Autism in France: Psychoanalysis, Packing, Other Travesties

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I would also like to know the status of the documentary. Can you update us about it, Alex?

As an immense french philosopher said:

"... I first became aware that I had accepted, even from my youth, many false opinions for true, and that consequently what I afterward based on such principles was highly doubtful; and from that time I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking once in my life to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted, and of commencing anew the work of building from the foundation" (René Descartes)

Not just psychoanalysis is in trouble, but psychiatry its at a crossroads.

"...Since the “Decade of the Brain” was inaugurated in 1990, we have witnessed twenty-five years of intensive neuroscience research aimed at finding effective therapies, yet relatively little has changed in terms of treatment options and approaches. Meanwhile, the rise of biological psychiatry has displaced psychosocial and psychotherapeutic approaches in psychiatric training and practice, resulting in what some observers have perceived as less humane and patient-centered care.
From a critical and political economic perspective, the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry and managed care corporations has created conflicts of interest that threaten the credibility and accountability of psychiatry as a helping profession [...] The concept of the “mental” has a cultural history that is related to notions of personhood, agency, and morality, with important consequences for how we respond to people with psychiatric problems (Kirmayer, 1988; Miresco & Kirmayer, 2006)."*

The so called 'mental problems' are constructed relying on our cultural background. There are cultural differences in how we interpret behavior and those interpretations can lead to huge different versions of the same events or phenomena. The cultural differences includes any academic tradition, and the ways that tradition tackles the questions, and even the formulation of the questions themselves.


[*] Source: Kirmayer, L.J., Lemelson, R. & Cummings C. (Eds.) Re-Visioning Psychiatry: 
Cultural Phenomenology, Critical Neuroscience and Global Mental Health (pp. 1-38) New York: Cambridge University Press.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existential_therapy
Psychotherapy as Religion: The Civil Divide in America (not limited to america, but in this book)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1896314/
http://link.springer.com/article/10.100 ... 868#page-1
and don't forget bigpharma's (the banking-branch of religion) social-engineering: consumerism

Not surprised. France is rigid, always the last to change things. Eveything is a mental disorder and drugs are given away like candies. When I talked about having synesthesia/trouble sleeping/stimming/lack of focus on things I don't like, without looking more "depressive state", vague "diagnosis" after seeing me once. I saw people who got stupid taking these. Generalists give "mental" drugs even more than psychiatrists. The new neuroscience theories are clearly not accepted well by many, even though explaining more and better.

For a country who had at least 5 revolutionary movements in 150 years during the 18th and 19th centuries, I don't think France is impervious to change.

On the matter at hand: We even were the first in Europe to try and treat mental patients like human beings or at least people that should be cared for. While in England Bedlam remained, Pinel was freeing mental patients. We have a very paradoxical situation, I would say: enlightened happy few aware of the wrong that can be done by the mental heath institutions and moguls, and the most part of the population that is not educated enough to free itself from the said mental institutions system controversial practices.

That being said, many things are really wrong in France regarding the way both mental patients and autists are being treated and I will be happy to discuss that (and rant as well )

Reporting in from France.

Yes, the situation in France regarding autism is pretty bad, but some improvements have been made recently (starting from the late 2010s). Gladly, unscientific and ineffective psychoanalysis is being discarded and banned in the treatment of autism, due to the pressure from the researchers and autism advocates. But of course, there's a lot to be done, and many improvements to be made.
Recently, there has been an increase in the awareness of the problems which France has in its treatment of autism among the French psychiatric community - before, they weren't even aware of how horrible the situation is.

But many unscientific and completely ineffective practices (such as the use of the French nomenclature which is largely based on its beloved psychoanalytic approach) still persist. Sadly, France is still lagging behind the developed world in its treatment of autism by about 30 years.

I also believe that there's a slight sense of arrogance among the more backwards elements of the French psychiatric community. They refuse to listen to what the researchers say, and think that their old biased views and eye witnessed testimony are more important than the results of thousands of international clinical trials, research efforts and scientific works. Sadly, there's also a complete lack of education regarding the scientific methodology among these people, so their views are likely to persist.

Yes, there's some backwardness and unscientific practice in the French psychiatric community, but don't generalize an entire country based on that (and some other experiences). By being prejudicial you're sinking to the very level of the unscientific psychiatrists you're trying to criticize. Both views ignore empirical evidence and reason, and hence lead to great ills.

French mum wanted on child abduction charges 'came to Ireland to protect autistic son'

Danae is right, I live near France and they are bad. I also speak french.

Members of the psychological profession are pretty much the same the world over. They blame the parents for the children's problems and have low expectations of the children.

Hey i have lived in France for 12 years now before i used to live in the US and i wish it wouldn't have happen for what france has done for me... I think my story is a bit odd but i was frequently bullied by kids and even teachers and had a concussion with a very small internal bleeding because i was Aspergers. I hope the situation can change and live can be better for Aspies in France which is a beautiful country lol

No, not all physicians or psychologists are the same around the world. There is nothing to diagnose adults here (big city), even less women. The knwledge is basically from the 80s, some still use only clinical assessments barely better than the 40s. Know your place.

