Friday, June 27, 2014


News Clips For The Day



The secrets of short sleepers: How do they thrive on less sleep?
By AGATA BLASZCZAK-BOXE CBS NEWS June 27, 2014

Exhaustion, problems with alertness and overall crankiness are typical symptoms of not getting enough sleep, which for most people means anything less than seven or eight hours per night. But for natural "short sleepers," it's not a problem at all, as they are genetically wired to thrive on less sleep than the rest of us.

Those lucky people, who function just fine on six hours of sleep or less, constitute about one percent of the population, and researchers are trying to figure out what explains their unique trait. Someday, that scientific work might even lead to treatments that could help combat the effects of sleep deprivation.

Ying-Hui Fu, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, studies the genetics and other characteristics of short sleepers at her neurogenetics lab.

Currently, Fu knows of three types of genetic mutations that are related to the ability to function well on minimal amounts of sleep, which often runs in the family. In a 2009 paper published in the journal Science, she described a mother and a daughter who shared the same genetic mutation of the gene DEC2 that allowed them to thrive on six hours of sleep per night. So far Fu has identified about 50 families of short sleepers.

"This group of short sleepers is unique," Fu said, describing them as optimistic and energetic, often holding more than one job.

One of Fu's study subjects, a woman in her 90s, volunteers at a prison because she has so much time and energy that she feels compelled to somehow use it, Fu said, adding that another female short sleeper in her 80s often complains that she cannot find a man to keep up with her.

Even though researchers say that genetics appear to play a key role in short-sleepers' reduced need for sleep, there are still a number of unanswered questions.

"We don't understand why they are so optimistic and outgoing when they are supposed to be apathetic and irritable" on so little sleep, Dr. Christopher R. Jones, a professor at the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah who recruits short sleepers for scientific studies, told CBS News.

The connection between not needing much sleep and being full of energy is not completely clear to researchers, but mood, temperament and people's sleep patterns in general are often related, Fu said.

Interestingly, these high energy levels typical of short sleepers can sometimes reach behavioral extremes. For instance, a 2001 study published in the Journal of Sleep Research that examined the sleep patterns and personality of 12 short sleepers, researchers found some evidence of subclinical hypomania -- a milder form of manic behavior, characterized by euphoria, disinhibition and, in fact, a decreased need for sleep.

"That's our experience too," Jones said, describing the short sleepers he has met as "behaviorally activated." There may be something about this behavioral activation that helps short sleepers overcome sleepiness, he speculated.

Jones said many researchers think that short sleepers are actually sleep deprivedbut somehow just don't feel the symptoms of sleep deprivation the way most people do. The same Journal of Sleep Research study that showed evidence of hypomania also suggested that short sleepers get about half as many minutes of REM sleep -- the stage in the sleep cycle in which dreaming occurs -- as long sleepers.

Experts stress that it is important to distinguish between true short sleepers and people who actually need eight hours of sleep but force themselves to get by on less, which is much more common to encounter.

"I have never actually met a true short sleeper," Dr. Charles Bae, a sleep specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, told CBS News. "Most people who say they don't need a lot of sleep don't have that gene and they are just fooling themselves."

Moreover, for regular people, it is never a good idea to cut back on sleep. Previous research has shown that not getting the amount of sleep that your body requires can have negative consequences for your health. Sleep deprivation can compromise cognitive functioning and cardiovascular health and may raise your risk of cancer, Fu said, stressing that people should aim to get the amount of sleep that they know they need.

Research has even shown that people who do not get enough sleep have a higher overall risk of premature death, but this does not seem to apply to those natural short sleepers, experts say.

Researchers hope that someday, if they can figure out the mechanism and genetic pathways responsible for the short sleeping trait, it could lead to a drug that could potentially reduce the amount that ordinary people need. However, at this point, Fu thinks it's a rather distant prospect. "Everything is possible," she said. "It is just a matter of how long it takes."




I have always had trouble getting to sleep initially and had no desire to get to sleep until 1:00 AM or so. I had my nights and days mixed up. In my younger years I would then sleep until 10:00 if I didn't set the clock, and often had problems waking up in time to get to work. I survived by setting the clock every work day and drinking three or more cups of coffee to wake up. Every now and then I would turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, I was so drowsy. Bad news! Late to work! I have never been fired for that, but it didn't endear me to my supervisors, I'm sure.

