среда, 21 июля 2010 г.
понедельник, 19 июля 2010 г.
воскресенье, 18 июля 2010 г.
The Mental Health Act (1983)
An individual may lack insight into the reality of their condition and may therefore refuse admission to hospital for treatment. In England and Wales1, the Mental Health Act (1983) allows appropriately qualified medical personnel, social workers and police officers to detain an individual for assessment and treatment of a mental health disorder. The various parts of the Act, known as 'sections', specify the different forms of detention that are available legally, and the process of detention is commonly known as 'sectioning'2. The 1983 Act was significantly altered by the Mental Health Act (2007) and this Entry attempts to cover both the original and amended versions of the 1983 Act.
History
The treatment of mental illness has a long history that would be difficult to cover while staying relevant to the 1983 Act. One of the major turning points for mental health was the publication of the Percy Report in 1957. This stated that mental illnesses should be treated in a similar manner to physical illnesses, with a similar form of care. Two years later, the Mental Health Act (1959) was passed. The 1959 Act allowed admissions to mental health units to be as informal as those to medical wards, and also made local councils responsible for the care of mentally ill individuals outside of hospital. These changes led to an increase in the number of psychiatry outpatients from none at all to many thousands within a decade.
The following years saw a growing movement to break the silence regarding mental illness and debates sprung up with regard to the treatment of patients. The Mental Health Act (1983) expanded greatly on the matters covered in the 1959 Act, detailing with whether hospitals were entitled to treat patients against their will and improving the scope for after-care once a patient had been discharged. The controversial Mental Health Act (2007) expanded the 1983 Act, making it possible to conditionally discharge a patient on a section and order them to receive treatment in the community. The 2007 Act also widened the range of professionals able to perform certain roles, allowing 'approved mental health professionals' to fulfil the roles previously played only by social workers, and allowing members of the team other than doctors to fill out forms regarding inpatients.
Definitions of Mental Illness
Part I of the 1983 Act originally detailed what might be considered to be a mental illness for the purposes of the Act – it included four specific definitions:
'Mental disorder' of such a degree or nature that it warrants the detention of the individual. Exactly what this consists of is left as a 'matter for clinical judgement'.
'Mental impairment' due to a developmental disorder of the sort that impairs social functioning intelligence and which results in 'abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct'.
'Severe mental impairment', similar to mental impairment above.
'Psychopathic disorder', whereby a persistent mental disorder again produces 'abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct'.
It is worth noting that these were legal definitions and that most mental health inpatients were mentally ill and not 'psychopathic'. Following the 2007 Act, the above definitions have been replaced with the instruction that 'mental disorder means any disorder or disability of the mind'. This vague definition comes with caveats that prevent certain sections from being used in the case of a learning disability 'unless that disability is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct'.
In the 1983 Act, a person with a mental impairment could only be sectioned and admitted for treatment if 'such treatment is likely to alleviate or prevent a deterioration of his condition'. This was repealed by the 2007 Act and, along with the aforementioned removal of 'mental impairment' as a separate reason for admission, this allows individuals with personality disorders3 to be sectioned provided that 'appropriate medical treatment is available'. There is no specification that this treatment should be effective, so individuals deemed to have a personality disorder could in theory be sectioned and provided with an 'appropriate treatment' such as nursing care. These changes are, of course, a contentious matter.
Another important disclaimer in the 1983 Act stated that any definition of mental disorder should not be applied on the sole basis of 'promiscuity or other immoral conduct, sexual deviancy or dependence on alcohol or drugs.' The 2007 Act repealed this statement, replacing it with one only covering alcohol and drugs.
Sections 2 and 3
With Part I of the Act defining mental illness, sections 2 - 34 constitute Part II of the Act. Among other things, these sections allow for an individual with a mental disorder to be compulsorily admitted to hospital. Section 12 is of particular importance as it demands that one of the doctors involved in a Section 2 or Section 3 must have sufficient experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Section 12 approved doctors generally have passed the membership examination of the Royal College of Psychiatrists or else have specialised in psychiatry for at least three years.
Section 2 allows for an individual to be admitted for assessment, and is used when the individual is not previously known to mental health services. This mandatory detention lasts for 28 days, during which treatment can be given as part of the assessment. Section 3 is used when a diagnosis and the treatment required have been previously established, and is used both for returning patients and new patients once they have been assessed under a Section 2. A Section 3 lasts for six months, after which the patient must be re-assessed. The patient can be treated without their consent for up to three months – after this, a second opinion is required (see Sections 57 - 62 below).
A Section 2 or 3 is begun by either an approved mental health professional4 or the person's nearest relative5. They must have seen the individual in the last 14 days, and must apply for an assessment of the patient by two doctors, one of whom must be Section 12 approved. The Act recommends that one of the doctors is familiar with the individual being sectioned, and so it is usual for the other doctor to be the patient's GP. Upon being sectioned, the individual is told their rights and invited to apply for a review of their case by a mental health tribunal, which can discharge patients following a hearing.
Individuals can also be discharged from a section by the consultant responsible for their care, by the hospital management, or by the individual's nearest relative. In the latter case, 72 hours' written notice is required, and the consultant may issue a 'barring certificate' that prevents a patient from being discharged if they would be at risk of harming themselves or others.
Sections 4 and 5
If there is not enough time to arrange a Section 2, an emergency admission for assessment can be made under Section 4. This section requires both a doctor and either an approved mental health professional or the individual's nearest relative and lasts for 72 hours, during which it can be converted to a Section 2 following assessment of the individual by a second doctor.
