastructure for this issue. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards handles problems of standards, license exams, mobility, and so on. But nowhere in the country are psychologists licensed by medicine. Until Act 251, a shorthand definition of who could supervise, a “psychologist,” was all that had been needed.

And supervision, the nurturing of new psychologists into our profession, is concerned with more than just practice. It is the profession’s way of transferring our identity and values to the next psychologists.

LSBEP has placed the burden on our young psychologists who, if they ever go to another state, just might find out the hard way whether a psychologist needs to have been supervised by someone licensed under a state psychology board.

Our new Chair should reexamine this matter and get testimony from all sides, taking time to carefully review all the applicable laws, not just the parts that support the political agenda of one group.

Letters to the Editor

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From The Psychology Times, Vol. 3, No. 2

I, too, am glad to hear that Darlyne Nemeth is helping with Sunset issues, I served on the Board with her and appeared before the legislature myself to answer questions about whether our Board was doing anything useful.

Isn’t it ironic that Sunset appears just at the time when we have two Boards (?) overseeing psychology. Wonder if those whose idea it was to join the medical board are interested in the opportunity this presents. For example, now we learn that persons who are not licensed by our board can nevertheless supervise psychologists for licensure. What’s next??

My thought is that they would ask why have two boards and suggest only one, doubtless under the newly formed medical committee (!).

Time to listen to the folks at AASPB, a group I know well from my time on the Board, and who are wise in these matters. They counsel that we are doing something very different, which may be very wrong.

I hate to think that simple power politics is at the bottom of all this, but it sure seems that way.

Time for LSBEP to rise up and assert their role in our state. Sunset hearings may be such an opportunity, but we have to get tough with a minority that wants to control things.

Our response had better be ready. And powerful.

Dr. Fred Davis

International Expert Dr. Paul Frick to Highlight Fall Conference Oct 15

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From The Psychology Times, Vol. 3., No. 2

University of New Orleans Department Chair and international expert on disruptive behavior disorders will lead off a conference on Saturday, October 15 at the LSU Cook Alumni Center in Baton Rouge.

Drs. Rita Culross and Marc Zimmermann will present the Ethics portion of the 6-hour continuing education conference, sponsored by the Louisiana Psych-olological Association.

Dr. Frick participated in the American Psychiatric Association’s workgroup for revisions to the DSM-V and was showcased as a highlight at the American Psychological Assoc-iation’s 2010 convention.

Dr. Frick will present “The DSM-V: Overarching Issues and Proposed Changes to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder,” for the morning session.

He is the editor of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, author of over 160 manuscripts and six books, and a Louisiana licensed psychologist.

LSU’s Dr. Rita Culross, the Jo Ellen Levy Yates Professor, and Dr. Marc Zimmermann, Baton Rouge clinical and medical psychologist, with forensic experience, will present the second half of the day on “Ethics.” Both are currently on the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.

Dr. Culross told the Times that the presentation will cover ethical issues for both early career psychologists and those with greater experience. She noted, “Scenarios reflecting real world examples will be presented and discussed.”

Dr. Zimmermann said that the three hours on ethics topics will help practitioners understand how they need to think through ethical issues. “There is no one answer to any problem in this area,” he told the Times. “So, we are going to teach them how to process information in such a way so that they can defend their decisions.”

The conference will be at the LSU Cook Alumni Center, at 9 am. A free continental breakfast is available at 8 am. Six hours of CEs are available.

Executive Director for LPA told the Times that some of the enjoyable restaurants include The Chimes, Seranno’s, and Louie’s Café. The participants will have ample time to eat with friends and enjoy the university atmosphere on Chimes and State Streets. “If someone is feeling really nostalgic, they might even want to eat at the LSU student union,” she said.

For more information contact Ms. Lowe at 225-766-0185 or online at www.louisianapsychologist.org.