If child abuse was paranormal it would be easier to understand

[Robert Eggleton]

Hi! I'm a 61 year old therapist in a children's mental health program in West Virginia. I wrote a novel, Rarity from the Hollow, that the publisher and reviewers call science fiction. Author proceeds are donated to prevent child abuse. In all my years, I have never suspected a single case of child abuse to be paranormal. But, I have witnessed recoveries from trauma that were difficult to explain by the use of known treatments.

 

[Samstwitch]

Hi! I'm a 61 year old therapist in a children's mental health program in West Virginia. I wrote a novel, Rarity from the Hollow, that the publisher and reviewers call science fiction. Author proceeds are donated to prevent child abuse. In all my years, I have never suspected a single case of child abuse to be paranormal. But, I have witnessed recoveries from trauma that were difficult to explain by the use of known treatments.

Welcome, Robert! It's nice to meet you. Is there a paranormal aspect to your novel?

For those who want a sneak-peek, CLICK ME to see it on Amazon

 

[trekie4ever]

Hi! I'm a 61 year old therapist in a children's mental health program in West Virginia. I wrote a novel, Rarity from the Hollow, that the publisher and reviewers call science fiction. Author proceeds are donated to prevent child abuse. In all my years, I have never suspected a single case of child abuse to be paranormal. But, I have witnessed recoveries from trauma that were difficult to explain by the use of known treatments.

Also if you ever need people to give you direction as to how to deal with something potentially paranormal this is the place... although some of us disagree on methodology. However I feel as though this site has a lot less if any trolls and is very genuine.

I have also found another place that is a wealth of experiences but as always there are trolls and role players as well.

 

[Robert Eggleton]

Yes, Lacy Dawn's (the protagonist) best friend, Faith, was murdered by her father. She becomes a ghost capable of inhabiting one inanimate object after another. Lacy Dawn and Faith maintain their relationship throughout as Faith is an essential member of the team put together by Lacy Dawn to save the universe. This is similar to me relying upon my grandmother's ghost for ethical advice which, somtimes I feel unfortunately, directs me toward the most socially conscious activities (jobs) that make almost no money despite my extensive education and credentials. For example, I drive a 1994 Ford with bad hydralic lifters when, as I've argued with Grandma, I could be making good money. Some members of Lacy Dawn's team in the novel did not believe in ghosts until it became undeniable.

 

[titorite]

And what do you think of the idea of voting psychological disorders and diseases into and out of existence?

For example ADD is still here but has morphed into ADHD meanwhile assburgers has been deleted and rounded into the autism spectrum which has been expanding like crazy in the last decade either by natural or man made causes....proly man made causes...the real question is are we doing this chemically or are doctors over diagnosing? Alas... now I have made clear my bias.

 

[Robert Eggleton]

The only mental health disorder not exclusively diagnosed by client/professional perceptions of symptoms is conduct disorder. Conduct disorder may evolve into a label: sociopathic personality disorder. Symptomatically, this involves the inability to feel guilt, to empathize, love, and other "higher" brain functions of the frontal lobe that doesn't mature until about age 25. Such a true diagnosis distinguishes a "wannabe" thug and a true thug who would steal or hurt his/her mother or others and is unable to feel guilty about it, and who treats women (usually) or men as sex objects owned and used at will. This condition, I believe, is usually caused by brain damage, such as car or sports head injuries. Neorologists can scan frontal lobe functions, if there would be a payer for such an examination -- usually not and what's the point anyway, it can't be fixed.

Therefore, there is merit to your argument. However, all it would take is one day working with abused kids to change your mind about the very real impact of trauma. I would love to tell you more about my novel but I'm not sure it would be allowed here.

 

[titorite]

I was more interested in your feelings regarding the notion of voting diseases into or out of existence.

And sure go on about your novel, this is your introduction thread, let it be about you as you would like.

 

[Robert Eggleton]

I was more interested in your feelings regarding the notion of voting diseases into or out of existence.

