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Post by Amaka E on Mar 13, 2017 12:06:37 GMT -4
I think this article is enlightening and educative as it refers to a discovery that is quite surprising for me at least. The idea that autism is associated with drug use or abuse by those with the disease is interesting as sometimes physicians might over look it, because people with autism usually have no social circle. We therefore we think to ourselves, how then are they going to be exposed to illicit substances or alcohol? It is important to note that the article does refer to marijuana use among these type of patients as a means to bond and make friends while not being seen as abnormal. Perhaps more research should be done on ways to integrate autistic patients into society so that they don't look for alternative methods and in the process get addicted to using illicit substances.
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Post by Ned Kletz on Mar 13, 2017 14:06:55 GMT -4
This article speaks to the comorbidity of Autism Spectrum Disorder and substance abuse which makes a lot of sense given the difficulty those with ASD have making social connections and fitting in. This would seem to be especially the case with higher functioning autism and I would imagine those are the people who have higher incidence of drug use. When the diagnosis of autism was on a narrower range and reserved for lower functioning patients, it does indeed stand to reason that the amount of drug use in that population would be lower than the general population due to lack of independence on the part of the patient. The advancements as far as treatment for autism, as the article outlines, is very encouraging.
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Post by Sharmaine Brar on Mar 15, 2017 12:13:34 GMT -4
The main problem I see here is that mental disorders are not discussed enough so people are unaware of certain symptoms that could be related to a disorder. Many people use drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms for stressors or symptoms that they don't understand. If the general public associates autism to the severe facial features and personality traits then they wouldn’t think twice about the “not so severe” symptoms that they experience. The first step to fixing a problem like this is to make the public aware of things to look out for that aren’t classified as “normal”. If people were educated about signs and symptoms like they’re educated about stroke and heart attacks then I think doctors would be able to catch different disorders quicker.
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Post by Sharon Scaria on Mar 18, 2017 16:23:01 GMT -4
This was truly a shocking article. The thought of autism and addiction having any correlation at all has never crossed my mind. I do see why such a correlation exists and why most people including me would miss it. People with autism are usually withdrawn from society and tends to keep to themselves; which makes them search for other options of fun like alcohol or drugs. Also, since they live a very structured life and and are not usually susceptible to peer pressure, one might not think that patients with autism could be alcoholics, or have issues with substance abuse.
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Post by P Thakur SGU on Mar 20, 2017 16:54:08 GMT -4
I found this article to be quite interesting, especially regarding the likelihood of higher IQ patients with autism having an increased risk for addiction. Autism is a very large spectrum, and many of those diagnosed are the ones which are extreme cases. Such people do lead structured, restricted, and often directed lives, often with limited exposure to alcohol and illicit substances. However, not all people who suffer from autism fit this category, which is why I found the topic and content of this article to be very important. Something new I learned, which I was unaware, was the clinical research being done with Baclofen as a treatment for autism and fragile x.
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Post by A. DEza on Mar 23, 2017 14:11:56 GMT -4
I found the correlation between drug use and autism to be not very surprising. After all, someone that has a functional form of autism would probably look to a substance that helped him break the communication barrier. It is away for them to cope not only with the communication problems, but as well as the need to do impulsive things, and the need to feel connected with friends that they may have not otherwise had. Functional form of autism for many years was overlooked, hopefully this new correlation will help speed up the diagnosis for many that suffer from it unknowingly. As more and more mental illness are connected with the use of drugs hopefully in the future we can start looking at drug addicts as a medical problem rather than a criminal problem.
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Post by Ali Choudhry on Mar 25, 2017 15:52:42 GMT -4
Research in autism proves to be very complex and diverse, resulting in the inability to establish effective links between ASD and other diagnoses. I appreciate the author identifying the many limitations of the research conducted, as it is in fact varied. I believe understanding propensity towards addiction begins with isolating the motive behind the act. This article highlights one motive; drug use as a means to cope with and alleviate stressors, even on a sensory level. Are the addictions serving other purposes? It was also interesting to note the drug of choice depending on intellect and age. Although further studies need to be conducted, I suppose the current level of evidence would allow clinicians to look out for drug use in their ASD patients, as it is a very real possibility. As the article also suggests, these results are only as good as their therapeutic implications. Hopefully, upcoming results will allow for a more thorough, structured approach for the management of addiction in ASD patients.
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Nadine Mohamed UMHS
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Post by Nadine Mohamed UMHS on Mar 27, 2017 17:58:27 GMT -4
Like in this article there are too many individuals who do not get diagnosed at a young age and I think there is a great need for teachers and early childhood educators to be trained to detect certain psychiatric conditions early in life so patients can get the proper treatment and learn to maximize their learning while working with their diagnosis. Also more research needs to be done not only with autism but also with other psychiatric disorders. Because you cannot diagnose a psychiatric disorder from a blood test and because so many individuals around the world have psychiatric disorders, it is important to have a more clear cut understanding of all the different variables that one must take into account when treating these patients.