Section 5 allows for patients already admitted to a hospital to be sectioned. Subsection 5(2) states that any inpatient can be detained for 72 hours in order to allow time for a Section 2 or 3 to be completed. Meanwhile, subsection 5(4) allows a registered nurse to urgently detain a patient being treated for a mental disorder for up to six hours, provided it is 'necessary for his health or safety or for the protection of others for him to be immediately restrained from leaving the hospital'.
Sections 7 - 10 and 17
Whereas sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 allow individuals to be detained against their will, the rest of Part II (sections 6 - 34) deals with associated matters, the most important of which are described here.
Sections 7 - 10 allow for either an adult or the local social services to be given guardianship of a patient over the age of 16. This can happen provided that two doctors recommend the guardianship on the basis that the degree of mental illness warrants it and that it is necessary for the welfare of the patient or of others. The guardian can require the patient to live at a certain place, to allow doctors and social workers to visit, and to attend places for 'medical treatment, occupation, education or training'.
Section 17 allows a doctor to grant leave from hospital to a patient detained under the Mental Health Act. The amount of leave and the time at which it takes place can be stated, and the doctor can make the leave conditional on the patient being escorted by a member of staff. Section 17 leave was greatly expanded upon by the 2007 Act, which introduced community treatment orders. Section 17A allows for a patient's treatment to continue under a Section 3 while the patient is not being detained – that is to say, they can be ordered to take medication while outside of hospital. A Section 17A lasts up to six months before it must be renewed, with the Section 3 effectively being on hold in the meantime. Patients being discharged under a community treatment order can be recalled to hospital if it is deemed necessary – for instance, if a patient stops taking their medication and becomes unwell again. There is no requirement for a fresh assessment when a patient is recalled – their Section 3 simply starts from where it left off.
Sections 35, 37, 41 and 42
Sections 35 - 55 make up Part III of the Act, which deals with individuals undergoing criminal proceedings and those who are under sentence. There are three sections that allow for such persons to be detained in a hospital for assessment or treatment – in each case, one of the doctors providing evidence must be Section 12 approved.
Section 35 allows a Crown or Magistrates' Court to place a person on remand to hospital for assessment of mental illness. This requires the evidence of one doctor and initially lasts for 28 days but can be extended to 12 weeks. Section 36 similarly allows for a remand to hospital for treatment, but requires the evidence of two doctors and can only be applied for at a Crown Court.
Section 37 is similar to Section 3 in that it allows for an individual convicted of a punishable offence to be detained and treated for six months following evidence from two doctors. It can be applied for at a Crown or Magistrates' Court, and can be extended if required. A Section 41 can be applied on top of this so that the individual may only be granted leave or discharge following Home Office approval – this section can only be applied for at a Crown Court and requires the evidence of one doctor. Section 42 allows the Secretary of State control over the discharge and recall of these individuals.
Sections 56 - 64
Sections 56 - 64 make up Part IV of the Act, which deals with consent to treatment. One important implication of these sections is that once patients have been treated against their will under Section 3 or 37 for more than three months, doctors must gain their consent or gain a second opinion depending upon the type of treatment involved. Section 58 must be used to continue giving a patient medication, and requires either consent or, if the patient lacks the capacity to consent, a second opinion.
On the other hand, Section 58A is required for patients who are to receive electroconvulsive therapy, and states that the patient must consent or, in the case of an incapacitated patient, there must be no advance directive against the treatment. This section was added by the 2007 Act.
Section 57 is used for treatment that requires both the patient's consent and a second opinion, and includes 'any surgical operation for destroying brain tissue or for destroying the functioning of brain tissue'.
Section 62 states that sections 57 and 58 do not apply if treatment is required to save the patient's life. It can also be used if the treatment will prevent serious deterioration or suffering, or dangerous or violent behaviour, provided that the treatment is not irreversible. Among other things, this section allows for the emergency sedation of patients against their will provided that it uses 'the minimum interference necessary' – a patient would therefore be asked to take an oral sedative and would only be given the drugs by injection if absolutely necessary. Also, electroconvulsive therapy can be given as emergency treatment if a patient has stopped eating and drinking due to a depressive stupor.
Section 63 states that consent is not required for medical treatments given for mental disorders. This refers to such things as feeding an individual with anorexia – though the treatment is not a psychiatric one, it is recognised as greatly improving the individual's psychiatric symptoms. Note, however, that the Mental Health Act does not allow for treatment of non-psychiatric illness, such as antibiotics for an infection – consent for these treatments must be sought.
Sections 135 and 136
The rest of the Act deals with various matters such as tribunals, the safeguarding of patients' property, and the movement of patients to or from hospitals in parts of the UK not covered by the Act. There are also sections that detail offences of neglect of patients, forgery of documents, knowingly assisting patients in escaping, and obstructing access to a patient without reasonable cause. Sections 135 and 136 are hidden towards the end of the Act in Part X (Miscellaneous and Supplementary), but are important as they allow the police to help with the sectioning of mentally disordered individuals.
Section 135 allows an approved mental health professional to apply to a magistrate for a warrant to have the police enter premises and remove a mentally disordered individual to a 'place of safety' with a view to sectioning the individual. It also allows for a police constable to apply for a warrant to enter premises where an existing patient is thought to be. In the former case, a place of safety may be a police station, hospital, care home or other suitable place, and the individual can be held for up to 72 hours.
Section 136 allows a police constable to remove an apparently mentally disordered individual from a public place to a place of safety, and to hold the individual there for up to 72 hours so that the individual may be assessed by a doctor and interviewed by a social worker.