And sure go on about your novel, this is your introduction thread, let it be about you as you would like.

 

[Robert Eggleton]

titorite, A couple of decades ago, a national organization named the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC), challened the mental health community to at least use a less insulting term than, "retarded." Advocacy groups came up with "People First" language (i.e. a person who is intellectually challenged; a woman with bipolar disorder, etc., instead of saying "I worked with a bipolar today...."). Terms like "challenged" or "special" were also proposed and adopted to some extent. After researching the impact of outlawing the term, "retardation" or "retarded," however, the ARC concluded that hundreds of thousands of people would lose eligibility for Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income based on disabilty if the term "retardation" would be abolished. This was because the American Psychiatric Association uses these terms as diagnoses and without a diagnosis the person would lose eligibility for benefits because the government requires a diagnosis to determine whether or not a person is able to support him or herself by working.

It is not possible to vote mental or physical "diseases" out of existence. However, it is possible to reduce and eventually eliminate stigma associated with having cancer, AIDS, depression, etc. There are lots of problems with identifying a person as having a disease: misdiagnosis, over-diagnosis, insurance coverages, etc. Specifically with respect to mental health concerns, every proper diagnosis has a biological basis, the same as many physical diseases, such as high blood pressure. There are many instances of misdiagnosis with both physical and mental disorders. For example, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. It turned out that after a double mastectomy it was a different type of cancer and should have been treated differently.

Unfortunately, mental health concerns, except for conduct disorder which shows up by a neurological scan and which is probably most often caused by a head injury, such as a car accident or during sports, cannot be verified with blood work. However, if one considers ADHD, for example, it is very simple to verify such a diagnosis, and to distinguish it from fetal alcohol syndrome which has almost the same symptoms. Many diseases, physical and mental, are genetic predispositions, which serves as an indicator of a preliminary diagnosis -- that's why your doctor asks about your family history when she sees you, or at least when you fill out a form to be seen. If a person with ADHD takes a stimulant, such as Adderral or Concerta, that person calms down. If a person diagnosed with ADHD and the medicine causes that person to be hyper, lose sleep, talk excessively, then the diagnosis was incorrect. Truck drivers can stay up all night to get their loads in on time if they take ADHD meds -- it's "speed." Persons with ADHD cannot get "high" on their meds, but persons without ADHD can. That's why ADHD meds are sometimes traded for marijuana.

This sure is a long post, but you invited me to tell folks some about Lacy Dawn Adventure. Here goes:

Rarity From the Hollow: A Lacy Dawn Adventure by Robert Eggleton Author proceeds donated to prevent child abuse in West Virginia.

Review by Adicus Ryan Garton (excerpt as intro)

“Imagine Wizard of Oz and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy smashed together and taking place in a hollow in the hills of West Virginia. Now you have an idea of what to expect when you sit down to read Rarity From the Hollow….”

…unabashed, unashamed exploration of the life of young Lacy Dawn, as she learns that she is the savior of the universe. The naked, genderless android, Dot-com… Add her abusive father, her weak-willed mother, a sexually-abused ghost for a best friend…trees that talk to her, a dog that can communicate telepathically with cockroaches and so much more.

There is so much to this story, and its writing is so unblinkingly honest…spares us nothing…her father beating her and her mother, the emotions…the dark creeping insanity that eats away at her Iraq-veteran father, and the life in general of people too poor, too uneducated to escape.

In part, it is a grueling exposition of what children endure when …abused. …the only way…to escape is to learn that she is the savior… strong, tough, smart—all those attributes that any child should have—and she reminds us that children are survivors, adaptive and optimistic.

But don't think you're going to be reading something harsh and brutal and tragic. This book is laugh-out-loud funny at times, satiric of almost everything it touches upon…The characters from the hollow and from the planet Shptiludrp (the Mall of the Universe) are funny almost to the point of tears.

...It's absolutely fantastic…."

Adicus Ryan Garton is the editor of the online science fiction magazine Atomjack. He is currently teaching English in South Korea.