Now I eat, dress for bed and lie down in front of the TV around 6:30 to watch the news, my game shows – Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy – and then switch the TV over to my relaxing tapes which I have compiled for the last 15 years of factual documentaries of different kinds. A riotous comedy, an intense drama, or any such type of show will keep me from relaxing, so most of my tapes are from Discovery, the Science Network, NPR, or the History Channel. That gives me a long time to relax and removes any worries that I might have from my mind. Around 9:00 I can usually drowse off to sleep, and I usually turn of the TV because the sounds and light will bother me at that point. I will wake up spontaneously between 5:00 and 7:00 AM, and get the morning sunshine in my window, turn on the news again and make a couple of cups of coffee.

“Sleep deprivation can compromise cognitive functioning and cardiovascular health and may raise your risk of cancer, Fu said, stressing that people should aim to get the amount of sleep that they know they need. Research has even shown that people who do not get enough sleep have a higher overall risk of premature death, but this does not seem to apply to those natural short sleepers, experts say.” I hope I haven't been sleep deprived enough to cause me to have something terrible, like early dementia, heart problems or “premature death.” If I'm not in constant pain, paralyzed from a stroke, or suffering from dementia I would like to live at least another 15 years. Of course, I have no way of knowing what will happen. I just live day by day. A blog a day, several hours of reading, and the errands that need to be done. I will keep getting my eight hours of sleep a day, as I can tell I don't have this mutation that allows short sleeping. If they do develop a pill to change me over to a short sleeper I may consider taking it.






Nightmare nanny won't leave home, family says
CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

UPLAND, Calif. -- A California family says they've fired their live-in nanny, but the woman refuses to leave their home.

Marcela and Ralph Bracamonte, who have three children, told CBS Los Angelesthey've tried everything, including legal measures, to get the woman to leave their home in Upland in San Bernardino County.
The Bracamontes said the first couple of months with Diane Stretton were fine, but then the 64-year-old woman stopped working and complained of health issues.
At that point, the Bracamontes say, they told Stretton it wasn't working out and asked her to move out of their home. But Stretton flatly refused to go.

They said they served her with legal papers, but those turned out to be the wrong legal papers. Meanwhile, the nanny can come and go as she pleases. And it apparently pleases her to stay.
Police told the Bracamontes there was nothing they could do about the situation.
"They told me it was now a civil matter," Marcela Bracamonte said, "and I have to [legally] evict her. So this lady is welcome inside my house, anytime she wants, to eat my food anytime she wants and harass me basically. I'm now a victim in my home and it's completely legal."
A judge also ruled in the nanny's favor because he said the Bracamontes did not fill out a three-day quit notice correctly. He also said they would have to fill out the legal paperwork again.
CBS Los Angeles reporter Amy Johnson asked Stretton repeatedly, "Why won't you leave?" The woman did not answer.
Ralph Bracamonte says it's all a nanny nightmare.
"Now, this person is in our house, and I have to go to work," he said. "My kids are still here, my wife is still here. She towers over my wife, my kids. And I know there is nothing I can do about it."

Marcela Bracamonte found Stretton on Craigslist in March.
The couple says they agreed that Stretton would live in their home for free in exchange of taking care of the children and doing some housecleaning. They say Stretton did not fulfill her part of the bargain.
"And then she wouldn't do anything," said Marcela Strettom. "She would stay in her room 90 percent of the day. I really did try to work with her. She would just sit in her room all day. So I told her, you either have to perform or you gotta leave."
The Bracamontes served Stretton with new legal papers on Wednesday evening. She has three days to respond to the legal notice.
The Bracamontes say they know the eviction process can take a while but they wanted to speak out to warn other families and to advise them to always use an attorney is such matters.





“Marcela Bracamonte found Stretton on Craigslist in March.” Craigslist has been in the news several times for negative reasons, once even for a murder being committed through a Craigslist connection. They also were forced to stop listing some women who were offering sexual services on Craigslist. They don't look into the people whom they allow to advertise, and there's no guarantee of a satisfactory product. There is a caution on the list of how people can avoid scams, and a prohibition of “offensive” or “obscene” posting. Apparently either they don't really screen the wording on the posts, or it is possible to set up a sexual liaison without saying anything “offensive.”

Even if they do faithfully screen and eliminate unauthorized material, there is no way to tell anything about the person who has placed the ad. Doing business over the Internet, other than with a legitimate and well known organization, isn't something I would like to do. One woman I used to know rented a “time share” vacation spot over the Internet, paid for it with her credit card, and when she got down here there was no such address. Luckily she had used a credit card, and had the card company to dispute the payment. She did get her money back. As Ms. Bracamontes said, she wants to warn anyone who is inviting someone into their home, as in this case, that they should “always use an attorney.” The attorney could draw up a legal contract and possibly even hire the person and officiate at the firing if necessary. Hopefully this lady's ordeal will soon be over, since she has filed new paperwork recently.