An Example
Mr P, a 24-year-old supermarket worker, has been acting strangely over the past month or so, becoming increasingly withdrawn and suspicious of other people. Over the last couple of weeks, he has started to claim that the Mayor of London is using the BT Tower to put thoughts into his head and control his movements, and he is now threatening to kill himself. His flatmate calls the local GP, who quite sensibly brings a social worker with him to visit Mr P. A diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia6 is made, Mr P is placed under a Section 4 and, with the help of the local police, he is taken to a mental health unit.
Having been admitted and seen by a Section 12 approved psychiatrist, Mr P is placed under a Section 2 and treatment with an antipsychotic drug is begun. After a week, Mr P's symptoms begin to improve and the diagnosis of schizophrenia is confirmed. However, his recovery is slow, and he is placed on a Section 3 so that he can continue to be detained beyond the 28 days allowed by a Section 27.
After two months of treatment, Mr P is having leave under Section 17 every other night and has recovered enough to be discharged. However, the psychiatrist has concerns that Mr P will not take his medication once in the community, and uses a Section 17A to place Mr P on a conditional discharge, during which he is ordered to take the antipsychotic drug. Mr P complies, and the community treatment order lapses six months after the conditional discharge. Had he not complied and his symptoms worsened again, Mr P would have been recalled to hospital. Mr P continues to take the antipsychotic and makes a good recovery, with after-care continuing to be provided by the local Community Mental Health Team.
And Finally
If you must know, the final section of the Act is Section 149, which allows for the extension of the Mental Health Act to the Scilly Isles.
1 Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own statutes regarding mental health.
2 It's worth noting that around 90% of patients in mental health units are present on an 'informal' basis, ie they have not been sectioned.
3 These are pathological abnormalities of personality that lead to difficulties coping with everyday life and social interaction.
4 That is to say, a social worker, nurse, occupational therapist or psychologist who is approved by the local authority as being competent to carry out duties under the Act.
5 This refers to the most closely-related next of kin, according to a hierarchy included in the Act.
6 Paranoid schizophrenia is a type of schizophrenia characterised by hallucinations and delusions.
7 Note that when a Section 3 is applied after a Section 2, the original date of admission is still used to determine the expiry date of the Section 3.
среда, 14 июля 2010 г.
Famous People with Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) formerly known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata), is a chronic, potentially debilitating disease that affects your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
There is as yet no cure for MS. Many patients do well with no therapy at all, especially since many medications have serious side effects and some carry significant risks. However, three forms of beta interferon (Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif) have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of relapsing-remitting MS.
A physician may diagnose MS in some patients soon after the onset of the illness. In others, however, doctors may not be able to readily identify the cause of the symptoms, leading to years of uncertainty and multiple diagnoses.
Multiple sclerosis affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and probably more than 1 million people around the world. MS effects twice as many females as males.
Famous People with Multiple Sclerosis:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Alan Osmond - Alan Ralph Osmond (born June 22, 1949) was a member of the 1970s music group The Osmonds and the head of the Osmond Family. Osmond dated the Carpenters' lead singer, Karen Carpenter. He married Suzanne Pinegar on July 16, 1974; they have eight sons. Alan kept the Osmond Brothers together for almost 40 years. Throughout the 1970s, he made every crucial decision and managed to keep a steady, equal pay for his younger brothers. Because of Donny Osmond's break with the group, Alan and the other members of the group were unable to perform live for almost two years. Eventually Alan was unable to perform due to multiple sclerosis. In 2000, Alan received the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Socity.
Margaret Leighton - (February 26, 1922 � January 13, 1976) was an English actress. Leighton's Broadway debut was as the Queen in Henry IV (1946) starring Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson during a visit to America of the Old Vic company, which performed a total of five plays from its repertoire before returning to London. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Separate Tables (1956); she won another Tony in that category for The Night of the Iguana (1962), playing Hannah Jelkes opposite Bette Davis as Maxine Faulk. Margaret Leighton died of multiple sclerosis, aged 53, in Chichester, West Sussex.
Jonathan Katz - (born December 1, 1946 [1]) is an American comedian, actor, and voice actor who is best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. In 1996, Katz was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The initial symptoms began in 1996: "I was working on a TV show called Ink with Ted Danson, and after every episode we would take a curtain call and I noticed that I needed a head-start." Over time, he found it difficult to hide his physical condition behind his jokes: "I was producing a show, and it was too physical a job for me to get from one location to another and I had to pretend I could keep up with everybody. My manager and attorney said, 'In Hollywood you can't be old or sick.' Hiding his condition became too much of a burden for Katz and he eventually disclosed it. Now he speaks publicly as part of a tour sponsored by a manufacturer of medications used to treat MS.
David "Squiggy" Lander - (born June 22, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. David is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lander has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies including The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Married... with Children, Twin Peaks, The Weird Al Show, Mad About You, as well as voice roles for animation films like The Big Bang, A Bug's Life and the animated TV series Galaxy High as the six-armed Milo de Venus.
Barbara Jordan - (February 21, 1936 � January 17, 1996) was an American politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. In 1973, Jordan began to suffer from multiple sclerosis. She had difficulty climbing stairs, and she started using a cane and eventually a wheelchair. She kept the state of her health out of the press so well that in the KUT radio documentary Rediscovering Barbara Jordan, former president Bill Clinton stated that he wanted to nominate Jordan for the United States Supreme Court, but by the time he could do so, Jordan's health problems prevented him from nominating her.
