FMSF 1999 False Memory Syndrom

about the alchemy quote, Dr. Fink failed to provide its

We extend a very special "Thank you" to all of the people who help prepare the FMSF Newsletter. Editorial Support: Toby Feld, Alien Feld, Janet Fetkewicz, Howard Fishman,

August Piper, Jr. and Members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and information: Our Readers. HAVE YOU WRITTEN YET? American Psychiatric Association

HAVE YOU WRITTEN YET? American Psychiatric Association Steven Mirin, M.D., Executive Director 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION nation. In fact, the three studies that In contrast, the concept of moral panic mention amnesia for trauma present no focuses upon cognition and communi/\\\en Feld scientific basis to support the concept cation behavior." A sociological perAttorneys who are representing of re

nation. In fact, the three studies that In contrast, the concept of moral panic mention amnesia for trauma present no focuses upon cognition and communi/\\\en Feld scientific basis to support the concept cation behavior." A sociological perAttorneys who are representing of repression. Two of these a

When Is It Legitimate to Help

"Rachel is weeping for her children, and she cannot be comforted, for they are gone. But the Lord says: 'Don't cry any longer, for I have heard your

New Hampshire Supreme Court: Therapist Owes a Duty to Accused Parent Hungerford v. Jones, 1998 N.H. LEXIS 94. December 18, 1998. What recourse does an accused person have against

ruling has been appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In April 1998, a Pennsylvania appellate court upheld a jury award and held that a duty was owed to the accused parents as well as the defendant therapist's patient.!Si The

ISSD officers. The ISSD has never bad a conference on the problem of hysteria in its own ranks. Instead it issues press releases in defense of the SRA practitioners under indictment in Houston. [And Dr. Bennett Braun, be of the $10.6 million sett1ement in Chicago, remains on the masthead of

Piper, Jr. and Members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and infonnation: Our Readers. HAVE YOU WRITTEN YET? American Psychiatric Association Steven Mirin, M.D., Executive Director

with the New York City Public Libraries, and for their support of lifelong literacy.

Survey Reports Lack of Consensus

Among Board-Certified Psychiatrists on DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders Diagnosis Pope, H. G., Oliva, P.S., Hudson, J.I.,Bodkin, J.A. and Gruber,A.J. (1999).

TO TALK OR NOT TO TALK, Patterns of family communication

Patterns of family communication are of interest to more than academics,

Much Remains to Be Done While much headway has been made in debunking the ·~unk science"

While much headway has been made in debunking the ·~unk science" promoted by "recovered memory" proponents and the number of reported

'The step~daughter, who felt aban- copies of e-mail messages from the doned and betrayed when her step- mother to the pastor describing her father left the home, interpreted her ''recovered memories." Sentencing has angry feelings as confirmation of her not yet taken place. An appeal is

Multiple personality disorder exploded in the media this March. Cameron West's book, First Person Plural quickly went to number 10 on the New York Times Best Seller list,

"is analyzing whether multiple personality disorder is the most dangerous disorder resulting from child abuse." The Press, March 22, 1999 "Gifted students shouldn't be over. looked;' by Diane D. Amico Of course it is easy to see why an academically talented young woman would make the assumption that

American Psychiatric Association Steven Mirin, M.D., Executive Director 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 American Psychological Association Raymond Fowler, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer

,\ Disscnh~1· Longs fm· A Stake

culture, suggestible people. express discomfort and avoid responsibility by uncovering "hidden personalities" and giving each of them a voice. This is especially likely when [these patients are being treated by] a

because a woman said that all her personalities did not consent to have sex. Peterson had consensual sex with "Jennifer," one of a young woman's 18 personalities. The

• After a woman, charged in New Jersey with the 1988 murder of her father and aunt and the attempted murder of her brother. was given a series of psychiatric evaluations, she contended that she had MPD and one of her other personalities was acting when the alleged offenses occurred.l-1

1980's, hundreds of suits have been filed by individuals claiming they recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. Most of those individuals were in therapy at the time they claim to have recovered the memories, and of those in therapy approximately 18% (103/579) were diagnosed as

with MPD become established, the standard treatment modality often leads to a deterioration of the mental and