Whale numbers are up, delighting watchers
By VINITA NAIR CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

SCITUATE, Mass. - Last year, NOAA researcher Dave Wiley says he didn't see any whales off Cape Cod.

This year, they're everywhere, delighting packed whale-watching cruises.

"I took a quick count and I counted about 18 humpbacks and eight to ten finbacks," Wiley told CBS News, peering from the bow of a ship. "There are many more in the distance so I would guess 30 to 40 humpbacks and probably 10 or 15 finbacks."

Why wasn't the show as good last year?

"Last year there were no Sand Lance around," Wiley said. Sand Lance are the tiny eel-like fish that humpbacks feed on. Little is known about why they thrive some years and are absent others. So Wiley and his team of researchers decided to follow the fish in the water.

They used one camera they could control, and borrowed "critter cams" from National Geographic, to tag unlikely cameramen.

"We have a tag on a long pole that has suction cup on it," Wiley said, describing the process of tagging a humpback whale. "We approach very carefully."

The footage showed Sand Lance darting around in schools, and burrowing in the seabed to hide from predators. But as researchers watched the deep water footage from the whales' point of view, they discovered something else. The 40-ton whales were hunting together, blowing bubbles to corral Sand Lance, like fishermen using nets.

"So they will start down maybe 20 meters and then start swimming a spiral and they are emitting bubbles out of blowhole or mouth," Wiley said. "They will make this nice choreographed circle, spiraling effect as they come to the surface and open their mouths and grab as many Sand Lance as they can."

They've essentially mastered teamwork, physics and timing.

"It's amazing the complexity of their behavior," Wiley said.

The whales will leave by the end of summer in search of warmer waters. Wiley said he doesn't know if the Sand Lance will return or if the humpbacks will surface next year.






I wonder if the Sand Lance schools migrate rather than growing only in one area, and the humpback whales follow them around. I wouldn't expect that the mere fact that scientists haven't found Sand Lance alive in a given area for a whole year means that they aren't alive somewhere else. Living things don't appear out of nothing. They have to be hatched. Of course many very small young sea creatures are floating around in the ocean currents until they grow larger – the term “plankton” refers to the miscellaneous collection of baby animals that is always in the water. Plankton float around in the currents until they are larger, so maybe the currents bring them every two years or so to the area around Massachusetts, and the humpback whales follow them. There are many patterns in nature whose reasons for being are not obvious, and the deep seas are the least accessible for exploration of any environment in nature. The patterns of this sort have to be pieced together by scientists like a puzzle in such a dynamic system. That's why scientists have to be funded to do research which doesn't always seem “useful,” and therefore worthwhile. Happy whale-watching!







Iraqi parliament takes step to form new government
CBS/AP June 26, 2014

BAGHDAD - Iraq's vice president called on parliament Thursday to convene next week, taking the first step toward forming a new government to present a united front against a rapidly advancing Sunni insurgency that threatens to spread across the region.

Britain's top diplomat, visiting Iraq, urged its leaders to put aside their differences for the good of the nation. And in Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry met with the United States' top Sunni state allies in the Mideast to consider how to confront the growing turmoil.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led political bloc won the most seats in April 30 elections - with 92 seats out of the 328 - but he needs support from other parties for a majority that would give him the right to govern. An increasing number of critics, both in Iraq and abroad, now want him to step down, saying his failure to promote national reconciliation fueled the insurgency by needlessly angering minority Sunnis.

Compounding the pressure on al-Maliki, Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr made a televised statement late Wednesday in which he called for a national unity government of "new faces" representing all groups.

Al-Sadr, whose followers fought fiercely against both U.S. forces and Sunni extremists during the height of the war nearly a decade ago, also vowed to "shake the ground" under the feet of the al Qaeda breakaway group that has threatened to advance toward Baghdad and holy Shiite cities in the south.

Al-Maliki has faced pressure, including from his onetime Shiite allies, to step down and form an interim government that could provide leadership until a more permanent solution can be found. He has insisted the constitutional process must be allowed to proceed.

In a statement, Vice President Khudeir al-Khuzaie ordered the new parliament to hold its first session on Tuesday, to be chaired by the eldest member.