 

[Robert Eggleton]

titorite, A couple of decades ago, a national organization named the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC), challened the mental health community to at least use a less insulting term than, "retarded." Advocacy groups came up with "People First" language (i.e. a person who is intellectually challenged; a woman with bipolar disorder, etc., instead of saying "I worked with a bipolar today...."). Terms like "challenged" or "special" were also proposed and adopted to some extent. After researching the impact of outlawing the term, "retardation" or "retarded," however, the ARC concluded that hundreds of thousands of people would lose eligibility for Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income based on disabilty if the term "retardation" would be abolished. This was because the American Psychiatric Association uses these terms as diagnoses and without a diagnosis the person would lose eligibility for benefits because the government requires a diagnosis to determine whether or not a person is able to support him or herself by working.

It is not possible to vote mental or physical "diseases" out of existence. However, it is possible to reduce and eventually eliminate stigma associated with having cancer, AIDS, depression, etc. There are lots of problems with identifying a person as having a disease: misdiagnosis, over-diagnosis, insurance coverages, etc. Specifically with respect to mental health concerns, every proper diagnosis has a biological basis, the same as many physical diseases, such as high blood pressure. There are many instances of misdiagnosis with both physical and mental disorders. For example, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. It turned out that after a double mastectomy it was a different type of cancer and should have been treated differently.

Unfortunately, mental health concerns, except for conduct disorder which shows up by a neurological scan and which is probably most often caused by a head injury, such as a car accident or during sports, cannot be verified with blood work. However, if one considers ADHD, for example, it is very simple to verify such a diagnosis, and to distinguish it from fetal alcohol syndrome which has almost the same symptoms. Many diseases, physical and mental, are genetic predispositions, which serves as an indicator of a preliminary diagnosis -- that's why your doctor asks about your family history when she sees you, or at least when you fill out a form to be seen. If a person with ADHD takes a stimulant, such as Adderral or Concerta, that person calms down. If a person diagnosed with ADHD and the medicine causes that person to be hyper, lose sleep, talk excessively, then the diagnosis was incorrect. Truck drivers can stay up all night to get their loads in on time if they take ADHD meds -- it's "speed." Persons with ADHD cannot get "high" on their meds, but persons without ADHD can. That's why ADHD meds are sometimes traded for marijuana.

This sure is a long post, but you invited me to tell folks some about Lacy Dawn Adventure. Here goes:

Rarity From the Hollow: A Lacy Dawn Adventure by Robert Eggleton Author proceeds donated to prevent child abuse in West Virginia.

Review by Adicus Ryan Garton (excerpt as intro)

“Imagine Wizard of Oz and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy smashed together and taking place in a hollow in the hills of West Virginia. Now you have an idea of what to expect when you sit down to read Rarity From the Hollow….”

…unabashed, unashamed exploration of the life of young Lacy Dawn, as she learns that she is the savior of the universe. The naked, genderless android, Dot-com… Add her abusive father, her weak-willed mother, a sexually-abused ghost for a best friend…trees that talk to her, a dog that can communicate telepathically with cockroaches and so much more.

There is so much to this story, and its writing is so unblinkingly honest…spares us nothing…her father beating her and her mother, the emotions…the dark creeping insanity that eats away at her Iraq-veteran father, and the life in general of people too poor, too uneducated to escape.

In part, it is a grueling exposition of what children endure when …abused. …the only way…to escape is to learn that she is the savior… strong, tough, smart—all those attributes that any child should have—and she reminds us that children are survivors, adaptive and optimistic.

But don't think you're going to be reading something harsh and brutal and tragic. This book is laugh-out-loud funny at times, satiric of almost everything it touches upon…The characters from the hollow and from the planet Shptiludrp (the Mall of the Universe) are funny almost to the point of tears.

...It's absolutely fantastic…."

Adicus Ryan Garton is the editor of the online science fiction magazine Atomjack. He is currently teaching English in South Korea.