Alastair Hignell - (born September 4, 1955) Hignell is the son of a former Hampshire footballer. He won blues at Cambridge at both cricket and rugby union, and by the time he graduated from university in 1977 he had already made several England appearances at full back. He made his England debut in 1975 in a brutal encounter with Australia in Brisbane - eight days later he was playing for Gloucestershire against Middlesex at Bristol and five weeks later he made 60 in the Varsity match. Hignell continued to play and teach until he moved into journalism full time and became a respected reporter, as well as working extensively on BBC Radio. In 1999, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has since been an active fundraiser.
Allan Eagleson - (born April 24, 1933) Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, former politician, hockey agent and promoter, known for his role in promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, the Canada Cup (now the World Cup of Hockey), and his representation of famous hockey players such as Bobby Orr. Although initially lauded as a hero for improving the lot of NHL players, his reputation was all but destroyed after it was revealed that he had used his position to defraud his clients and line his own pockets for years while acting as a virtual dictator of the NHLPA.
Annette Funicello - (born October 22, 1942) Annette is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeer, and went on to appear in a series of beach movies. When she was cast in her first beach movie, Walt Disney himself (for the sake of her virginal image) asked her not to appear in any provocative scenes or wear any attire that showed her navel. She (perhaps unintentionally) did not fully comply with the latter request. Annette Funicello has been battling Multiple Sclerosis since 1987.
Joe Torsella - (born October 8, 1963) is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center located on Philadelphia�s Independence Mall. Currently serving his second term as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, Torsella led the Center from 1997-2003, and returned in 2006. Under Rendell, Torsella developed and implemented financial and labor reforms that led the city toward a fiscal rebound that the New York Times called "one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent urban history".
Montel Williams - (born July 3, 1956) Montel is an American celebrity and former television talk show host. Williams enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1974 and completed his recruit training at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina. While training at Twentynine Palms, he was selected for training at the Naval Preparatory School. Williams was the first African American to attend the prestigious prep school. A year later, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy. Williams served on board the USS Sampson during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. His awards include the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Navy Expeditionary Medals, two Humanitarian Service Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals. After 12 years of military service he departed as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy.
Paul Wellstone - (July 21, 1944 � October 25, 2002) Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the U.S. state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College. He served in the Senate from 1991 until his death in a plane crash on 25 October 2002, 11 days before he was to stand in the midterm US senate election. His wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia, also died in the crash. They had two other grown children, David and Mark, who now co-chair the Wellstone Action nonprofit group.
Carrel Cowan-Ricks - historical archaeologist and anthropologist - I have it on good authority that she did NOT have MS, she had Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus).
Victoria Williams - (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer/songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. She gained fame for her descriptive songwriting talent, which she has used to immerse the listener of her songs into a vivid feeling of small-town, rural Southern upbringing and life. In 1993, Williams' life took a dramatic turn when she learned that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.
David Humm - (born April 2, 1952) is a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and the Baltimore Colts. He played college football at the University of Nebraska�Lincoln. Humm, 49, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 and lost the use of his legs in 1997, when he called the Raiders to tell them he would have to resign after two seasons as the color commentator on their radio broadcasts because he no longer would be able to travel to games.
Jacques Raverat - (1885 � 1925) was a French painter. He married the English painter Gwen Darwin, in 1911, the daughter of George Darwin and granddaughter of Charles Darwin. They had two daughters, Sophie (born ca. 1919) who married the Cambridge scholar Mark Pryor, and Elisabeth (born 1916), who married the Norwegian politician Edvard Hambro. He suffered from a form of multiple sclerosis. In 2004, his grandson, William Pryor edited the complete correspondence between Raverat, his wife and Virginia Woolf which was published as Virginia Woolf and the Raverats.
Joan Didion - (born December 5, 1934) Joan Didion is an American writer. Famous for her journalism, essays, and novels. Didion contributes regularly to The New York Review of Books. In a 1979 New York Times review of Didion's collection The White Album, critic Michiko Kakutani noted, "Novelist and poet James Dickey has called Didion 'the finest woman prose stylist writing in English today. Didion is the author of five novels and eight books of nonfiction. Her early collections of essays, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979) - a book described in one review as helping to define California as "the paranoia capital of the world" -made her famous as an observer of American politics and culture with a distinctive style of reporting that mixed personal reflection and social analysis. This led her to be associated with members of the New Journalism such as Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson, though Didion's ties to that movement have never been considered particularly strong.
Carl Laemmle, Jr. - (28 April 1908 � 24 September 1979) Carl was in charge of production at Universal Studios from about 1928 to 1936. He was the son of Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures. Laemmle, called �Junior�, by his friends and family, developed a reputation for spending too much money at the studios on several films that did not earn back their cost. By the end of 1935, the studio had spent so much and had so many flops that J. Cheever Cowdin proposed to buy out the Laemmles. The great success, financially and critically, of the 1936 screen version of Show Boat, was not enough to correct the downslide, and the two Laemmles, father and son, were both forced out of the company. Neither of them worked on another film again, despite the fact that Carl, Jr. lived another forty-three years.
John Medica - Born March 18, 1969 in Toronto, ONT, Canada. He has been involved in some well known movies such as 1989 Movie Renegades. Filming Locations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Logline: An undercover cop and a Native American Indian team up to recover a sacred spear. John started acting at a young age. CBC after school shows My Secret identity 1988, War of the Worlds television show (1988), Super dave (1988). John was diagnosed with MS at age 40.