Constitutionally the next step would be to elect a speaker and two deputies, then within 30 days to choose a new president who then has 15 days to ask the largest bloc to choose a prime minister and form the new government. The prime minister-designate has 30 days to present his cabinet to the parliament.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, meeting with al-Maliki in Baghdad, told a news conference that "we believe the urgent priority must be to form an inclusive government ... that can command the support of all Iraqis and work to stop terrorists and their terrible crimes."

Hague's trip follows a visit by Kerry, who earlier this week delivered a similar message and warned that Washington is prepared to take military action even if Baghdad delays political reforms.

The intense diplomatic push underscores the growing international concern over the gains by fighters led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL, the Sunni extremist group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and seeks to carve out a purist Islamic enclave across both sides of the Syria-Iraq border.

In Paris, Kerry said the threat posed by the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS, reaches beyond the two countries - Iraq and Syria - where it is currently based.

"The move of ISIL concerns every single country here," Kerry said at the start of the meeting held at the U.S. ambassador's residence. He said his talks with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also would touch on a "number of critical issues."

It's feared the insurgency will spark an outright civil war in Iraq - joining the ongoing three-year battle in Syria - if ISIL's might is not curbed.

Syrian warplanes have already struck suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in the Iraqi border town of Qaim. Al-Maliki said he didn't request the strikes, but welcomed them just the same, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata.

And, according to Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Damascus is happy to provide the service.

"For ISIS to occupy this big part of Iraq is dangerous for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq," Mekdad told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in Damascus recently. "It also makes us feel more endangered and we should mobilize our efforts together with all those that want to fight against terrorism."

The Obama administration was far less enthusiastic about Syria's government joining in the fight across its border.

"We continue to underscore that the solution to the threat confronting Iraq is not the intervention of the Assad regime, which allowed ISIL to thrive in the first place," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday. "The solution to Iraq's security challenge does not involve militias or the murderous Assad regime."

Meanwhile the discovery in recent weeks of bullet-riddled bodies dumped on the streets also has raised the specter of the past sectarian warfare Iraqis had hoped was behind them.

On Thursday, authorities found eight men believed to be in their 30s and 40s who had been shot to death in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Bagdad, police and hospital officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information. The men had no ID cards with them, reminiscent of the past when Shiite and Sunni extremists would take the identification to dehumanize those killed or to use as trophies.

Shortly before sunset, a bomb exploded near a clothing shop in Baghdad's northern Shiite neighborhood of Khazimiyah, killing seven people and wounding 24 others, said police and hospital officials.

In northern Iraq, an insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages on Wednesday sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave. The shelling of the cluster of villages happened in an area known as Hamdaniya, 45 miles from the frontier of the self-ruled Kurdish region.

While many villagers appeared to have been granted access by daybreak, hundreds of Shiite refugees were still hoping to be let in but were facing delays at a checkpoint because they lacked sponsors on the other side.

One of the refugees, who gave only her nickname of Umm Alaa, fearing retribution, said she and hundreds of others left their village of Quba and a nearby hamlet during the militants' initial assault on June 10 to seek shelter in communities that were then attacked Wednesday.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency, Adrian Edwards, last week said the number of people in Iraq forced from their homes is estimated to be 1 million so far this year.




“Secretary of State John Kerry met with the United States' top Sunni state allies in the Mideast to consider how to confront the growing turmoil,” while Iraq's parliament is meeting to form a new government “to present a united front” against ISIS. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under pressure to resign, under the weight of criticism for his policies that have angered the Sunni minority. “Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr made a televised statement late Wednesday in which he called for a national unity government of 'new faces' representing all groups.” “British Foreign Secretary William Hague, meeting with al-Maliki in Baghdad, told a news conference that 'we believe the urgent priority must be to form an inclusive government ... that can command the support of all Iraqis and work to stop terrorists and their terrible crimes.'"

“Syrian warplanes have already struck suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in the Iraqi border town of Qaim. Al-Maliki said he didn't request the strikes, but welcomed them just the same..... And, according to Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Damascus is happy to provide the service. 'For ISIS to occupy this big part of Iraq is dangerous for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq,' Mekdad told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in Damascus recently. 'It also makes us feel more endangered and we should mobilize our efforts together with all those that want to fight against terrorism.'" British and American diplomats continue to urge Iraq to modify the government to be more inclusive of the Sunnis, rather than maintaining a continued sectarian war.