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Post by J Bass on Mar 29, 2017 20:46:25 GMT -4
Shane Stoner’s addiction is unfortunate but is a good example of how diagnoses often fall through the cracks. When people have problems connecting with other people many different problems can arise. Some people find themselves depressed or addicted to substance abuse. If the proper diagnoses are made early then measures can be taken to help the person before depression and addiction can arise. When it comes to Autism, specifically, it makes since that individuals who feel separated from their peers socially and intellectually would search for a way to feel connected. In their search some turn to substances others, in defeat, slip into a depressive state. Ultimately, individuals with autism and addictive personalities could benefit from speaking to someone who’s a good listener and has an open heart.
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Post by Omose O. on Mar 30, 2017 17:08:29 GMT -4
I find this article to be really educative and interesting as i have always wondered how patients with Autism cope. It is understandable that most patients might be addicts as they are mostly segregated from the public and have little or no friends. More attention should be paid to autistic patients to avoid depression, anti-social characters, suicidal ideations and anxiety. I genuinely believe more research into the neurological and behavioral similarities between these conditions would be extremely beneficial considering how common they are. It could help current addicts who don't know they have autism get the correct treatment and help prevent those with high risk autism from becoming addicts by implementing early interventions.
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Sanju R. Wadhwa - UMHS
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Post by Sanju R. Wadhwa - UMHS on Mar 30, 2017 22:49:24 GMT -4
This article was eye opening in a sense that prior to reading it I never thought there was an association or even a correlation between addiction and autism. However, after reading, it makes sense that there could be a legitimate correlation between the two. Autism itself is a pervasive development disorder that affects each in a different and unpredictable way. In fact my sister has a close friend whose brother suffers from autism - his name is Pete. Just like the main patient in the article, Pete is able to function on his own more or less but also is known to use marijuana to help with the anxiety and social pressures that come along with being an autistic high school kid. The differences in Pete before and after consumption in regards to anxiety and level of comfort are night and day. It was also interesting to read that autism and addition may share a similar connection genotypically especially in regards to the gene being active in the area of the brain that is linked to addiction.
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Post by Syed Ali Karim on Apr 2, 2017 16:49:02 GMT -4
What i found perplexing in this article is how the pathology behind Autism and Addiction share the same region of the brain, and in my belief that alone can lead to misdiagnosing a patient who initially presents as an addict but harbors a much more crippling disease. The genetics aspect of the article intrigued me also because as we know medicine to be an ever-evolving science, it can be studied and analyzed in an intimate fashion to help diagnose patients suffering from Autism at a much earlier age. The idea that these patients also struggled with addiction made sense to me because they found solace in drugs and alcohol in order to reach a form of stability that helped manage their daily lives, however it's also important to note that on the other side of the coin, it's very endangering to one's health and could lead to much more disastrous consequences. For me personally, what i took away from this article overall was how physicians can't definitively distinguish patients who are afflicted with Autism or Addiction but I also walk away encouraged that we're making strides to identify the precise pathophysiology so we can diagnose and treat correctly.
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Post by Josiane Asaba on Apr 3, 2017 17:46:32 GMT -4
I find this article on autism very fascinating. Never would I have thought that people with moderate or above average intelligence will be more likely to be addicted to alcohol or drugs of any sorts. This is an eye opener and this article teaches a lot. I can understand why those who are independent would be more likely to have the peer pressure of doing things they would have otherwise not done if they were living or being attended by someone most of the time. Autistic people have the tendency to do repetitive actions and have social anxiety so they develop mechanisms that will make them less uncomfortable. They also , some, especially children do not understand the concept of boundaries and constantly need to be reminded of it. what bothers me the most about people with autism is the ability to be independent at some point. The fact that autism is a spectrum makes it even harder to treat.
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Post by Seanne Facho on Apr 5, 2017 5:55:20 GMT -4
Its interesting how the article states that people with autism who have average or above average Intelligence are more than likely to get addicted to alcohol or drugs. Autism can be diagnosed as early at 18 months now or as soon as some developmental delays associated with autism are notice. The similarities with both autism and addiction in which people use repetitive behaviors to cope with emotional problems. Both conditions affecting the same brain region and genes with help to improve autism care and addiction treatments or preventions. People with addiction do not have control of what they are doing and could result in harmful consequences.
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Post by Mythri Samboju on Apr 7, 2017 10:33:50 GMT -4
When I read this article I really was not surprised that autism was linked to addictive behaviors. The nature of Autism is that you get impulsive behaviors and that is a defying feature of the disease, so it would come as no surprise that if patients found a behavior to be pleasurable that it would happen over and over again. It is also interesting that there are so many other factors playing into the part with this addiction like social settings, acceptance from peers, etc, and that it is such a major factor especially since the typical autistic kid avoids social situations. I think also it takes so much skill and insight to see this kind of behavior and catch it early to get the right diagnosis and most importantly get the right treatment. It is quite unfortunate though there are not a lot of good treatments out there with people with autism who have the drug addiction and more resources should definitely be explored. Overall though I think it becomes very important to find out the cause of the alcoholism and any type of addiction in order for it to be treated.
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