Adam Riedy - US Speed Skater
Alison Peebles - Actress most famous for her Taggart role
April Arvan - Basketball Coach
Betty Cuthbert - Olympic Gold Medallist, Sprinting
Beverly Graham - singer, charity worker
Bobby Thompson - Banjoist
Brenda Gildehaus - champion BMX bike rider
Brian Irvine - Scottish soccer player
Bruno Tassan Din - Italian publisher
Bryan Forbes - actor, writer, director (married to Nanette Newman)
Cathy Weis - Dancer
Charlie Courtauld - British newspaper columnist (Independent on Sunday)
Chrystal Gomes - stand up comedienne
Cindy O'Connor - Poet
Clay Walker - Country and western singer
Clifford T.Ward - Singer/songwriter
Dan Carnevale - American Footballer
Danny Wallace - Soccer Player
Danny Wallace - ex Southampton and Manchester United Footballer
David "Teddy" Thomas - Cricketer
David Maclean - UK Conservative MP - Chief Whip
Dean Singleton - Newspaper Magnate
Deanna Davis - Basketball player and coach
Deborah Bruening - writer
Deborah Downey - Cabaret Performer
Denise Davis - Singer
Diana Markham - Novelist
Donal Coghlan - singer/songwriter
Doug Robinson - Novelist
Emily Mann - director and playwright
Eric Simons - mountaineer
Ernie McAlister - US Politician
Eve Hayes - actress
Fausto Rocha - Brazilian TV Actor
Fiona MacTaggart - British Politician (Labour MP for Slough)
Frank DuBois - New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture 1989-, champion teamroper
Fred Hughes - Andy Warhol's financeer and manager
Frieda Inescort - actress
Guido Crepax - Italian comic
Hal Ketchum - Country & Western Singer
Heinrich Heine - German poet (1797-1856) posthumously diagnosed with MS
Henry Steele - Basketball Player
Ivalio Iordanov - Bulgarian International soccer player
Jackie Bertone - percussionist for Beach Boys
Jackie Waldman - Author and motivational speaker
Jacqueline Creed Archer - Civil rights activist
Jacqueline du Pre - cellist
James LaRocca - Guitarist with MS
James Scofield - poet
Javier Artero - Spanish soccer player
Jennifer Huget - Washington Post journalist
Jim Oelschlager - financeer and philanathropist
Jim Poulin - Basketball Coach
Jimmy Heuga - Olympic skier
Joan Sweeney - children's author
John Mythen - cartoonist and writer
John Pageler - author
John Robson - Footballer
Johnny Killen - 1960s singer
Joseph Hartzler - Chief prosecutor for the Oklahoma bombing case
Judy Graham - author
Judy Grahn - poet
Karen G. Stone - Author
Kathryn Lindskoog - author
Keith Snyder - composer, performer, and author
Kelly Sutton - racing driver
Ken Novak - Basketball coach
Kevin Stevenson - Singer/Guitarist
Khiawatha Downey - American Footballer
Larry Tucker - Film and TV writer and producer (incl. The Monkees, Alice B. Toklas and Bob & Carol)
Laura Mitchell - Public policy analyst, consultant and writer
Lena Horne - Actress and singer
Lisa Peck - Mountain bike rider (5th in 2000 Masters World Mountain Bike Championships)
Lola Folana - singer
Louise Arters - Actress (one of the Sparkle Twins)
Luca Coscione - Italian Politician
Lucien Herv� - Architectural Photographer
Lydwina of Schieden - Dutch patron Saint of Ice Skaters (1400AD) The earliest written record of someone with MS
Madeline Rhue - Actress
Maggie Weder - Golfer
Marianne Gingrich - ex-wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Martin Bruch - Photographer
Mary Mullarkey - Colorado State Supreme Court Chief Justice
Maureen Manley - Olympic Cyclist
Maxine Mesinger - Newspaper gossip columnist, Houston Chronicle
Melanie Lawson - Anchorwoman, Ch.13 Houston
Michael Blake - Hollywood screenwriter, "Dances with Wolves"
Michael Frimkess - Potter
Michael R. Duval - Investment Banker and White House Lawyer Under Nixon and Ford
Michel Dupuis - Canadian football player (linebacker for Ottawa, Winnipeg & Toronto)
Miquel Martm i Pol - Catalan poet
Mitch Terpstra - Athlete and Althetics Coach
Nancy Mairs - novelist
Natalie Mandzhavidze - NASA Physicist
Neil Cavuto - lead anchor on Fox News Channel
Nicky Broyd - BBC Radio Journalist
Nicola Griffith - Author
Norah Vincent - Journalist
Paul Novoselick - Chronicle staff writer and columnist
Paul Willey - Virtual Golf Champion
Paul Wolfskehl - 19th century German industrialist and amateur mathematician
Rachelle Breslow - author
Rich Warden - Racecar Driver
Richard Berghammer - Wildlife Painter
Richard Cohen - journalist (married to actress Meridith Viera)
Richard Radtke - Scientist and Winner Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering
Robert "Wingnut" Weaver - Actor
Robin Gurr - poet
Roger MacDougall - British playwright
Roland 'Chubby' Cloutier - TV Entertainer
Roman Gabriel - American football player (Los Angeles Rams 1962-72)
Ronald Rogers - Concert Pianist
Ronnie Lane - musician with The Faces (Rod Stewart's old band)
Sarah P. Gibbs - Biologist - Winner of 2003 Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal
Sean Coman - (Sean Donahue) - Californian disk jockey
Sharon Summerall - model (married to Don Henley (singer with The Eagles)
Sir Augustus Frederic D'Este - (1794-1848) - grandson of King George III of England, 1st documented case of MS
Stan Belinda - baseball player
Stanley Elkin - writer
Stanley Knowles - Canadian Politician (1942-1984)
Stephanie Stephens - golfer
Stephen White - Author
Stewart Henry - UK disc-jockey
Susan Kisslinger - Author
Tamia - R&B singer (Grammy Nominee)
Teri Garr - Actress (Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, Close Encounters and others)
Valerie Jankowski Skrabut - artist and musician.