“In northern Iraq, an insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages on Wednesday sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave.” Adrian Edwards of the UN refugee agency said that in the range of a million people within Iraq have fled their homes. The Kurds, though they are mainly made up of Sunni Muslims, are not fighting with ISIS or against the Shia. They tolerate five different religions among themselves, and appear to interact in peace.

The Kurds
Wikipedia

The Kurds, are an ethnic group in Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. They are an Iranian people and speak the Kurdish languages, which are members of the Iranian branch of Indo-European languages.[3

The Kurds as an ethnic group appear in the medieval period. The Kurdish people are believed to be of heterogenous origins[53][54] combining a number of earlier tribal or ethnic groups.... According to J.P. Mallory, the original Gutians precede the arrival of Indo-Iranian peoples (of which the Kurds are one) by some 1500 years.[74] This argument is seconded by F. Hennerbichlers theory which reassigns the ethnic Iranian origin of Kurds (traditionally considered Indo-European) to a people of predominantly unknown ancient Middle Eastern stock, in particular to indigenous Neolithic Northern Fertile Crescent aborigines.

“As a whole, the Kurdish people are adherents to a large number of different religions and creeds, perhaps constituting the most religiously diverse people of West Asia. Traditionally, Kurds have been known to take great liberties with their practices. This sentiment is reflected in the saying "Compared to the unbeliever, the Kurd is a Muslim".[214]

“Today, the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslim, belonging to the Shafi school. There is also a minority of Kurds who are Shia Muslims. Mystical practices and participation in Sufi orders are also widespread among Kurds.[215] Five other religions are mentioned among the Kurds, including Judaism and Christianity.”







Obama Calls Boehner Lawsuit Threat a ‘Stunt’
By Benjamin Bell
via Good Morning America
June 27, 2014

Despite Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s threat this week to sue President Obama over his use of executive orders, the president refused to apologize for his actions during an exclusive interview with ABC News and took the Republican Party to task for what he described as its attempt to interfere with the basic functions of government.

“You notice that he didn't specifically say what exactly he was objecting to,” the president said when asked about the suit by ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos during an interview Thursday in Minnesota.

“I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something while they're doing nothing,” the president added later.

Boehner said Wednesday during the announcement of the lawsuit that the president had “not faithfully executed the laws,” but Obama sharply disagreed during his interview with ABC News.

“The suit is a stunt,” he said.

As for immigration overhaul, the president cited public support for it, insisting he was open to compromise with the Ohio Republican during his interview with Stephanopoulos.
“What I've told Speaker Boehner directly is, ‘If you're really concerned about me taking too many executive actions, why don't you try getting something done through Congress?’” the president said.

"You're going to squawk if I try to fix some parts of it administratively that are within my authority while you're not doing anything?" Obama said, directing his comments toward Republicans.

During the wide-ranging interview, Stephanopoulos asked the president about how serious of a threat ISIS -- the radical Sunni Islamic group fighting to take control of Iraq -- posed to the United States, citing a recent op-ed by former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who served under both Obama and Republican President George W. Bush.

In the Washington Post, Crocker warned the U.S. “would be foolish to think that ISIS will not plan attacks against the West now that it has the space and security to do so.”

Said Obama: “I think we have been under serious threat my entire presidency. And we have been under serious threat predating 9/11 from those who embrace this ideology.” The president did concede that the group has grown more powerful in “some places” when asked about the issue by Stephanopoulos.

“Well, they're gaining strength in some places. But we've also got a lot better at protecting ourselves,” the president added.

The president announced earlier this month that he would send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to assist the country’s government-backed forces as they continue to clash with ISIS, which has already taken control of several cities and towns within the country currently headed by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.




Obama, in his recent ABC interview, “took the Republican Party to task for what he described as its attempt to interfere with the basic functions of government.... 'You notice that he didn't specifically say what exactly he was objecting to,' the president said.... 'I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something while they're doing nothing,' the president added later,” calling the threat to sue a “stunt.” Boehner has been challenged. Let's see what he does next.





Mental Illness in Kids: How to Spot the Signs and Ask for Help
By Sydney Lupkin
via 20/20
June 27, 2014

Elliot Rodger, the man who killed six people and wounded 13 more before killing himself, had never shown any violent tendencies before the attack, according to his father.

Peter Rodger, a photographer and Hollywood movie director, told ABC News’ Barbara Walters that he never thought his son “could hurt a flea.”

“We didn't see this coming at all,” he said of the massacre in an exclusive interview that will air in full in a special edition of “20/20” tonight.

