Disabilities – Page 5

Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit

What if attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms are indicators of sleep deficits?

A recent opinion piece by Vatsal G. Thakkar in the New York Times Sunday Review (4/27/13) Diagnosing the Wrong Disorder, asks the question, “What if a substantial proportion of cases are really sleep disorders in disguise?

Thakkar, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the N.Y.U. School of Medicine, raises some important questions and issues. Partly because of personal experience with a misdiagnosed sleep disorder Thakkar wrestles with the chicken-and-egg problem of causality between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and sleep deficits. He questions whether the presence of the condition gives rise to enduring problems with sleep or whether sleep problems give rise to symptoms that mimic those of A.D.H.D.

Insufficient sleep is no laughing matter. This essay is an important one for post-secondary disability support providers, special education teachers, parents and anyone struggling with A.D.H.D. symptoms or fatigue.

Insufficient sleep also contributes to other serious health risks as shown in the slide show found here: Sleep Deprivation Effects: 8 Scary Side Effects Of Too Little Shut-Eye. Healthline.com also has an article discussing deprivation: 16 Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body.

Mental illness is One of the Leading Causes of Disability in the United States

Nearly 20 percent of Americans — 44.5 million adults — experienced some sort of mental illness over the last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency (SAMHSA).

The report details state by state the percent of the population who has suffered a mental illness.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are treatable, and the vast majority of people who experience anxiety disorders can be helped with professional care. Unfortunately in the past year only 37.9 percent of adults with mental health problems received any type of care,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a statement. “The chasm between need and care is costly both in terms of personal health because of missed opportunities to prevent disability and health care expenditures related to illness such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.”

The report counts “mental illness” as any sort of mental, behavioral or emotional disorder that is diagnosable from the DSM-IV. The disorder must cause “substantial functional impairment” or must be defined as a serious mental illness that requires treatment.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

One of the Hardest Things in America is for a Person with a Disability to Get a Job

The job numbers for the disabled haven’t budged much since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Despite federal efforts to increase employment of the disabled, long-standing prejudicial attitudes need to be addressed to boost jobs, according Jeff Rosen of the National Council on Disability’s Jeff Rosen.

Not much progress in last couple decades getting more people with disabilities into workforce