Victor Willing - Artist
Vince Smith - Country singer Vince Smith had a hit record with a song called "My Annette" after his friend and idol Annette Funicello. Vince now has MS.
Wally Wakefield - Ski jumper and sports columnist
Wayne Dobson - magician
Wendy Carol Roth - Television producer, writer and Advocate for the Disabled
Wendy Lill - Canadian Politician
William Newman - artist
Yury Tynianov - Russian Novelist and literary critic.
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/ms-famous.shtmlFamous and Well Known People who are Amputees
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene.
A large proportion of amputees experience the phenomenon of phantom limbs, they feel body parts that are no longer there. These limbs can itch, ache, and feel as if they are moving. Some scientists believe it has to do with a kind of neural map that the brain has of the body, which sends information to the rest of the brain about limbs regardless of their existence.
In many cases, the phantom limb aids in adaptation to a prosthesis, as it permits the person to experience proprioception of the prosthetic limb.
A prosthesis is an artificial extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of fusing mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control lost by trauma, disease, or defects.
Though many prosthetics are clearly made of artificial materials, the practice of cosmesis, the creation of life-like limbs made from silicone or PVC, has grown in popularity. Such prosthetics, such as artificial hands, can now be made to mimic the appearance of real hands, complete with freckles, veins, hair, fingerprints and even tattoos.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Robert David Hall - (born November 9, 1947) is an American actor, best known for his role as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins M.D. on the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 1978, Hall had to have both of his legs amputated as a result of an accident in which an 18-wheeler truck crushed his car. He now comfortably uses prosthetic limbs, allowing for personal mobility. Several of his characters have openly shared this disability. He is a prominent advocate for disabled Americans. Hall has also appeared in films Starship Troopers and The Negotiator and has made guest appearances in a number of TV programmes including The West Wing and L.A. Law.
Sarah Bernhardt - (October 22, 1844 � March 26, 1923) was a French stage actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress in the history of the world". In 1905, while performing in Victorien Sardou's La Tosca in Rio de Janeiro, Bernhardt injured her right knee during the final scene which required her to leap from a high wall. The leg never healed properly. By 1915, gangrene had set in and her entire right leg was amputated, confining her to a wheelchair for several months. She continued her career, and contrary to belief, without the use of a wooden prosthetic limb. Her physical condition confined her practically to immobility on the stage, but the charm of her voice, which had altered little with age, ensured her triumphs.
Suzan Ball - (1933-1955) A distant cousin of Lucille Ball, was a starlet in the early 1950s. While filming East of Sumatra (1953; with Jeff Chandler), Ball injured her right leg, which was later found to be cancerous. Her leg was eventually amputated below the knee. By 1955, the cancer had spread to her lungs, and she passed away in August 1955 at the age of 22. Ball married actor Richard Long in 1954, leaving him a widower just a year later.
Herbert Marshall - Born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall - (May 23, 1890 - January 22, 1966) A popular English cinema and theatre actor Marshall overcame the loss of a leg in World War I. He used a prosthetic limb during his long career and was in some well known movies with Bette Davis. Herbert Marshall served in the London Scottish Regiment with fellow actors Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman, and Claude Rains. He was married five times. Among his wives were two actresses, Edna Best, with whom he appeared in The Calendar, Michael and Mary and The Faithful Heart, and Boots Mallory, to whom he was married from 1947 until her death in 1958.
Oscar Pistorius - Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (born 22 November 1986) is a South African Paralympic runner. Known as the "Blade Runner". Oscar Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius in Sandton, Johannesburg, in Gauteng Province, with congenital absence of the fibula in both legs. When he was 11 months old, his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles. Pistorius is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs. Pistorius participated in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing in the 100, 200 and 400 metres (T44). On 9 September, in the heats of the 100 metres, he set a Paralympic record with his time of 11.16 seconds.
James Stacy - (born Maurice William Elias on December 23, 1936), is an American actor whose career was effectively ended in a motorcycle crash which left him a multiple amputee and took the life of his girlfriend. Returning to acting after his recovery, Stacy retired from acting in 1991. He was arrested and convicted of child molestation in 1995, serving a six year sentence in California Institution for Men, at Chino.
Jessica Cox - Recognized around the world as an inspirational keynote speaker. Born without arms, Jessica flies planes, drives cars, and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as others use their hands. Today Jessica holds the titles of the first person without arms in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association to get a black belt, and the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly using her feet.
Amy Winters - Winters, a welder and mother of two, lost her leg following a 1994 motorcycle accident. Amy Winters, a transtibial amputee from Meadville, Pennsylvania, finished the Cleveland Marathon in 3:26:19, knocking more than 27 minutes off the previous best time for a female amputee. The world record comes only three months after Winters received her first running prosthesis from A Step Ahead Prosthetics, Hicksville, New York, which specializes in the treatment of young, active, elite amputee athletes from around the world.
Amy Winters is an extremely talented runner who since the age of 16 has represented Australia at the International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships, Paralympics and Paralympic Revival. Amy's specialty events are the 100m and 200m. In 1999 she held the World Record for the 100m, in 1996 the World Record for the 200m and in 1994 she held the Australian Record in the 200m and Long Jump.