But every child is different and some signs of mental illness aren’t as obvious as others, said Alan Kazdin, professor of child psychology and psychiatry at Yale University. What’s more, it can be difficult for parents to know when to seek help, and when they do, resources vary across the country.

In Virginia, where Cristy Gallagher lives with her 11-year-old daughter who has bipolar disorder, she’s fought for more state mental health crisis funding for children because her county only had one crisis unit, and police alone can’t give her daughter the help she needs.

“Police will handle a crisis but will not get the child into anything helpful,” Kazdin said, adding that parents can start by calling their state department of family services and asking for a referral to a child mental health specialist.

Gallagher runs a parent support group near where she lives in Northern Virginia through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a nonprofit. She helps other parents do things like make crisis plans, decide whether to keep their children in public school and come up with coping skills.

“What is interesting to me is how many families are in the same or similar situations that don’t talk about it openly, but will pull me aside and talk about it,” she said.

Kazdin, who runs the Yale Parenting Center, had some tips for parents who think they might have a mentally ill child:

Keep an eye out for isolation. The child doesn’t have to win a popularity contest, but should have at least one good friend.

Get the child involved in a hobby that will build confidence and a social network.

“Be very careful about unsupervised computer time,” he said. Cyberbullying, violent content and porn are easily accessible to tiny fingers, he said, adding that children are likely more web savvy than their parents and can easily get around parental “blocks.”

Don’t grab the child during an argument because it only leads to more aggression. And never use corporal punishment. “Don’t respond to anything physical. That makes things much worse,” he said. “This is what I do for a living so I’ve seen this way too many times.”

Every parent has a threshold for when they seek help with a mentally ill child, Kazdin said, so it’s hard to know when the time is right. That will vary based on the illness, the size of the family and the resources available.

To Gallagher, her elementary school aged daughter’s bouts of mania sometimes looked like sugar highs, but she knew something was wrong.

“For her, it was singing Hannah Montana at the top of her lungs and laughing hysterically. You just know that’s not normal,” Gallagher said. “Jumping around her room from her bed to her floor and back again. Also talking nonstop, which is very common for a manic episode for a kid.”

Visit askforhelp.org for more mental health resources.




Elliott Rodger's father said that he didn't think his son could "hurt a flea," but his mother had called mental health authorities about a month before the killings because she was worried about his condition, and the police were sent out to talk to the young man. He succeeded in convincing them that he was not seriously disturbed or dangerous. The police should have sent a psychologist to speak to him along with the police, so they could have made a better diagnosis, and his mother should have persisted in seeking help. That was the end of the intervention at the time, however, and within a few weeks he had a "meltdown."

Alan Kazdin, professor of child psychology and psychiatry, cautions parents to be on the alert for complete isolation, get the child involved in a hobby to build confidence and a social network, avoid corporal punishment, and avoid unsupervised computer use. He could have given more specific symptoms to watch for and a real guide as to when parents should seek professional help. He leaves that up to the parents – very diplomatic, but I don't think most parents are savvy enough about mental illness symptoms to know when they are out of their depth. Most parents will use corporal punishment with their children when they are either angry themselves or simply at their wit's end.

Cristy Gallagher's advice was better, I thought. She has a child with bipolar disorder and when the child is in a manic episode she says, “'For her, it was singing Hannah Montana at the top of her lungs and laughing hysterically. You just know that’s not normal,” Gallagher said. “Jumping around her room from her bed to her floor and back again. Also talking nonstop, which is very common for a manic episode for a kid.” Gallagher's support group for parents helps them “plan for crisis situations, decide whether to keep the child in public school and develop coping skills.” A discussion group of parents who are coping with similar problems, especially when associated with a care center as her group is, is an ongoing fount of information between the other parents' experiences and any professionals who may be participating in the group.

A psychiatrist and medications are of basic importance, but someone you know as a friend from your support group to call when you are having a crisis or when you have questions is very important. It would also be good if there were a support group for children controlled by medication to help keep themselves balanced and alert for changes. Even children participate in their own mental health treatment. The whole burden is not on the parent's shoulders. Children are brighter and more capable than their parents often think. If parents were used to engaging their children in thinking introspectively, they would be less likely to spank them rather than talking to them. A five year old is not as able to interact this way, but a 12 year old is very capable of it.

Scattered around across the country are a few – too few – support groups for mental health patients called NAMI, or National Alliance On Mental Illness, and possibly some other groups as well. See this website for NAMI information in your local area. You will probably find them on the Internet or in the telephone book, too. These groups will often be associated with local mental health treatment centers. See http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=find_support.