26 The FMSF Legal Survey contains reports from 112 individuals claiming they were injured after they were treated for a misdiagnoscd MPD. 27 See e.g., Spanos. N. ( 1996) notes that "Child sexual abu;,c Wil.~ n<Jt a prominent feature of MPD cases reported before 1970. However cases reported afrer 197

were injured after they were treated for a misdiagnoscd MPD. 27 See e.g., Spanos. N. ( 1996) notes that "Child sexual abu;,c Wil.~ n<Jt a prominent feature of MPD cases reported before 1970. However cases reported afrer 1975 have almosr always involved descriptions of childhood se~ua! abuse, and the

who told us that her daughter returned to the family because of what she heard at anAl-anon meeting. "There," she told her mother, "nobody gave advice except to tell you it doesn't matter what all has been done to you, or what your situation is. Your job is not to find whom to blame, but to decide w

about the things that she did to try to keep communication open. But in her opinion, a key factor in that successful situation was the accusing daughter's mother-in-law (not accused) who worked to bring the family together. Not all families are lucky enough to have a caring in~ law or a concerned si

American Psychiatric Association Steven Mirin, M.D., Executive Director 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 American Psychological Association Raymond Fowler, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer

tion of personal problems, and that all problems can be "fixed"; courts had

tion of personal problems, and that all problems can be "fixed"; courts had become more accepted as a mechanism

My Experience With Multiple Laureotian University Press,

Laureotian University Press,

ISBN# 0-88667-045-4 129 pages $9.95

------------·--------------·-- therapist might utilize. But on the positive side, she is concerned about the

Because of our society's history of ignoring child abuse, there is legitimate concern that those who have experienced abuse would not be

Because of our society's history of ignoring child abuse, there is legitimate concern that those who have experienced abuse would not be believed. Many argue that disbelieving a client who truly has been abused

RAGE * FLASHBACKS • DEPRESSION * HOPELESSNESS * ANXIETY * PARANOIA • LOW SELF ESTEEM • RELAPSE * RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS * SEXUAL FEAR • SEXUAL COMPULSION * SELF MUTILATION * BORDERLINE PERSONALITY * IRRITABLE BOWEL • MIGRAINE * P.M.S. * POST TRAUMATIC STRESS * BULIMIA ._ ANOREXIA * A.C.OA * OBESITY *

• MIGRAINE * P.M.S. * POST TRAUMATIC STRESS * BULIMIA ._ ANOREXIA * A.C.OA * OBESITY * MULTIPLE PERSONALITY * HALLUCINATIONS • RELIGIOUS ADDICTIONS * PARENTING PROBLEMS * SUICIDAL FEELINGS.

ANOREXIA * A.C.OA * OBESITY * MULTIPLE PERSONALITY * HALLUCINATIONS • RELIGIOUS ADDICTIONS * PARENTING PROBLEMS * SUICIDAL FEELINGS. We carried that advertisement with us because it

HALLUCINATIONS • RELIGIOUS ADDICTIONS * PARENTING PROBLEMS * SUICIDAL FEELINGS. We carried that advertisement with us because it seemed such a concise statement of the warped and non-scientific belief system confronting families. And we learned

PROBLEMS * SUICIDAL FEELINGS. We carried that advertisement with us because it seemed such a concise statement of the warped and non-scientific belief system confronting families. And we learned that however far one might travel, the emptiness in our

We carried that advertisement with us because it seemed such a concise statement of the warped and non-scientific belief system confronting families. And we learned that however far one might travel, the emptiness in our hearts would remain. Our children, after all, will always be

patient. The patient had come to believe that she had been part of an intergenerational satanic cult. (See Simpson v. Litwin, this newsletter.)We had to conclude that for us, at least, there is no getting away from the reality of what has

Association, continue to defend Braun. Dr. Elva Poznanski, a fanner Braun colleague at Rush Presbyterian, however, has agreed with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to testify against Braun in a hearing to strip him of his license to practice medicine.

Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and irifonnation: Our

FMS Foundation Newsletter JULY/AUGUST 1999 Vol. 8 No. 5

reflection by therapists about their responsibility to provide safe and effective therapy. The result of an on-air comment by Laura Schlesinger (Dr. Laura) two weeks ago, however, gave us a reminder

Freyd landing a few more haymakers on the recovered- memory movement. As she correctly notes, many of its practitioners are suffering increased marginalization. (I must confess I had to look the word up: it means "placing

Selling Serenlly ....................... ...............8 Legal Corner .................................................................. 10 Slovenko .......................................................................... 70 From Our Readers .......................................................

were all unwilling parties to a "confrontation or public accusation." Yet, we know of almost no families who have had a meeting with the accuser and a psychiatric team. And the only efforts for corroboration have come after the f1ling

Piper, Jr. and Members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Leners and information: Our Readers. "Recovered Memories: Are They Reljable?"

''The recovered memories debate is the most passionately contested battle that has ever been waged about the nature of human memory. Students of

the context of the therapy. "For many years, informed consent Until professional organizations

Barach, president of the ISSD, wrote that the guidelines .. take strong positions against the excesses that some therapists committed" in treating MPD. One wonders what strong positions he is referring to. (p. 107 endnote on page 171) This is exactly the same logic used by

jointly by the Eleanor and Elliot Goldstein Foundation and Florida Atlantic University, changing times were never more apparent. Whereas researchers of the early 1990s had

Recovered Memories of Child Sexual Abuse: Psychological, Social and Legal Perspectives on a Contemporary Mental Health

difficult to explain to people who have been terribly hurt how to open their hearts and to love unconditionally. I think that the ability to love in such a way requires a strength beyond our

"A maj or factor in the health-care industry's lack of progress is its carefully guarded system of self-policing, an honor system that even insiders say is ineffective. At its roots

Lee Arning and Charles Caviness Fundraising Co·chairs Characteristics, Context and

for example, the defending psychiatrist claimed that the patient came to him with memories of abuse. When the dates of the therapy sessions were actually compared to the onset of the

caused by a therapist with no legiti mate credentials. (See this month's

had not been sent to the relevant group Dr. Fink fails to distinguish of the APS, were presented as more between the Foundation and the "client and therapist sensitive." The actions taken by some of its members suggestions have not been approved by and other professionals who are active the APS but

Time to close the book on recovered memory By Morton S. Rapp, MD Tltis Clrticle was published i11 The Natio11al Posr (Canada) 34 (20). May 26, /998 and is

By Morton S. Rapp, MD Tltis Clrticle was published i11 The Natio11al Posr (Canada) 34 (20). May 26, /998 and is The "recovered memory movement" (RMM) is approaching the end of its

logical illness. Indeed, a group of ana of mental illness can be found through lytic graduates from Columbia, includ biochemistry, genetics and neurology,

live up to and have actually harmed many patients in recent

already had memories when she started therapy with The Psychotherapist's Guide to Human Memor y, by Fernandez and that he was within the standard of care in her Janet Jones. New York: Basics Books, 1999. 296 pages. treatment as it was known between 1991 and 1994. It is

Holocaust communities. (See this issue page 3.) In another license action, an amendment to the May, In one of the most bizarre stories in the whole recovered 1999 discipline action of the Minnesota Board of memory saga, a major "proof' for Wilkomirski 's claims had

The ADFI Paris Chairman summa~ Starting in January 1999, the rized the present situation: •There may FMSF Newsletter will be published ; be about 20 other cases in Brittany bimonthly. We feel that we can keep

bimonthly. We feel that we can keep connected to a semi~sectarian local our readers current with this new association. Little is know of the situaschedule. We will augment these tion in other regions. •The UNADFII21

National Pas/, September 27, 1999

citing U.S. research suggesting a strong link between religious belief and well~being, was prepared for the Health Education Authority. According to newspaper reports, the British gov~

campaign to reduce the stigma that often accompanies mental illness. Relations among childhood

of the New England Society for the Study of Dissociation to be held at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, Marian Kaplun Shapiro, Ed.D., a licensed psychologist will present

The Fundraising campaign is now underway. Donations are the major source of funding for the

with a book within the context in which it is written. Watters and Ofshe's purpose here is to show that psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory has a long history of acting like a petri dish

cology, MRis and other advances largely made outside psychiatry. The authors outline a series of errors in Freud's original thinkingincluding some that were recognized-or at least questioned-by

Excerpts from the Kaminer book Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, New York: Pantheon, 1999. ''The recovered memory movement valorized paranoia. The mere suspicion that your father had raped you provided entree into the community of survivors, where you were likely to be praised for your bravery in co