Sarah Reinertsen - (born 1975) is an American athlete. She was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She first attempted to finish the race in 2004, but was disqualified when she failed to meet the qualifying time for the bike leg by 15 minutes. She returned in 2005 and completed the race in just over 15 hours. Besides marathons and triathlons, Sarah has also competed in bicycle races. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, a bone-growth disorder which eventually lead to her becoming an above-the-knee amputee at the age of seven. After the amputation, she began to run track and broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees at the age of 13. She was formerly the marketing coordinator for Ossur and spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Barbara Adside - Adside was born without legs. Diagnosed with spina bifida, a birth defect in which a child is born without a fully formed spinal chord, she wasn�t supposed to make it. Doctors gave her seven days. She lived past that mark. And the next. In fact, her entire life has been about defying the odds. Adside has spent the last several decades working and thriving in the entertainment industry as an actress and stuntwoman. Building a career any able-bodied actor would be envious of; she has worked in television, film and commercials.
RoseMarie Siggins - Born with a rare genetic disorder known as Sacral Agenesis, Rose had severely deformed legs with feet pointing in opposite directions. There was no feeling in the legs and, as a child, she was in danger of harming herself. When she was two years old her mother, after consulting with the doctors at the hospital, decided that the best course of action was to have the legs amputated. Rose's story as a woman who has overcome bewildering obstacles and succeeded despite seemingly impossible odds is a real life example of the American dream.
Brett Smrz - In 2007, Brett began racing in the SCCA San Francisco Region Formula Ford 1600 series, winning his first race at Infineon raceway. The following weekend would change Brett�s life forever, as an off track accident resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. After ten surgeries and months of physical therapy, Brett returned to racing.
Famous People who had and have Schizophrenia
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental illness characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality, most commonly manifesting as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction.
Studies suggest that genetics, early environment, neurobiology and psychological and social processes are important contributory factors.
A person experiencing schizophrenia may demonstrate symptoms such as disorganized thinking, auditory hallucinations, and delusions.
Diagnosis is based on the self-reported experiences of the person as well as abnormalities in behavior reported by family members, friends or co-workers, followed by secondary signs observed by a psychiatrist, social worker, clinical psychologist or other clinician in a clinical assessment.
Management of symptoms and improving function is thought to be more achievable than a cure. Treatment was revolutionized in the mid 1950s with the development and introduction of chlorpromazine.
Famous People who had and have Schizophrenia
 |
Eduard Einstein - (28 July 1910 - 25 October 1965) Eduard Einstein was extremely intelligent and always surpassed other students in school. Throughout his youth Eduard wanted to be a psychoanalyst but was afflicted with schizophrenia by the age of 20 which leaded him to be institutionalized several times. He died in an asylum at age 55 and his family lineage has been used to raise public awareness of schizophrenia.
Syd Barrett - (6 January 1946 - 7 July 2006) Syd was an English artist, songwriter, guitarist and artist being in the renowned rock band of Pink Floyd. He left the band in 1968 while many told stories of him having mental illnesses during his hard drug abuse. He eventually suffered a severe burnout and cut out all social aspects of his life while remaining in constant isolation. With time Barrett stopped contributing to music and would not like people mentioning his past with Pink Floyd.
Jack Kerouac - (March 12, 1922 - October 21, 1969) Jack Kerouac was an American novelist, poet, writer and artist responsible for very popular work that recieved little critical acclaim during his lifetime. He inspired many other novelist and artists such as The Beatles, Tom Robbins and Bob Dylan. Kerouac did not learn English until the age of 6 and spoke only french. He has written a few unpublished books in his native language and it is said that he originally started writing "On The Road" in French. Kerouac was later arrested as an accessory in the murder of David Kammerer, who had been stalking Kerouak's friend Lucien Carr.
James Beck Gordon - (Jim Gordon) - (born in 1945) James is an American Recording Artist, Songwriter and Grammy Award winning Musician. Being one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960's and 1970's. James is now incarcerated in Atascadero State Hospital after killing his mother following a demand from one of the voices in his head. He was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison, he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia during the trial.
Charles "Buddy" Bolden - (September 6, 1877 - November 4, 1931) While there is substantial first hand oral history about Buddy Bolden, facts about his life continue to be lost amongst colourful myth. Stories about him being a barber by trade or that he published a scandal-sheet called the "Cricket" have been repeated in print despite being debunked decades earlier. He was known as King Bolden and a king of Jazz, and his band was a top draw in New Orleans from about 1900 until 1907.
Antoin Artaud - (born September 4, 1896, in Marseille; died March 4, 1948 in Paris) Artaud's parents were of Greek origin (Smyrna), and he was much affected by this background. Although his mother had many children, only Antoine and two siblings survived infancy. At the age of four, Artaud had a severe attack of meningitis. The aftereffects of this virus presumably gave Artaud a nervous, irritable temperament throughout adolescence. He also suffered from neuralgia, stammering and severe bouts of depression. As a teenager, he was allegedly stabbed in the back by a pimp for apparently no reason, similar to the experience of playwright Samuel Beckett.
Lionel Aldridge - (February 14, 1941 - February 12, 1998) played American football professionally as a defensive end on the historic Green Bay Packers teams of the sixties.After retiring, Aldridge worked as sports analyst in Milwaukee until manifesting a mental illness called paranoid schizophrenia during the early seventies. "There was extreme paranoia and irritability and it was difficult for me to get along with others. I was unable to work. It was a rough setting" Lionel explained. After 10 years of being untreated and several years of being homeless Lionel finally fought the illness when he accepted to find a treatment with the help of some of his friends.