Regarding this topic, the situation for autistic people in France will probably get worse if La Penne and the Front National get any power (I don't know what their stance on the matter is, but I assume their status on the far-right means it's probably not a good one).

You're funny! What do you think they will do? Put people with AS in a bunker and throw grenades in it like the third reich did with people with handicaps during WWII? They are nationalists, so as long as you are white they don't care, white with AS, white and gay, white and anything? welcome!! I don't even think they are aware of AS to be honest...

As a student in psychology in France I can tell you that psychoanalysis is a huge lobby here, they are one of the reasons the progress made in that field are barely visible, they put pressure on our government to ban all articles saying bad things against them, no idea how they do that, maybe Sigmund Freud is not dead and he rules this field in the shadow

In my university you have two teams the clinicians and the others, Clinic is all about Freud, so all about poop, pee, penis, girls wanting a penis, etc... It's funny at time, but many other time it gross me out!!
Most students know that clinic is a wack topic, teached by wackos!! but as long as you put some penis there, poop here, anus two or three times in your homework you can be sure that teachers will love you, so if you're a good storyteller with a dirty mind you're good to go!! !
The other teachers (anti-clinic) tell us all the time in a more classy way that clinic is full of crap, that talking therapy is as good as placebo. So you could as well talk to your janitor, postman, cashier etc...! !

Parents with money and knowledge don't use that kind of therapy anymore, they are aware of the methods used in US and they try all kind of different approach with their kids. They are aware that putting their kids in the system will do them more harm than good! So yeah sadly a lot of uneducated parents and worst those who know better but don't have the money are still between the hands of those weirdos!!

So please don't say "The french" do this or that, french CLINICIANS give a bad image of the country, these Freud's worshipers rule! But it's just a bunch of stubborn perverts with some super-blinding-power!!
But for sure most of my teachers are not aware of all the specificity of AS, I try and ask every year few questions about Asperger, but well the "Rain-man" cliché is still going strong, but most of them are aware of their lack of knowledge and are not afraid to admit it!
And about doctors giving you pills like candy, well it's not only about people with AS, it's everybody, France is one of the biggest if not THE biggest antidepressant consumer, yes we are sad... maybe because of that urine smell mentioned earlier (prejudice anyone?)
Hope you understand my english, and excuse my french!

La Penne funny way to rename her. In my very opignon you guys are very hard on France. First of all if Marine Le Pen becomes president I do not think the Asperger condition will get worst because her political line is the same as Farage in the UK it is saying "people in France are underconsidered by the time we gave all our money to those lazy foreigners" so a lot of things will not be great but I do not think she will attack healthcare in anyway except to try to improve the thing because the logic is "us before the rest of the world" the threat on autism is more on candidate with Francois Fillon who want to make a lot of economy on health care and I do not think Asperger matters to him. But anyways I travel a lot for my studies I went 6 month in San José, CA 6 month in Argentina and I am currently living in Sweden for at least 2 years and this allow me to see that France is actually very great considering what everyone says about it especially French themselves. I do not know all the countries but I had a car accident in the Nevada desert and I was happy to come back have all those specialists taking care of me for free. I am also a computer scientist working up to 19h per day so my eyes are quite tired and I could have very nice glasses in 2 days also for free. I am not saying it is the best country in the world but for sure one of the most developed modern and carefulness and the health care is one of the best in the world especially cardiology for which people come from everywhere BUT the is a big French problem which is some causes are totally forgotten like Asperger and in addition it is not the case anymore. About two years ago it became like tendance a lot of people make their children tested and a lot of specialized school are opening. So it will be better and pretty fast but there is still a lack on adults which are totally forgotten.
France is not perfect of course but I am sad reading everyone criticizing it because it is a really really great country and you have terrible ideas about it (it can promise in Paris you will maybe smell pollution but no urine what idea is that?)
Love from France and I will not apologize for my bad english who seriously need to speak english when you speak french (kidding of course)

French government minister accuses Francois Fillon of 'deep contempt' over autism remarks

Having lived in France 8 years, I can definitely say that there is a deep rooted problematic attitude towards autism.
Here in the UK, I very rarely hear it slung around as an insult, but back in France, I'd hear it almost every day, accompanied by face pulling and the whole "imitation" shebang which is really really not fun. (note that this was in college and lycée, so it could just be kids being kids, BUT:) A lot of the adults I talked to were really avoidant about the subject of autism. There was one boy in my cub troupe who was very clearly autistic (this was after having known him for 2-3 years), but if you ever brought it up with the rest of the leaders, and asked what we could do to help make the camp a little easier for him, you were hushed and told that "we don't talk about that." And this was in Toulouse, which has a high British and German population, and is pretty forwards thinking.

In general, what I really noticed in France is that you don't see disabled people of any sorts. They seem to be shut away, hidden so that the world can't see them. There also seems to be a deep misunderstanding of learning disabilities (my brother is dyspraxic and lordy that was an uphill battle) and a lack of wanting to help, though this extends much further than just disabled people, and into the NT population in general (I knew a lot of people who needed educational help in lycée, but never got it cause the school just didn't offer it.) It almost seems to be a more extreme version of the British "stiff upper lip".