Peter Green - (born 29 October 1946) Guitarist for the band Fleetwood Mac. Green played lead in Peter Bardens' band, Peter B's Looners, in 1966. After a three month stint, he had the opportunity to fill in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for three gigs. Upon Clapton's permanent departure not long after, he was hired full-time. Green has been institutionalized in the past with psychological problems and he underwent electro convulsive therapy in the mid-1970s. Many sources attest to his lethargic, trance like state during this period. In 1977, he was arrested for threatening his accountant, Clifford Davis, with a rifle, but the exact circumstances are the subject of much speculation, the most popular being that Green wanted Davis to stop.
Mary Todd Lincoln - (December 13, 1818 - July 16, 1882) Mary Todd was the wife of America's 16th President Abraham Lincoln and was the first lady of the United States. Abraham Lincoln always pursued his increasingly successful career and Mary Todd Lincoln was well educated and she shared the same fierce ambitions. In February 1862 her son Willie died at the age of 11 years old. After his death Mary spent a considerable amount of money to pay for mediums and spiritualists to try and contact her dead son, spending a lot of money the family did not have. She was known to suffer fro Schizophrenia.
Joe Meek - (born 5 April, 1929 in Newent, Gloucestershire - 3 February 1967 in London) Joe Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent producers. Meek was obsessed with the occult and the paranormal, especially the idea of the "other side". He sometimes used to set up tape recorders at graveyards to try and hear the voices of the dead, at one point he claimed that a cat that was recorded was actually imitating a human's voice calling for help. Another time Meek claimed that that the late American rocker Buddy Holly had tried to communicate with him in dreams. Joe Meek was known to suffer of Schizophrenia.
Andy Goram - (born April 13, 1964) Andy Goram is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Also a cricketer, Goram represented the Scottish cricket team four times: twice (1989 and 1991) in the annual first-class game against Ireland and twice (again in 1989 and 1991) in the NatWest Trophy. Goram has faced accusations of sectarianism. He attracted publicity for sporting a black armband at a match in 1997 after the murder of the Loyalist paramilitary Billy Wright. Andy Goram's ex-wife, Tracey, once released a photograph of him in a bar holding a flag of Northern Irish Loyalist group the UVF. After it was reported in the press that Goram had a mild form of schizophrenia, fans responded with a chorus of "Two Andy Gorams, there's only two Andy Gorams". This chant quickly gained popularity, and became the title of a book documenting humorous football chants.
Tom Harrell - (born June 16, 1946) Tom Harrell is a renowned American post bop jazz trumpeter and composer. However he has a disability which profoundly affects his life away from the stage. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. On stage he stands away from the microphone, off to the side, his head bowed and his hands clutching his trumpet. When called upon to play, he walks slowly to the microphone, head still lowered, raising it only to play. When finished, he bows his head and resumes his original place.
Alexander "Skip" Spence - (April 18, 1946 - April 16, 1999) Alexander Spence was a musician, singer and songwriter. Spence's past is unhappy; he was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia, was an alcoholic and lived as a derelict on the streets of Santa Cruz, although reports suggest that he had finally managed to stop drinking a few years before his death from cancer on Friday in a Santa Cruz hospital. A Tribute to Alexander "Skip" Spence, an album featuring contributions from R.E.M., Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Beck, and many others, was released a few weeks after his death.
Meera Popkin - A star of Cats and Miss Saigon on Broadway and in London's West End was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her life went from center stage and limos to waiting tables at Wendy's, but she's now back and is doing well. "I've had quite a year. I thought the highlight would be getting married. I thought the highlight would be having my baby girl. Now it looks like the highlight is being completely recovered from schizophrenia. Did I ever have it? Was I misdiagnosed? Am I the one in a thousand that recovers from this illness? These are the questions my doctor is asking."
Bob Mosley - Singer/songwriter and bassist James Robert Mosley was born December 4, 1942, in Paradise Valley, CA, and spent his teens playing in a number of garage combos, including the Misfits, the Strangers, and the Frantics. The Frantics eventually morphed into Moby Grape, and with a lineup of Bob Mosley, Peter Lewis, Skip Spence, Don Stevenson, and Jerry Miller, the band recorded the brilliant but ill-fated Moby Grape album, released by Columbia in 1967. In 1969 Mosley joined the U.S. Marines, making it through basic training, only to be diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic . Bob Mosley descended into schizophrenia and was homeless in the mid-1990s. But he rejoined the band for its previous New York show in August 1997.
Roger Kynard - Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators and pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre. In 1968, while doing a stint at Hemisfair, Erickson started speaking nonsense. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy.
Vaclav Nijinsky - Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky (March 12, 1889 - April 8, 1950) was a Polish ballet dancer and choreographer. Nijinsky was one of the most gifted male dancers in history, and he became celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations. He could perform en pointe, a rare skill among male dancers at the time (Albright, 2004) and his ability to perform seemingly gravity-defying leaps was also legendary. Nijinsky had a nervous breakdown in 1919 and his career effectively ended. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and taken to Switzerland by his wife where he was treated by psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler. He spent the rest of his life in and out of psychiatric hospitals and asylums.
Rose Williams - Sister of Tennessee Williams. Tennessee was close to his sister Rose, a slim beauty whose sad life had perhaps the greatest influence on him. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. As was common then, Rose was institutionalized and spent most of her adult life in mental hospitals. When therapies were unsuccessful, she showed more paranoid tendencies. In an effort to treat her, Rose's parents authorized a prefrontal lobotomy, a drastic treatment that was thought to help some mental patients who suffered extreme agitation. Performed in 1937 in Washington, D.C., the operation went badly. Rose was incapacitated for the rest of her life.
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/famous-schizophrenia.shtml